Daily Life with 20.8 GPG Water
While not a safety issue, living with extremely hard water impacts your family's comfort. The massive mineral content reacts poorly with soaps, shampoos, and detergents.
- It leaves a film on your skin, which can clog pores and exacerbate dry skin conditions like eczema.
- Hair becomes limp, dull, and coated with mineral residue.
- Glasses and dishes come out of the dishwasher covered in a cloudy film.
- Bathtubs and sinks are constantly covered in tough-to-clean soap scum.
Filtration Is Not Optional in Elizabeth City
With water hardness over 20 GPG, a whole-house filtration system is an essential piece of home maintenance, not a luxury.
- Required: A traditional salt-based (ion-exchange) water softener is the only truly effective solution for this level of hardness. It is the gold standard for completely removing scale-forming minerals, offering total protection for your plumbing and appliances.
- Drinking Water: Pair your whole-house softener with an under-sink reverse osmosis (RO) system. This will provide purified, great-tasting water for drinking and cooking, eliminating the need to spend $600-$900 per year on bottled water.
A whole-house softener costs about $1,500 installed, but it is a fantastic investment here. With annual savings of $221 on energy, soap, and detergent, the system pays for itself in just 6.8 years. This calculation doesn't even include the thousands you'll save by not having to replace your water heater every 6 years.