Water delivered to Rialto homes from San Bernardino groundwater aquifers and the State Water Project is among the hardest in California, frequently exceeding 18 to 22 grains per gallon of total hardness.
The Chemistry of Pitting Corrosion
Hard water contains dissolved calcium and magnesium carbonates. When municipal water providers inject chlorine and chloramines for sanitation, the combination alters water pH. In thin-walled Type M copper tubing, these aggressive ions attack microscopic imperfections on the copper interior, creating localized anodic corrosion cells that bore pinholes through pipe walls in 15 to 20 years.
Protecting Your Home Infrastructure
Whole-house water treatment and replacing aging sub-slab copper lines with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) prevents hard water degradation permanently.