How Moderately Hard Water Affects Your Family
While municipally treated water is safe to drink, its mineral content directly impacts your daily life. Residents with 5.0 GPG water often report issues like:
- Dry, itchy skin and scalp due to soap residue that doesn't fully rinse away.
- Dull, brittle hair that's difficult to manage.
- Soap and shampoo that fail to produce a rich lather, leading to increased product usage.
For families, preparing baby formula with hard water can be a concern, although it does not pose a direct health risk. The primary impact is on skin comfort and household maintenance.
The Right Filtration System for New Brunswick
Given the moderate hardness level, a full-scale whole-house water softener is typically not a cost-effective solution. Here's what makes sense for water at 5.0 GPG:
- Best Bet (Drinking Water): A quality pitcher filter (like ZeroWater or Brita) or a faucet-mount filter is sufficient to improve the taste of your drinking water and remove chlorine. An under-sink Reverse Osmosis (RO) system is an excellent upgrade that removes virtually all minerals and costs far less than the $600-$900 per year the average family spends on bottled water.
- Whole-House Systems: A whole-house softener, which costs around $1,500 installed, would only save you approximately $54 per year. This results in a payback period of nearly 28 years, making it an impractical investment for most homeowners in the area. A salt-free conditioner can help reduce scale without the cost and maintenance of a traditional softener.