Philadelphia's drinking water comes from the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers and is treated by the Philadelphia Water Department. It is generally described as moderately hard. That means it carries enough dissolved minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium, to leave a little white film over time, but it's not the kind of water that clogs appliances in a matter of months. For most households, scale is a slow, manageable issue rather than an emergency.
The useful thing is knowing which symptoms really are mineral buildup and which only look like it. Plenty of "hard water problems" turn out to be a clogged filter, the wrong detergent or a failing part.
Check your water first
The Philadelphia Water Department publishes water quality information, including hardness, on its website. If you want a number for your dishwasher's hardness setting, start there rather than guessing. Homes with their own softening or filtration equipment will have different water at the tap than the city supply.
Symptom to cause checklist
| What you notice | Scale-related cause | Other common cause | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudy glasses that wipe clean with vinegar | Mineral film from the wash water | No rinse aid, or the dispenser is empty | Fill the rinse aid and check the hardness setting in the manual |
| Cloudy glasses that won't wipe clean | Unlikely to be scale | Etching from too much detergent or very hot pre-rinse | Use less detergent; etching itself can't be reversed |
| White crust inside the dishwasher | Scale on the walls and spray arms | Detergent residue | Run an empty cycle with a dishwasher cleaner made for mineral deposits |
| Dishes coming out dirty | Spray arm holes partly blocked | Clogged filter, overloaded racks | Clean the filter and rinse out the spray arms |
| Ice maker making small or few cubes | Restricted water inlet | Old water filter, low water pressure, partly frozen fill tube | Replace the fridge water filter |
| Ice cloudy or tasting off | Minerals in the water | Old filter or stale ice | New filter, then empty and refill the bin |
| Washer slow to fill | Inlet screens partly blocked | Kinked hose, valve not fully open | Shut off water, remove hoses, rinse the inlet screens |
| Front-loader smells musty | Not usually scale | Residue in the door seal and drain filter | Run the cleaning cycle; wipe the boot; clear the drain filter |
Dishwasher routine
- Use rinse aid. It's the single biggest help with spotting on glasses in moderately hard water.
- Set the water hardness if your dishwasher has the option. Many models do, and the manual shows how.
- Clean the filter every few weeks. Most modern dishwashers have a removable filter under the lower spray arm.
- Run a descaling cycle every few months with a cleaner made for dishwashers. Follow the product's instructions.
- Don't overdo the detergent. Too much can leave its own film and, over time, etch glassware.
Ice maker and water dispenser
- Replace the refrigerator water filter on the schedule in the manual. A tired filter is far more often the cause of slow ice than scale.
- Wipe the dispenser nozzle and tray, where white crust tends to collect.
- Check the supply line behind the fridge for kinks after moving it. The monthly ice maker checklist covers the rest.
Washer and other water inlets
Every washer has small mesh screens where the fill hoses connect. Over time they collect minerals, sand and grit. After water main work on your block, you may also see a burst of sediment that clogs them faster than usual. To clean them, turn off both valves, disconnect the hoses at the washer (have a towel ready), and rinse or gently brush the screens. Don't remove the screens and leave them out; they protect the inlet valve.
Dishwashers and refrigerators have similar inlet screens, but they're harder to reach and usually require pulling the appliance out. That's often a job worth leaving to a technician.
Coffee makers, kettles and humidifiers
Small countertop appliances show scale first because they heat water over and over. Descale them according to the manufacturer's instructions. A white crust in your kettle is normal in moderately hard water and isn't a sign of a water quality problem.
When scale isn't the answer
If you've cleaned the filter, used rinse aid and descaled, and the dishwasher still leaves dishes dirty, or the washer still fills slowly with clean screens, the problem is probably a part: a weak wash pump, a failing inlet valve, a heater that's not working or a control issue. The same is true if the ice maker stops entirely. That's when a diagnosis is the faster route. See the monthly dishwasher checklist for a full routine.
Source
When to call: if regular cleaning doesn't fix cloudy, gritty or dirty results, or a water inlet valve is leaking or not filling, our dishwasher repair, ice maker repair and washer repair technicians can check it out and give you a written estimate before any work.