What is water hardness?;

Water hardness, or hard water, are two expressions often heard in a discussion about water quality. But what exactly does it mean to be hard water , what impact does water hardness have on our daily lives and our health? So let's look at the meaning of these terms, the complications they can cause, and how important water softeners are.

What is water hardness?;

When we talk about water hardness, we are referring to the amount of carbonates, most commonly calcium and magnesium, it contains, measured in mg/L or ppm. The concentration and dissolution of these ions leads to the concentration of salts, that is, it creates hard water which causes problems that may seem insignificant, but in the long run the effects are quite serious. Some of the most common problems are the following:

• Deposition of salts, i.e. their concentration in pipes and appliances, such as kettles, irons, etc.
• Reduction of efficacy in shampoos and laundry detergents
• Damage to household appliances, mainly washing machines
• Dryness on the skin
• Hair problems, such as dullness or dryness.

Water hardness is now with climate and geological changes occurring in more and more areas, but it is easy to deal with, especially with water softeners.

What do water softeners do?;

The surest and safest way to deal with water hardness is to use a water softener. Water softeners are designed to reduce water hardness by removing the amount of calcium and magnesium present in the water in various ways, depending on the type of appliance. With physical or chemical functions, water softeners protect households and businesses from the complications caused by high water hardness. The most common process usually involves a system of ion growth that replaces those of calcium and magnesium with sodium, thus improving water quality and protecting our bodies and appliances from salt build-up.

What causes hard water?;

Let's first look at what mainly causes hard water:

• the presence of calcium and magnesium,
• the dissolution of ions in groundwater as they pass through the geological layers,
• the transport of these ions so that when the water reaches the pipes and taps, they still remain in the water.

The main consequence of water hardness is salt deposition, the concentration of salts on various surfaces such as pipes and appliances (kettles, showers, etc.), resulting in a reduction in the efficiency of appliances, slowing down the flow of water and, depending on the exposure, the appearance of other problems in appliances.

Furthermore, the hard water affects the action of soaps and detergents, as the salts it contains do not allow the correct reactions of the products, such as the formation of foam, thus limiting their cleaning action. In combination, the salts contained in hard water can accumulate in washing machines, washing machines or dishwashers, reducing their operation and destroying them.

Finally, water hardness can also cause health problems, mainly skin problems (dryness, dull hair, itching) and stomach upset, depending on the exposure time and concentration.

How can I measure the hardness of the water in my home?;

It is good to know the hardness of water in the domestic network, as our home is where we consume the most water (drinking, cooking, washing and so on) and there are several ways to measure it, depending on the accuracy we want our results to have. Some ways of measuring water hardness are as follows:

• Strip test: a strip test kit you can buy and using the colour analyser, see how hard the water you use in your home is.
• Chemical test kit: more accurate method as it involves chemical elements reacting with ions, giving more accurate results.
• Inductive measurements: these are portable devices that use induction or reflection methods with even more accurate measurements.

Depending on the method you choose, the accuracy of the result for the hardness of the water in your home will be similar, but it will certainly give you a very clear picture of the salts in your household water and based on this you can judge whether it is necessary to use water softeners or some other method to reduce water hardness in your home.

There is a method of measuring with a water bottle without a kit

But beyond all that, there is an even simpler way to measure water hardness at home using just a bottle of water, baking soda and following a few steps:

•  Fill a transparent bottle with tap water.
• Add a small amount of baking soda and gently shake the bottle to mix the contents.
• Continue adding soda and shaking until a permanent layer of foam is formed on the surface.
• Count the number of spoonfuls of soda it took to create the foam.

Depending on the number of spoonfuls used, calculate the water hardness according to the following table:

This procedure is the simplest way to get an estimate, not a measurement, of water hardness in your home