Hard water can be more harmful than you think. It can cause galvanic corrosion in your plumbing system, deteriorate your water heater and cause scaling in your kitchen appliances.
Drinking hard water is even more dangerous as it has been found to worsen certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular mortality, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
In this article, we will be discussing hard water and ways to effectively treat it.
What is Hard Water
Water is soft by nature but once it flows through rivers, it picks up elements and minerals, mainly magnesium and calcium. The presence of these natural minerals is what makes the water “hard”.
In essence, water hardness is a measure of the concentration of magnesium and calcium— essential minerals for the body—in the water. However, if these minerals are consumed in high amounts, they can lead to serious health problems.
Do All Homes Have Hard Water Supply?
While hard water is relatively uncommon in modern homes, it all comes to the natural geology of the region.
Water hardness varies from the region to region, depending on the rocks and soil from where the water is travelling. However, water extracted limestone or chalk aquifers tend to be high in mineral content.
How to know if you have hard water supply?
One of the common signs of hard water supply is scaling in the hot water systems and kitchen appliances. When water is boiled, the calcium bicarbonate turns into insoluble carbonate and forms a film on kettles and utensils, which upon hardening takes the form of scales.
Another sign of hard water is that it forms lesser lather with soap, and makes it harder to wash the soap lather off.
The Process of Water Softening
Water softening refers to the process of removing dissolved minerals from the hard water to make it ‘soft’. There are various methods through which this is accomplished.
Distillation
Distillation of hard water automatically eliminates non-volatile salts present in the water, thereby softening it.
Lime
The addition of lime (calcium hydroxide) to the water supply precipitates calcium ions, significantly reducing water hardness.
Boiling
Boiling hard water is another method to effectively reduce the hardness of water as the calcium bicarbonate content tends to breakdown leaving behind softer water.
Reverse Osmosis
Another approach to treating hard water is through reverse osmosis. In reverse osmosis, water molecules are permeated through a membrane, which leaves behind the magnesium and calcium.
Water Softener
The best and most cost-effective way to treat hard water is through a water softener. Water softeners have a mineral tank that substitutes salt (sodium chloride) with calcium and magnesium. The whole process is known as “ion exchange”.
If you have hard water supply in your home, then consider investing in a reverse osmosis system or water softener. Get in touch with us to learn more about the system.
