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How Can Hard Water Affect Your Skin & Health

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How Can Hard Water Affect Your Skin & Health

Did you know that over 75% percent of Irish households are living with the detrimental effects of hard water caused by excessive minerals which are present in their mains water supply?.  If you, like many of us, live in an area where limescale is an issue, then you’ve likely noticed unsightly spots or streaks on your sink & glassware. Not only that but scale residue on your taps and worktops, or annoying soap residue stuck to your shower door from mineral deposits. As time passes, the excessive calcium & magnesium build ups can cause plumbing problems and damage to your domestic appliances.

It’s true, hard water is absolutely safe to drink, most people find that the limescale which is affecting their home can also have a negative effect on their health and appearance of their skin & hair. Do you have blonde hair? Does your water turn your hair green? YIKES!

The Connection Between Hard Water and Your Skin Health

When groundwater travels through limestone, it will normally attract varying amounts of calcium and magnesium. Obviously, it depends on where you live but your water may also contain manganese, or iron. The calcium content in hard water affects the breakdown of soap, cleansers, shampoo, and detergents. Instead of washing away cleanly, a large proportion of soap scum etc. can be left behind, potentially irritating your skin, particularly if you’re prone to eczema. If you’ve been washing your clothes, showering, or bathing in hard water, you will be quite familiar with the following issues:

  1. Feeling a rough like residue on your skin after a hot shower
  2. Negative effects on your dyed hair (especially if it’s blonde)
  3. Rough dry or “frizzy hair”
  4. An itchy flakey scalp
  5. Skin irritation or rashes. Inflammation of eczema.

When living in an area with harsh limescale, you will notice that you need to use a lot more shampoo or soap than normal to generate a sufficient lather. You will end up using a lot more product as a direct result of having a hard water mains supply.

Skin Conditions Triggered or Inflamed by Hard Water

The same residue that ruins your sink, taps and glassware etc. also has a similar penetrative affect on your skin. Calcium & Magnesium will dry out the natural oils of your skin and can cause an awful amount of irritation and damage to what would normally be, healthy skin. If your household appliances are suffering with the effects that come with hard water, you may want to consider how the mineral content of your mains water could be affecting the appearance of your skin. Here’s some of the main issues caused by limescale in the water supply

Elevated Irritation and Flaking

The moisture on your skin forms a protective layer against dryness, irritation, inflammation and infection. Even though most people experience incidents of skin dehydration during the winter time, a large percentage of people that are forced to use hard water have dry, flaky skin year-round. That’s a direct result of excessive minerals on the outer layer of the skin, absorbing moisture as lingering soap residue messes with your skin’s natural pH balance. More often than not, using moisturizers won’t be enough to remedy the problems.

Aggravated Eczema Flares

Flare-ups may be devastating and feel painful and uncomfortable. Hard water can trigger Atopic dermatitis and it often requires daily attention to keep flare-ups under control, though for some this may not be enough.

Atopic dermatitis can be frustrating and embarrassing and may result in self-consciousness about appearance; symptoms of anxiety also have been reported in people with atopic dermatitis. If your skin issues have been aggravated by your water supply, we would recommend a whole house water softener to remove 100% of the hardness from the mains. A soft water remedy like no other

Accelerated Signs of Skin Aging

It’s a factor in many skincare issues and dehydrated skin is no different. As your skin begins to get older, you may find it more difficult to maintain moisture levels.

The ageing process makes our bodies more dehydrated, including the skin. Structural changes associated with the ageing process cause more dehydration. It can create a slow-down of cell turnover.

And when skin becomes dehydrated, it can start to look older, too. Dehydrated skin will have a rough-feeling texture, with fine lines becoming more prominent.

Solutions

As hard water wreaks havoc with your plumbing, household fixtures & appliances, the excessive mineral content can also cause an unimaginable number of skin concerns. That likely explains why so many people are investing in the health and appearance of their skin by improving the quality of the water in their home with an under sink whole house softening and filtration system.

Our volumetric range of water softeners have been proven to remove 100% of limescale from the home. We’ve installed thousands of units all across Ireland since 2009. Our price range included free professional installation with every unit purchased. We look forward to serving you soon.

Testing Your Water For Limescale. Hard Water Testing

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Easiest Ways to Test for Hard Water

There are 3 cheap & easy ways you can test for hard water at home. We will explain the methods below so you know for sure if you have hard or soft water. (Quick tip – Have a look in your kettle and inspect for calcium deposits 🙂 ) But for the sake of this quick article, lets have a look at some other methods.

 

What is Hard Water?

Hardness is a natural characteristic of much of Ireland’s drinking supply. Hard water contains high levels of natural minerals absorbed from rock and soil. It is not harmful to your health, in fact, the higher the mineral content (such as Calcium & Magnesium) may confer health benefits above that of soft water.

1. Check Your Water Utilities Website

The first method is to go online and check with your local water supplier. For example, check Irish Waters dedicated link here to check your address for hard water . They provide an annual Water Quality Report that is available for anybody to read upon request. If you have a private well supply, read below for some at home water testing methods.

2. In-Home Water Test

You can test for hard water in your home by taking a clean and clear bottle. Fill one-third of the bottle with tap water. Then, pour a few drops of pure Castile liquid soap into the bottle and shake vigorously. This liquid can be bought online for under a fiver on sites like the one listed here. Make sure you use pure liquid soap because it doesn’t contain additives that will create suds in hard water.

If you have soft water, which hopefully you do, your bottle should still be filled a third of the way with water and two-thirds filled with bubbles from the soap.

If you have hard water, the water in the bottle will be cloudy and there will be a thin layer of tiny bubbles.

3. Titrant Hard Water Test Kit

To find out how hard your water is exactly, you’ll need a liquid test kit (drop kit). You can order a Titrant water test kit from ourselves for only €20. To place your order, click here and fill out the form.

In the box, you will have a test tube and bottle of green Titrant liquid.  Simply fill the test tube with 5ml of cold water and then add 10 drops of liquid into the test tube and give it a swirl. If the liquid turns red, this means your water is hard. To determine how hard the water actually is, continue to add drops (keep count) and when the liquid eventually turns dark green, refer to the chart in the package for an explanation on the result. You can then contact us to discuss an appropriate water softening treatment package to remedy the issue.

We would be delighted to discuss your water softening & filtration requirements. Feel free to call us on 01-6877117 if you have any questions!

Under Sink Water Filter System

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So, you’ve been considering buying one of our under sink water filter systems for a while now but are still unsure which one to buy. Here’s a run down of our best sellers.

5 Stage Reverse Osmosis – The Supreme RO System will transform the stuff from your kitchen tap into the best, cleanest & clearest water possible.

The purpose of this particular model is to remove all impurities from the supply. Minerals such as calcium & magnesium are lost during the filtration process but can be replenished by adding the Supreme mineralizer.

The product comes with it’s own dedicated chrome goose neck filter tap and as a result of this, there’s no possibility of cross contamination with your main unfiltered kitchen tap. Get one installed in your home today, see here

7 Stage Reverse Osmosis System – This Supreme RO unit has 7 stages of high quality filtration which also replenishes vital minerals lost during the process. The PH levels of the water are also balanced. Currently our best seller and well priced.

The machine itself, along with the 5 litre storage tank will fit perfectly into most under sink spaces. A twin handle chrome tap is also featured with this model giving you the option of dispensing mineralized or demineralized water. Currently on sale here

Osmio D7 Direct Flow RO – The Osmio D7 is a superb quality under sink water filter system. Reverse Osmosis membrane inside. The main difference between the D7 & the conventional RO unit is it’s tankless design and sleek looks.

Without the need for a storage tank, the Osmio D7 Direct Flow RO uses a 300GPD membrane and produces purified water on demand 24/7 from a snazzy brushed steel single faucet. Not only that, the waste water discharge from this machine is a fraction of it’s market equivalents.

A space saver model and also reasonably priced. Very little stock left so order yours today. Installations also available nationwide. Take a look at the product in our online store here

If you have any questions about any of our products, click here to make contact with our team or check out our external blog at the following link

COVID-19 Plan Of Action

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As a country and a community we’re going through a very unusual journey at this moment in time. Our business has been closed for a long period and naturally, like most other businesses, we will struggle to recover from this economic disaster.

Once movement restrictions are eased and we’re allowed back to work, it’s vital that our staff take maximum precautions and also that our customers respect the abnormal steps that need to be taken in order for our technicians to carry out their work.

As everyone knows, the technicians love a chit chat with our customers but unfortunately, we will need to restrict the amount of interaction while visiting you (ah sorry) 😋

Here’s The Plan During Routine Water Filter Service

  1. Our technicians will call when outside the door
  2. Allow them in but they must not touch door handles or handles on cupboard door. Please make sure there’s access to under sink.
  3. Technicians will wear fresh sanitised gloves and facial protection. If they need to go to the van at any stage, a new pair of gloves are needed.
  4. We will sanitise any area we touched before leaving the house like tap handle or any surface.
  5. We will not be able to remove old filters from the house so please dispose of them in general waste bin.

Making a Payment

Preferably, payment will be made over the phone to our office. We can also send you a payment link where you can pay by PayPal or Card.

Spread The Cost With FlexiFi

Did you know, all of our products and services can now be financed over 6-12 months. Apply online here for approval in 15 minutes. Pay a small fee up front and the remainder over the desired period of time. You can also upgrade your system using the finance method.

Thank you from our team

We would just like to thank all of our customers for their continued support, it’s really appreciated. Stay safe and hopefully we get to see you soon.

Water Quality in Dublin

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Firstly, this blog post is not to criticise Irish Water or any group scheme provider in the county of Dublin. We’re a small water treatment company based in Dublin 3 and have seen it all when it comes to water filtration and water quality issues around the country.

Apart from the elephant in the room that is, Fluoride, the water quality in Dublin produced by the treatment plants is pretty good. Yes, we had a severe boil water notice in effect recently but overall, the water treatment network has a very good record with minimal disruption to the end user.

All that said, there are housing estates in Dublin with drinking water that has the highest levels of Lead content ever seen in this country. As much as everyone would love to blame Irish Water for this, the responsibility is actually down to the home owner to rectify this severe problem.

Why is it MY Responsibility?

Dublin City Council & now Irish Water have taken significant steps over the past few years to improve the water pipe network across the county. Chances are, if an old Lead pipe is leeching poisonous lead into your drinking water, it’s possibly located under your front garden and this is absolutely not the responsibility of Irish Water. There are grants to have the pipe work replaced but it’s still quite expensive. €3000+. Take you and your families health seriously, take action to fix the problem yourself if you can.

Other Issues That Effect My Drinking Water in Dublin

More often than not, when we visit our customers to replace their water filters, they’re shocked at the state of the old cartridges. Sediment, sand and other gloopy substances stick to the outer core of the cartridge. While it’s possible for dirty water to enter the home from outside, the actual cause of the disgusting looking filters is normally from old corroded pipe work installed in the house. Usually old copper pipes will begin to deteriorate and cause issues for the water filter system.

Limescale in North Dublin is another major issue for residents. The problems can range from dry skin, faulty home appliances to electric showers breaking down or heating elements packing in. If you’re unsure as to whether you have hard water or not, open your kettle and look inside. If you can see a white chalk residue, you have limescale. This will eventually give you grief somewhere in the near future.

What Can I do to Solve These Problems?

We have a range of water filter systems for our customers suffering with poor water quality in Dublin.

For the removal of Lead and all other impurities from your drinking water only, we highly recommend a 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis System. This provides water quality which surpasses any bottled water.

“I have limescale in my entire home, what can you offer me?” We have the highest quality water softeners & limescale protection systems in the country. Please check out our range here

We Offer Finance Packages To Buy Now & Pay Later

We understand that not many people will wish to pay in full up front for one of these systems, especially during the current economic climate. Our partnership with FlexiFi Ireland enable you to pay only €10 up front and spread the rest of the cost of any of our systems over 6-12 months. Apply online now and get a decision within 15 minutes.

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