Biofilm and limescale work together in impure water to create a myriad of problems. If you have limescale from hard water, you will likely have biofilm, because microorganisms that produce biofilm attach themselves to limescale deposits in a home’s plumbing system. 

Fortunately, Suntuity WaterWorks provides safe and effective remedies for both limescale and biofilm, resulting in pure, safe water. 

What is biofilm?

When colonies of microorganisms attach to surfaces, they produce a protective layer of slime called biofilm. Biofilm promotes the growth of more microorganisms. Therefore, once biofilm forms, it will lead to more and more layers of microorganisms and biofilm in your home. 

Any microorganism present in water, including disease-causing bacteria, viruses, protozoa, invertebrates, algae and algae toxins, fungi, and microbial toxins, can attach to biofilm.¹

Biofilm will likely grow in your home water system when microorganisms are present in your water. Having limescale to attach to further encourages the growth of biofilm. To make matters worse, chloramine disinfection, which is used by many municipal water treatment plants, is not effective at treating biofilm in the water supply.² 

How limescale contributes to the formation of biofilm

Hard water can cause a substance called limescale to develop on your pipes, fixtures, and other surfaces in your home. 

Dissolved magnesium and calcium combine with carbon dioxide in water as it is transported through household pipelines to form limescale crystals. These crystals can build up and create limescale on pipe walls; in water heaters, radiators, and other appliances; and on your fixtures, sink, and bathtub.

Limescale appears as a chalky off-white coating on taps, shower heads, and inside kettles. 

Because limescale is an ideal place for microorganisms to attach and form biofilm, it creates a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. 

The abundant minerals in hard water also serve as a food source for many pathogens, further increasing the amount of microorganisms in your home and promoting the formation of biofilm. 

The problems with biofilm

It can lead to foul-tasting, smelling, and looking water

The propagation of microorganisms in your water supply caused by the presence of biofilm can make your water taste and smell bad. In particular, actinomycetes, iron and sulfur bacteria, and algae in biofilm can discolor water and produce a musty or “rotten egg” smell. Hyphomicrobium bacteria that sloughs off biofilm can even cause black water.³ 

It can corrode pipes

Microorganisms, particularly iron and sulfur bacteria, that are present in biofilm can corrode your pipes. These microbes create a highly acidic environment that pits and gouges metal, as well as hydrogen sulfide gas that can accelerate corrosion.⁴

It is difficult to treat

Once formed in your home’s plumbing system, biofilm is difficult to treat. Biofilm that remains in your pipes continues to grow and cultivate more waterborne pathogens over time, which increases the amount of bacteria in your water supply.  

Many disinfectants cannot penetrate biofilm, leaving pathogens to live in a home’s plumbing system and disperse into its tap water.

It can cause disease

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many different microbes are able to survive in the distribution system and grow or produce biofilm, including both primary pathogens (those that cause disease in healthy individuals) and opportunistic pathogens (those that cause disease in individuals with underlying conditions).

The EPA states, “Once biofilm development begins, subsequent material, organisms and contamination introduced to the distribution system can become entrained in the biofilm. The biofilm can protect microbes from disinfection and allow microbes injured by environmental stress and disinfectants to recover and grow.”

Bacteria within a protective layer of biofilm become more resistant to antibiotics and disinfectants. Bacteria growing in biofilm are up to 1,500 times more resistant to antibiotics and other biological and chemical agents than free-floating bacteria.⁵

The EPA states that biofilm “can act as a slow-release mechanism for persistent contamination of the water” and, as such, poses “a direct public health risk.”  

Urspring Plus is the solution for safe, pure water for your family and your home

Urspring Plus, featuring AntiCal, offers a powerful combination of ultrafiltration and limescale reduction technology. Ultrafiltration purifies your water without chemical disinfectants, eliminating up to 99.99% of all microorganisms in your water supply. Unlike counter units or under-sink filters that only treat water once it has passed through the entire plumbing system, Urspring Plus is installed at your home’s cold water transfer point, protecting your entire home water system. Because Suntuity WaterWork’s ultrafiltration membrane filters pathogens before they enter your pipes, biofilm already present in your pipes does not have sufficient nutrients to feed on and will therefore decrease over time.

The AntiCal AroxBag for Suntuity WaterWorks BioFilter safely reduces the presence of limescale deposits throughout your plumbing system, making it less likely for biofilm to form. Suntuitys AntiCal does not use salt-based softeners, which can damage the environment and the health of those sensitive to sodium. Rather, its natural technology uses fine, insoluble lime crystals to attract new lime particles as they flow throughout your home’s pipes to substantially reduce limescale deposits. 

When used in combination, Suntuity WaterWorks ultrafiltration and AntiCal technology protect you from harms caused by biofilm and limescale. Suntuity’s advanced ultrafiltration membrane and AntiCal reduce biofilm and limescale naturally, resulting in safe water that is better for you and your home. 

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Health Risks from Microbial Growth and Biofilms in Drinking Water Distribution Systems” https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/2007_05_18_disinfection_tcr_whitepaper_tcr_biofilms.pdf (Jun. 17, 2002).

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Water Disinfection with Chlorine and Chloramine” https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_disinfection.html (Nov. 17, 2020).

3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Health Risks from Microbial Growth and Biofilms in Drinking Water Distribution Systems” https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/2007_05_18_disinfection_tcr_whitepaper_tcr_biofilms.pdf (Jun. 17, 2002).

4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Health Risks from Microbial Growth and Biofilms in Drinking Water Distribution Systems” https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/2007_05_18_disinfection_tcr_whitepaper_tcr_biofilms.pdf (Jun. 17, 2002).