What is Hard Water?

Since the water comes from the ground, it is known to pick up the soluble bits of everything that passes by. On the one hand, it means that it is no longer fit for drinking; on the other, it also contains essential minerals, including calcium and magnesium, that hold significant importance. This is because it affects the ability of water to function within the houses. Hence, making it hard.

 Water with contaminants can have a lot of devastating impacts. The presence of calcium and magnesium in water makes it hard. Using hard water has a lot of adverse effects, including your health. For instance, It does do not lather with soap and detergents quickly. This means you are going to waste a lot of money on soaps and detergents. Besides, it takes time to wash using hard water. The effect on kitchen appliances is even more severe. The scale that builds up on them makes it hard to clean them.

Hard water often leads to blockage of plumbing systems, and again, this means you will spend too much on repairs and replacements. Using hard water to bathe can be harmful to your health. For example, the fact that it does not lather with soap quickly means that calcium and magnesium will accumulate on the skin and block the pores. This leads to inflammation, among other related problems. But calcium and magnesium ions are not the only contaminants in water. There other impurities such as chlorine, heavy metals, pesticides, e.tc. This means there are more dangers of using hard water than just stated. For this reason, each house needs water purification systems.

What Makes Water Hard?

The presence of metal ions, specifically calcium and magnesium, makes water hard. There are two types of water hardness, permanent and temporary hardness.

The chlorides and nitrates of calcium and magnesium cause temporary hardness of the water. It is called temporary because the hardness can easily be removed. For example, boiling water removes temporary hardness.

Permanent hardness is caused by sulfates and sulfites of calcium and magnesium. It requires a lot of effort to remove permanent hardness. Boiling does not affect permanent water hardness. Only a water softener could help soften the hard water and make it suitable for your daily use.