Madison water runs 18 to 20 grains per gallon, Verona 19.88 and Sun Prairie about 22. Here is how to keep that white crust off your fixtures, what a softener can and cannot do, and how to avoid damaging your finishes.
Calling Madison's water hard undersells it. The utility itself uses the term very hard, and within a few weeks of moving here, most people can see what that means on a showerhead.
This guide covers where the minerals come from, what they do around the house, and the routines that keep them from taking over.
Madison's drinking water comes from a deep sandstone aquifer hundreds of feet below the city, pumped by 21 active wells into more than 920 miles of pipe. Madison Water Utility describes the result as very hard, at 18 to 20 grains per gallon of calcium and magnesium. It says this causes more scale buildup and calls for more soap and detergent.
The suburbs share the problem. The City of Verona reports 19.88 grains per gallon from six wells averaging 1,100 feet deep. Sun Prairie Utilities says its groundwater is about 22 grains per gallon, because the bedrock under the city is primarily limestone. Shorewood Hills buys its water from Madison. Fitchburg runs its own system of six wells.
Minerals are not the only thing in the water. Madison's aquifer often contains low levels of naturally occurring iron and manganese, which can build up in mains and give tap water a slight brown or reddish tint. Four wells have filters that remove more than 95 percent of both.
The utility says Madison's minerals leave a conspicuous white residue or spots when water is boiled or evaporates, and that the residue is mainly calcium. So any surface that gets wet and then dries by itself will eventually show it, from the shower door to the base of the kitchen faucet.
Sun Prairie Utilities lists a few more effects: film on dishes from dishwashers, residue on laundry, and mineral scale in water heaters. Add showerheads, faucet bases, toilet bowls at the waterline, kettles and shower glass, and you have the usual trouble spots.
Soap makes it worse. Hard water does not lather as well, so people tend to use more, and the extra soap combines with minerals into a stubborn film. Using a measured amount, rather than a generous one, helps.
Most of this is about catching deposits while they are still thin and easy to wipe away.
A softener makes a big difference to baths and laundry. But Madison Water Utility notes that even in homes with one, the kitchen cold water tap is usually plumbed to receive unsoftened water. So that sink, and anything you boil, still gets the minerals.
Settings matter. The utility reports rising sodium and chloride levels at several wells, mainly from years of winter road salt, and asks residents to set softeners to the correct hardness. A softener set too high adds salt you do not need, so check that yours matches your water.
A One-Time Deep Clean can clear what has already formed, with shower glass treated and faucets detailed. A Recurring House Clean then keeps it from coming back as quickly. Very old scale may not come off in one visit, and glass that has been etched will improve without looking new.
The questions Madison homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Madison and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
