Article content
San Diego imports most of its water from the Colorado River, and it arrives loaded with dissolved minerals. That 'hardness' is invisible until it isn't. Here are the five signs we see most on service calls.
1. White crust on fixtures & shower heads
That chalky buildup is scale — calcium and magnesium left behind as water evaporates. On a shower head it clogs the jets; inside your pipes and water heater it does the same thing where you can't see it.
2. Water heater popping or rumbling
Sediment settles to the bottom of the tank and hardens. The popping sound is water boiling under that layer. It steals efficiency and can shave years off the tank's life. An annual flush helps — until it doesn't.
3. Spotty dishes & filmy glassware
If your 'clean' glasses come out of the dishwasher cloudy, that film is mineral residue, not detergent. It's harmless to you but a reliable tell that the water is hard.
4. Dry skin, dull hair, more soap
Hard water keeps soap from lathering, so you use more of it and rinse less of it away. Skin and hair feel it first.
5. Dropping water pressure over time
Scale narrows the inside diameter of supply lines year by year. A slow, whole-house pressure decline — not tied to one fixture — often traces back to mineral buildup in aging pipe.
A whole-home softener is the long-term fix, and it typically pays for itself in extended appliance and water-heater life. We can test your water's hardness for free and show you the actual number before you spend a dime.
Pro Tip Flushing your water heater once a year is the single cheapest thing you can do to fight hard water. Takes us about 30 minutes and adds real years to the tank.
Marcus Bell
Crader Plumbing & Drain · Family-owned since 2008