Hard Water in St Louis: Hard on Pipes, Fixtures & Appliances

Linek Plumbing Company

Water Softener St Louis: How Hard Water Impacts Your Home’s Plumbing

If you’ve lived in St. Louis for a while, you’ve probably seen the signs of hard water — the white crust around faucets, cloudy shower doors, and sluggish water pressure. That’s mineral buildup, and hard water in St Louis is super common.

Across St. Louis County and St. Charles County, water hardness frequently measures 140–180 ppm, putting us solidly in the “very hard” category. Hard water isn’t unsafe to drink, but it absolutely affects the plumbing system delivering it to your home. It’s also the reason many homeowners eventually look into installing a water softener in St Louis.

Here’s what’s happening behind the walls and inside your fixtures.

1. What Hard Water Actually Does Inside Your Pipes

When hard water flows through copper, PEX, galvanized, or CPVC, the minerals don’t stay dissolved forever. As water heats or slows down, calcium carbonate drops out and forms scale.

Here’s what that means in real terms:

• Inside a ½” copper line, mineral scale can reduce the effective opening to something closer to a drinking straw.
• Elbows, tees, and valves scale up the fastest because water changes direction and slows.
• In older neighborhoods like Webster Groves, Maplewood, and Kirkwood, we routinely cut out pipe sections that look like they’re filled with concrete.

Over time, this reduces flow, increases friction loss, and makes your fixtures feel “weak,” even if nothing’s actually broken.

2. Why Water Heaters Suffer the Most in St Louis

Water heaters are basically mineral-collection devices in St. Louis.

Here’s why:

• When water is heated, minerals fall out of solution faster.
• They settle at the bottom of the tank as sediment.
• That sediment turns into a rock-like layer that acts as insulation between the flame (or element) and the water.

Technically speaking, this causes:

• Longer burner cycles
• Higher gas or electric usage
• Overheating at the bottom of the tank
• Premature failure of heating elements
• Ruptured tanks from temperature and pressure stress

If your water heater rumbles, pops, or sounds like it’s boiling gravel, that’s sediment. It’s not dangerous by itself — it’s just the sound of superheated water forcing its way through a layer of minerals.

A yearly flush is the best defense, especially in St. Louis.

3. Hard Water and Your Fixtures: A Daily Battle

Anything with small passages—faucet cartridges, aerators, shower valves—will show symptoms first.

Hard water causes:

• Cartridge failure
• Stiff handles
• Reduced hot-cold mixing range
• Pressure imbalance in showers
• Aerators that clog every few months

If you’ve ever taken your shower head down and seen that white, chalky buildup around the nozzles, that’s pure calcium. It doesn’t take long before it reduces flow by 20–40%.

Even high-quality brands like Moen or Kohler will struggle if the water feeding them is full of minerals.

4. Appliances Also Take Hard Water Damage

Hard water is rough on anything that sprays, heats, or circulates water:

• Dishwashers: scale coats the heating element and spray arms
• Washing machines: internal valves seize up; clothes feel stiff
• Refrigerator ice makers: tiny inlet valves clog
• Tankless heaters: scale collects on the heat exchanger and triggers error codes

We’ve replaced younger-than-expected dishwashers and tankless heaters simply because hard water overwhelmed them.

5. Soap, Shampoo, and Detergent Don’t Work as Well

This is the part homeowners often notice first.

Calcium grabs onto soap and turns it into a sticky residue. That’s why:

• Soap doesn’t lather well
• You get that chalky feeling on your skin after a shower
• You keep buying more detergent
• Shower doors get cloudy again within days

Technically speaking, hard water reduces the surface tension of water and interferes with surfactant performance. Practically speaking, it just makes everything feel less clean.

Why a Water Softener Is the Best Solution in St. Louis

Installing a water softener in St Louis is the most effective long-term defense against mineral buildup.

A softener:

• Stops scale before it forms
• Protects pipes, fixtures, and appliances
• Reduces sediment accumulation in water heaters
• Makes soaps and detergents work correctly
• Improves water feel and clarity

Many homeowners are surprised at how quickly they notice the difference.

Other Steps to Protect Your Home from Hard Water and Sediment

Even with a water softener, these habits are helpful:

✔ Annual Water Heater Flush

St. Louis water demands it. Sediment forms quickly here. Learn more about when a water heater flush makes sense.

✔ Optional Whole-Home Filtration

Great for taste, clarity, and chlorine reduction—especially in areas with aging mains. Does not help with hard water, but is a great option to help reduce sediment in your system.

Hard Water Questions? We See This Every Day.

If you’re noticing poor water pressure, cloudy glassware, a noisy water heater, or white scaling on your fixtures, you’re seeing the effects of St. Louis hard water.

We’ve been working on St. Louis plumbing systems for more than a century, and we’re always happy to walk you through options — no sales pitch, just straight answers.