How Hard Is Your Water?
Curious about what hard water is, why it’s a hot topic, and the problems it can cause? Want to test your water at home?
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Do you need a water softener?
Test the mineral content in your home’s water.
If it’s 100ppm or above, a water softener can help you avoid limescale buildup and improve skin and hair health.
* PPM stands for parts per million and indicates the concentration of dissolved limescale minerals like calcium and magnesium in water.
What is hard water?
Water begins as soft, but during its journey through the water cycle, it absorbs hard minerals like magnesium and calcium. As rainwater collects on the ground and travels through reservoirs into homes, it becomes harder.
Regions such as the South East of England and London typically experience high water hardness, while areas like Scotland, Ireland, and Wales generally have naturally soft water
Water hardness measurement of your area is the first fundamental step to identify the levels of hard water and identify possible correlations with issues are happening in your home.
What negative effects can hard water have?
Select:
Your home
It’s likely that, being in a hard water area, you see a lot of limescale in your home – in your kettle, around your taps, on your shower, etc. Limescale is a white powdery build up caused by the higher levels of magnesium and calcium present in hard water. Your hard water means you’ll need to clean more frequently to keep limescale at bay.
Your Appliances
Hard water is much less kind to your appliances and pipes than soft. This is because the increased levels of magnesium and calcium in hard water cause build ups that can reduce the effectiveness and lifespan of your pipes and appliances. With softened water you may notice how your appliances last longer and there’s less hidden limescale build up in pipes at home.
Your Bills
Harder water is likely to contribute to higher household bills because you need to use more of common household goods like shampoos and cleaning products. You’ll also find your appliances don’t last as long or perform as effectively as they do in a soft water area, meaning higher maintenance and replacement bills.
Your Skin and Hair
Your water can have a huge impact on the condition of your skin. Water in Brighton is hard which means it has higher levels of magnesium and calcium which can damage the skin’s protective barriers, leading to dryness or skin conditions. Look out for deep nourishing treatments and try using gloves when washing up. Softening your water can also help.
Your environment
Household products tend to be much less effective in hard water areas. Things like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, bubble bath products and cleaning products will all struggle to lather as they would in a soft water area and you’ll find you need to use more of them to get the same effect. This means more plastic bottles and more chemicals in your home.
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University of Sheffield
Hard water and eczema – A scientific correlation
A recent study by the University of Sheffield found that hard water makes skin conditions like eczema worse and can cause flare-ups. Also, hard water can make skin irritated, even in people with healthy skin. The study also said some people are more likely to get eczema, even if they don’t already have it.
FAQs
Are there any downsides to water softeners?
The only factors in owning a water softener that might be considered ‘downsides’ are the ongoing cost of salt, the cost of the softener and the space that it needs. However, the overwhelming feedback we get from our customers is ... Read More >
Does softened water have an unnatural, slippery feeling?
When people make a switch to softened water, they sometimes comment that it has a different feeling, describing it as silky or slippery feeling water. This is entirely normal and safe. The softer feel is explained by the presence of minerals in the softened water rather than the harder deposits of calcium and magnesium that are found in hard water. It’s the process of ... Read More >
Does it take long to remove scale when you start using softened water?
You will start to notice the softened water removing existing scale from your home within two weeks. The time it takes to disappear completely will depend on the amount of scale you already had in your home. Typically, you can expect In 6 weeks, scale will be gone from your kettle. In 6 months, scale will be gone from your hot water cylinder ... Read More >
Can I use a water softener with my boiler if it has an aluminium heat exchanger?
Yes, you absolutely can. There is a great deal of misinformation regarding central heating and water softening. A boiler that has an aluminium heat exchanger will perform better with softened water. Please see Beama list the HHIC position on the matter on their website also. Our water softeners help you around the home in so many ways ... Read More >
Can I use softened water for mixing baby feeds?
We don’t recommend using softened water for baby formula milk or baby food. Why not? While softened water is healthy and safe for most children and adults to consume, there’s an exception for babies (particularly for those six weeks and under). The Drinking Water Inspectorate sets out a limit for infants of 200 mg sodium per litre in the Drinking Water Regulations. This limit was ... Read More >
Can I use softened water for the chilled water dispenser in my fridge?
You can plumb your softened water supply into the water chiller compartment of your fridge. This means that your drinking water will be softened. If your fridge or fridge freezer has an ice maker that runs from the water supply, the ice will also be made from softened water. Unless you are on a low or zero ... Read More >
Can you use softened water in a dishwasher?
Softened water can be used in a dishwasher – in fact, it’s good for your machine, your dishes and your wallet! When you add salt to your dishwasher, the dishwasher uses it to create its own softened water supply. If you install a water softener, you won’t need to do this anymore because the water that comes into the machine ... Read More >
Can I use softened water in my aquarium?
Some types of fish, particularly tropical and exotic fish, require special water conditions. Before filling a fish tank with softened water, we advise checking with your specialist provider. If you keep fish in an indoor aquarium or outdoor pond, check with the aquatics store where you bought them, or consult a vet or aquaculture expert. Softened water may not ... Read More >
Can I use softened water in my garden?
You can use softened water for gardens, but it might be advisable to limit the amount. In the UK, an increase in sodium in the soil is unlikely to cause a problem for plants, because of the amount of natural rainfall we get to dilute it. As long as your garden and pots are well drained, there should not be any significant sodium build-up ... Read More >
Installing a water softener in a first-floor flat
We can install a Harvey water softener in a flat, apartment or in any kind of property, it doesn’t matter what floor you live on. The only requirement is that the property has its own water supply, with its own stopcock somewhere that turns off the water to the property. It cannot be a shared supply, with one stopcock for more than ... Read More >
Supplying unsoftened water in multiple places
This is usually possible. Our installation team are very skilled with even the most complex installations. During your demonstration, our Harvey expert will look at the area in your home where the water softener and tap will go to confirm what installation options are open to you. When we install a Harvey water softener, we fit a hard ... Read More >
Why is hardness expressed as different measures?
In the UK, there are different ways of measuring water hardness. Parts per million (ppm) is the modern metric system. Before that, the degree Clark method was used to measure hard water Parts per million This scale is used to measure very small amounts of something in a larger quantity of liquid. It is used to measure dilute ... Read More >
