Water
What Is Actually in Florida Water
Most Florida groundwater runs through limestone, which makes it hard. Hardness, sulfur smell, chlorine or chloramine taste, and iron staining are the four things homeowners notice most.
Get a written assessmentWhy is Florida water so hard?
Most of Florida's drinking water is groundwater pumped from limestone aquifers. Limestone is calcium carbonate, so the water dissolves calcium and magnesium on the way up. That dissolved mineral is what hardness means, and it is why scale appears on everything.
Hardness is the headline, but it is not the only thing people notice. The rotten egg smell is hydrogen sulfide, the swimming pool taste is the disinfectant your utility uses, and the orange staining is iron. They are four different problems with four different answers.
Which of them you have depends on where the water comes from. City water is treated and disinfected before it reaches you. Well water is not, and a private well is the homeowner's responsibility to test, because no utility is testing it for you.
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The four things people actually notice
Hardness
Calcium and magnesium dissolved from limestone. Shows up as white scale on fixtures and glass, soap that will not lather, spots on dishes, and stiff laundry.
Sulfur smell
Hydrogen sulfide, the rotten egg odor, common in Florida well water. If the smell is only on the hot side, the water heater is usually involved rather than the well.
Chlorine or chloramine
Disinfectant your utility adds so the water is safe by the time it reaches you. It does its job and it is also the taste and smell most people are trying to filter out.
Iron and staining
Orange or rust colored marks in sinks, tubs and on laundry, and on the side of a house where irrigation hits it. Common on wells.
Sediment
Sand and fine particulate, especially on wells and after main breaks or hydrant flushing. Hard on fixtures, valves and appliances.
What testing is for
Everything above can be confirmed rather than guessed. Utilities publish an annual water quality report, and a private well can be tested. Guessing produces the wrong equipment.
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What hard water is doing in the house
Hardness is not a health hazard, which is why people tolerate it. It is an equipment problem. Every time hard water is heated, mineral comes out of solution and deposits as scale, and scale is an insulator.
That is why the water heater is usually the first casualty. Scale on the bottom of a tank or on the heat exchanger of a tankless unit means the burner or element works harder to move the same heat. The same deposit narrows fixtures, shortens the life of dishwashers and washing machines, and coats the inside of a coffee maker.
- Scale on the water heater element or heat exchanger
- Reduced flow at aerators and shower heads
- Spotting on glassware and shower doors that comes back immediately
- Soap and detergent used in larger amounts for the same result
- Shorter life on dishwashers, washing machines and ice makers
- Dry feeling skin and hair after showering, which is soap scum rather than mineral
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City water and well water are different problems
City water
- Treated and disinfected before it reaches you
- Your utility publishes an annual water quality report
- Chlorine or chloramine taste and smell is the common complaint
- Hardness varies by utility and by which wellfield serves you
- Sediment usually arrives after main work or hydrant flushing
Well water
- No treatment unless you install it
- Testing is the homeowner's responsibility
- Sulfur smell and iron staining are common
- Bacteria testing matters, particularly after flooding
- Equipment has to be selected from a test, not from a brochure
If you are on a private well, start with a test. Every sensible decision about equipment depends on knowing what is in the water, and no honest recommendation can be made without it.
Questions we get on this
- Why is Florida water so hard?
- Most Florida drinking water is groundwater drawn from limestone aquifers. Limestone is calcium carbonate, so the water dissolves calcium and magnesium as it moves through the rock. That dissolved mineral is hardness, and it is why scale builds up on fixtures and inside water heaters.
- Is hard water bad for you?
- Hardness itself is a nuisance and an equipment problem rather than a health hazard. The calcium and magnesium that make water hard are minerals people consume in food. The damage it does is to plumbing, water heaters and appliances.
- Why does my water smell like rotten eggs?
- That is hydrogen sulfide, and it is common in Florida well water. If the smell appears only on the hot side, the reaction is usually happening inside the water heater rather than in the well, which points to a different fix.
- What causes orange stains in my sinks and on my laundry?
- Iron in the water. It is common on wells and it stains porcelain, grout, laundry and the side of a house where irrigation sprays. Iron removal is a different process from softening, so the right equipment depends on a test.
- Is Florida city water safe to drink?
- Public utilities in Florida treat and disinfect their water and are required to publish an annual water quality report you can read. Most people who filter city water are addressing taste, chlorine smell and hardness rather than safety.
- How do I find out what is in my water?
- On city water, start with your utility's annual water quality report, which is public. On a private well, have the water tested, since nobody else is testing it for you. Either way the test should come before the equipment.
This page is general information about common water conditions in Florida. It is not a health claim, a statement about the safety of any particular water supply, or a substitute for testing your own water. Consult your utility's water quality report or a certified laboratory for your own home.
Next step
Find out what is in your water
A test on your own tap, and a written recommendation based on the result rather than on what happens to be in the truck.
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