Water hardness is an invisible problem that haunts many households. It is a problem that is real and present today, but unfortunately, some people just don’t know about it. In this article, we are going to learn more about some common factors with home water supply hardness. Hopefully, this article can shed some light on things that cause water to be considered hard.

What is water hardness?

Before we continue, let’s talk about the term water hardness. Water hardness is the simple definition of the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. So when water is contaminated with a high amount of dissolved minerals, largely magnesium and calcium, it becomes hard water. This kind of problem can be solved using a water softener. For example, if you live in Surrey in the South East of England, the water is naturally harder from the household tap in this area than other western parts of the UK. So may well be looking for a water softener in Guildford to alleviate this issue. Fortunately, today there are many companies that can offer help and supply a water softener for your home.

Depending on the hardness of the water, you may feel like there is a small residue left on your hands after you use soap. The reason for this is that soap reacts with the calcium and creates something called “soap scum.” Also, when you are using hard water, you will need more detergent or soap to clean things, be it your hair, hands, or laundry.

Common factors of water supply hardness

In many areas, water hardness is always caused by high mineral content in the water. The two most common minerals are calcium and magnesium, as explained above. The main reason why water could contain a high mineral content is that groundwater is running over or through limestone. Hard water may not be a health risk, but it could leave costly damage to your water fixture and be a nuisance to many households.

For drinking water, the primary factor of hardness is from natural sources. Since water is a good solvent and can pick up impurities easily, it is common for drinking water to become hard. Pure water – often colorless, odorless, and tasteless, can be called the universal solvent. When this kind of water is combined with carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it forms a weak carbonic acid, which is an even better solvent.

The water then moves through rock and soil, dissolving minuscule amounts of minerals and holding them in solution. Thus, we can say that the degree of hardness becomes greater when the amounts of minerals dissolved in the water increase.

Other things we should learn are temporary hardness and permanent hardness. Temporary hardness is usually associated with anions like bicarbonate, hydroxide, and carbonate. You can remove temporary hardness by boiling the water. While permanent hardness is often associated with non-carbonate anions like nitrate, sulfate, and chloride. It is generally difficult to remove permanent hardness by boiling the water. But, it can be removed by using a water softener.

How do you know if you have hard water?

Here are some signs that you have hard water:

• Excessive scale buildup. Check for excessive scale buildup in appliances and pipes. Scale buildup can reduce the life of your appliances and, obviously, could be costly in the future.
• Soap that doesn’t lather well. This problem is annoying. When soap is combined with hard water, it becomes soap scum instead of lather. This could also mean dirty-looking clothing after washing.
• Rust stains or water damage. Rust stains can ruin the look of your tub, toilet, and sink. Again, this problem could be costly.

Do you need a water softener?

The decision of whether you need a water softener could depend on two things: your decision and the hardness of your water. If your water hardness level is high, then you might need a water softener. Otherwise, it is entirely up to you if you need one or not, but a water softener will always offer various benefits for your household.

Conclusion

Hard water can either be something that you can completely ignore or not at all. Depending on the water hardness level, your household may be in dire need of a water softener. Soft water can give you many long-term benefits, just like how hard water can give you long-term problems.

Jane