Effects on Skin and Hair
While hard water poses no serious health risks, it does create noticeable cosmetic and comfort issues. The minerals prevent a clean rinse, leaving behind a film on skin and hair. This can lead to clogged pores, skin dryness, an itchy scalp, and hair that feels limp and looks dull. For households with young children, preparing baby formula with this mineral-rich water is a factor to consider.
Choosing the Right Filter for Elkins Park
Given the 'hard' classification of 7.4 GPG, a salt-free water conditioner is a highly recommended solution. It treats the water to prevent mineral scale from forming without adding sodium to your water supply. Pairing this with a reverse osmosis (RO) system under the kitchen sink provides purified water for drinking and cooking.
A full whole-house softener system (around $1,500 installed) offers savings of about $81 per year but has a long payback period of 18.5 years. For this reason, a conditioner often presents a better balance of cost and benefit for Elkins Park homes. Investing in an RO system also immediately offsets the high cost of bottled water, which can save a family over $600 a year.