Florence-Graham Water Quality Data
A closer look at your water's composition reveals why it behaves the way it does.
- Water Hardness: 12.0 GPG / 205.2 PPM
- Classification: Very Hard
- Water Source: Municipal supply managed by Los Angeles County water systems, which includes imported water from the State Water Project and Colorado River Aqueduct.
To put this in perspective, the national average water hardness is around 5 GPG. At 12.0 GPG, your water contains more than double the typical mineral load, leading to significant scale buildup and soap inefficiency.
How Hard Water Hits Your Wallet
The mineral content in your water translates directly to household expenses. Annually, your home's water system is burdened with approximately 2.8 pounds of rock-like calcium scale. This invisible buildup causes visible problems:
- Higher Utility Bills: Scale inside your water heater creates a barrier between the heating element and the water. This forces your gas or electric unit to work much harder, inflating your Los Angeles Dept of Water & Power bill by as much as 15-25%.
- Appliance Destruction: The average lifespan of a water heater is 12-15 years. With this water quality, that lifespan is cut down to an estimated 9.0 years. The same damaging scale shortens the life of your dishwasher, washing machine, and coffee maker.
- Wasted Cleaning Products: Hard water requires 30-50% more soap, shampoo, and detergent to create a lather, meaning you're literally washing money down the drain with every use.
Impact on Skin, Hair, and Comfort
While the dissolved minerals in Florence-Graham's water are safe to drink, they can diminish your quality of life. The main issue is the reaction between hardness minerals and soap, which forms a residue instead of a clean lather. This leads to:
- Skin Irritation: A film of soap scum can remain on your skin, clogging pores and causing dryness and itchiness.
- Lifeless Hair: Mineral buildup coats hair follicles, leaving hair feeling brittle, dull, and difficult to manage.
- Constant Cleaning: The same film creates spots on your dishes and glassware and leaves a stubborn residue on shower doors and fixtures.
Choosing the Right Water Treatment System
With a hardness of 12.0 GPG, your water is hard enough that a treatment system is a sound investment, not a luxury.
- Smart Choice for 12 GPG: A salt-free water conditioner is highly effective at this hardness level. It uses technology to alter the structure of the hardness minerals, preventing them from forming scale on pipes and heating elements. This protects your home without adding salt. Pair it with an under-sink RO filter for purified drinking water.
- Maximum Protection: A traditional salt-based water softener remains the ultimate solution for completely removing hardness minerals, providing the 'slick' feel of soft water and maximizing soap efficiency.
The Financial Breakdown: Investing in a whole-house system (around $1,500 installed) can yield $126 per year in potential savings from lower energy use, reduced detergent consumption, and extended appliance life. At this rate, the system pays for itself in about 11.9 years while delivering better water from day one.