This post by Gary the Water Guy asks you the question Is hard water clogging your pipes?

Water Treatment companies often talk about one of the benefits of a water softener is that it keeps hardness from building up inside your pipes, but can hard water really clog your pipes?
It sure can and this is an excellent example. This pipe came from a Midland high rise that was complaining about not having any hot water for their tenants. The hot water heater was working hard at heating the water, there was flow from the cold water taps, but the tenants had no flow from the hot water taps and of course no hot water. Over the years, hard water deposits of calcium and magnesium (often called lime scale) accumulated layer after layer making the inside of the pipe smaller and smaller until all flow stopped.
This is not unusual or an isolated case in this area. Kelseys Restaurant didn't have a water softener when they opened. After two years, from hard water deposits damaging their equipment, they had to replace their hot water heaters, ice maker, coffee machine, all of their toilets and their faucets. After these repairs were made we installed a water softener for them and as long as they have soft water, those items will never need to be replaced from hard water damage again.
Often after we install a water softener for families I hear back that now the washing machine takes far less time to fill than before they had a water softener. The good news is that after you install a water softener the build up you already have inside your pipes will slowly disappear as the soft water absorbs the hardness and gradually removes it!

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