How Very Hard Water Affects Your Family
While Kenmore's water is treated to be safe for consumption, its high mineral content negatively impacts your daily life. Hard water reacts with soap to form a stubborn scum instead of a rich lather. This residue affects your body by:
- Leaving skin feeling dry, tight, and itchy
- Coating hair, making it look dull and feel brittle
- Creating a film in your shower and bath that's difficult to clean
For those with sensitive skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, this constant residue can worsen symptoms.
Filtration Guide for Kenmore's Hard Water
At 13.3 GPG, you need a whole-house solution to protect your home from scale damage. Your best options are:
- Salt-Free Water Conditioner: This is a powerful, no-maintenance choice that actively prevents mineral scale from forming in your plumbing and on your heating elements. It's ideal for homeowners who want protection without adding sodium to their water.
- Whole-House Water Softener: The classic solution for hard water. A salt-based softener removes the hardness minerals entirely, giving you truly soft water for bathing, cleaning, and protecting appliances.
A softener system investment (~$1,500) will pay for itself. With annual savings of $144 on energy and soap, the unit has a payback period of about 10.4 years. This calculation doesn't include avoiding the $2,000+ cost of replacing your water heater 4-5 years early.