Hard Water and Mineral Buildup on the South Coast

What hard water is

Hardness is mostly dissolved calcium and magnesium. It is not a health issue, but when water is heated or evaporates, those minerals come out as scale. Water drawn from local reservoirs and groundwater picks up minerals from the rock and soil it passes through.

Read your water quality report

Every community water system publishes an annual water quality report, often called a Consumer Confidence Report, and many list hardness. Start with your supplier: the City of Santa Barbara (City of Santa Barbara, Water Resources), Goleta Water District (Goleta Water District), Montecito Water District (Montecito Water District) or Carpinteria Valley Water District (Carpinteria Valley Water District). Hardness can change from year to year as the mix of sources changes.

Where scale causes trouble

Tank water heaters

Scale settles at the bottom of the tank as sediment. It insulates the water from the burner, causes rumbling, and shortens tank life. Periodic flushing helps. See water heaters.

Tankless water heaters

Scale coats the heat exchanger and reduces output. Most manufacturers call for periodic descaling, which isolation valves make simple. See tankless water heaters.

Faucets and showerheads

Aerators and spray nozzles clog, and cartridges wear. Soaking aerators and showerheads in vinegar dissolves scale.

Toilets and valves

Fill valves and flappers wear faster, which can cause running toilets.

Treatment options

• Water softeners exchange hardness minerals for sodium or potassium. Some communities restrict or discourage salt-based softeners because of what the brine does downstream; check local rules before installing one.
• Scale-reduction systems that do not remove minerals are marketed for scale control; results vary.
• Point-of-use filters improve taste at the kitchen tap but do not address scale in the heater.

A simple maintenance routine

Once or twice a year, unscrew and rinse faucet aerators, soak showerheads, flush a few gallons from the bottom of a tank water heater, and look at the relief valve line for drips. Note the date. Small, regular steps keep scale from building into a repair.

Efficiency and scale

WaterSense-labeled fixtures save water (U.S. EPA WaterSense), and keeping their aerators clean keeps them performing as designed.

Related pages: water heater repair & replacement, tankless water heaters, faucets, sinks & fixtures, and what shapes an estimate.

Sources: City of Santa Barbara, Water Resources; Goleta Water District; Montecito Water District; Carpinteria Valley Water District; U.S. EPA WaterSense.