Hard water occurs when there is a significant amount of calcium and magnesium, which is highly prevalent throughout Texas. Hard water will eventually clog pipes and hot water tanks, and complicates soap and detergent dissolving in water A 2009 study found that some water heaters using hard water, failed after 1.6 years.

Water softeners collect hard minerals within its conditioning tank, and from time to time, flushes them away to drain. Ion exchangers are often used for water softening, replacing the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with other ions, such as sodium or potassium.

Chloramine is a combination of ammonia and chlorine that is commonly used to disinfect municipal water supplies. It can be very corrosive to lead water lines and copper piping. Chloramine can have bad side effects on your skin, such as giving you rashes and dry skin.

Exposure to ammonia breaks down cell structural proteins, extracts water from the cells and initiates an inflammatory response, which further damages the surrounding tissues.