Learned the hard way that Amarillo's hard water can wreck a water heater in under 5 years

I bought a new water heater back in 2019 from Lowe's on Coulter. This past weekend it started making this awful rumbling noise. I thought it was just sediment buildup. When I drained it, I found chunks of what looked like rock. My neighbor who used to work for a plumbing company told me our city water here is some of the hardest in Texas. He said the average lifespan for a tank in Amarillo is about 6 years. Mine lasted barely 4. I'm looking at getting a softener installed before I replace the heater. Has anyone else dealt with this around here?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_clark1mo ago

A softener fixed that exact issue for me, night and day difference.

viola_lopez301mo ago

Heard my buddy say the same thing after his water was eating his appliances, wild.

the_piper1mo ago

a softener fixed that exact issue" wait WHAT i had no idea a softener could fix a problem like that. tbh i always thought softeners were just for making water less hard, not for actual diff issues.