Water is either hard or soft. Hard water has various impacts on your health and your household appliances. You need to know the effects of hard water on your household appliances, including your refrigerator. The following information gives you information on the impact of hard water and how a water filter can help.
What is Hard Water?
By definition, hard water is water with high mineral content. In this case, we are talking about minerals such as gypsum, chalk, or limestone.
For hard water to form, it has to percolate in areas with gypsum, chalk, or limestone deposits. These are deposits made up of magnesium and calcium carbonates. These may be detrimental to your Maytag refrigerator.
For example, hard water affects the piping and compressor of your refrigerator. It also affects the operation of the ice maker and water dispenser. The good news is there are signs and solutions to the hard water effects on your refrigerator.
Signs of Hard Water in Your Refrigerator
You can’t know if you are using hard or soft water by sight. The good news is, some signs can help you know if you have hard or soft water. The following is a list of signs used to determine if your fridge’s water source is hard:
- Bad Taste
- Cloudy Water/Ice
- Stains
- Slow Water Flow
Impact of Hard Water on Your Maytag Refrigerator
There are four main areas of your refrigerator affected by hard water; the water dispenser, the piping, the compressor, and the ice maker.
Nothing is better than a glass of water or juice with ice on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, your Maytag refrigerator’s ice maker is prone to damage from hard water. If your water source is hard water, you notice your ice maker producing whitish or cloudy ice.
You may notice your ice maker is less efficient. Hard water creates something that is known as scale. The more scale you have, the more inefficient your ice maker becomes. Scale clogs the water piping in your Maytag refrigerator. This is what makes it inefficient.
When it comes to your Maytag refrigerator’s water dispenser, you may notice it doesn’t fill up a glass as fast as it did. The slowness is caused by clogging due to the hard water. With time, the ice maker or water dispenser may stop working. This is why it’s important to ensure you use a water filter to soften your water.
The compressor is the heart of any refrigerator. It ensures the refrigerant is circulated through the appliance. If you are using hard water, you risk straining your compressor. How?
When the ice maker and water dispenser have clogged systems, the compressor needs to work more to produce the desired results. The extra effort increases the wear and tear of the compressor. This in turn shortens its life. Refrigerators using hard water and don’t have water filters normally require more compressor repairs.
Piping is another area of your Maytag refrigerator damaged by hard water. Any refrigerator with a water dispenser or ice maker has a piping system to circulate water to these parts.
Hard water has various minerals, including aluminum, magnesium, and calcium. When these minerals run through pipes, they build up with time. The buildup results in clogs in the system. The more mineral buildup in your fridge’s piping, the bigger the clog. This results in lower water pressure. Low water pressure in your fridge means slower water dispensing and ice-making times.
Impact of Hard Water on the Human Body
Even though hard water isn’t fatal, it may cause or aggravate some health conditions. Excess consumption of minerals such as magnesium, aluminum, and calcium is not good for the body. Take note, these are minerals present in hard water. The following information gives you insight into the medical conditions aggravated or caused by hard water.
Heart Disease
Some studies have shown a relationship between heart disease and drinking hard water. Hard water contains magnesium and calcium. High intake of these two minerals may aggravate or cause heart disease.
Cancer
A study done by Taiwanese scientists shows there is a relationship between hard water and cancer. The study was done in two geographical locations with hard and soft water. The location with hard water showed the population had more people with cancer than the location with soft water.
The scientists determined that high levels of magnesium and calcium in water increased the risk of gastric cancer. A different study was done in Japan. It established an association between water hardness and the risk of colon cancer. Other studies have shown a relationship between pancreatic and colon cancer and hard water.
Diabetes
The levels of magnesium in the body determine insulin action. Low or high magnesium levels in the body precipitate diabetes. Since hard water contains magnesium, avoiding it ensures you maintain average magnesium levels. This ensures you lower the risk of getting diabetes.
Eczema
This is a relapsing and inflammatory skin disorder. Drinking hard water increases your chances of getting eczema. Japanese scientists found areas with water hardness had more children suffering from eczema. Furthermore, drinking hard water is known to cause dry skin.
Kidney Stones
Sulfate and carbonate salts of magnesium and calcium are present in hard water. More than 70% of kidney stones are made of calcium salts. One of the factors that contribute to kidney stones is drinking hard water. Drinking soft water reduces the risk of getting kidney stones.
The Importance of a Water Filter
From the information above, you can see how hard water affects your refrigerator and your health. If you have hard water, the best solution is to make it soft. This is effectively done by using a water filter.
A water filter ensures it reduces or removes minerals such as aluminum, magnesium, and calcium. These minerals that cause problems in your refrigerator’s ice maker or water dispenser. Such minerals also give you ice and water that tastes bad.
When it comes to your body, these minerals may create or aggravate a health condition. A water filter changes hard water to soft water. This ensures you protect your body and refrigerator from damage from minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and aluminum.
Conclusion
Using hard water regularly damages your refrigerator. When you drink it, you increase your chances of getting health complications. Always use a water filter to ensure you are not using or drinking hard water. Make sure the filter is purchased from a reputable company. For example, a company like See Filter is renowned for manufacturing high-quality water filters.