Many people talk about having hard water, but this can be a puzzling term. What exactly does it mean? The simplest definition is that water hardness refers to the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. Hard water simply means that your water has a high amount of dissolved minerals. You may feel the effects of hard water, especially with routine tasks such as washing your hands. After using soap and water, people may feel as though they have residue left on their hands. This is because the calcium will react with the soap to form a "scum." In general, with hard water, you need to use more soap or detergent to clean yourself, dishes, and even laundry.
Do I Have Hard Water?
You may not necessarily know for certain if you have hard water but there are a few tell-tale signs. Have you ever done a load of dishes and noticed spots on them? This is also a sign of hard water residue that's been left behind. While it's not dangerous, it is unsightly and often undesirable.
Many people also note that hard water can cause some problems for homeowners. When hard water is heated, for example, there can be solid deposits of calcium that form. This will reduce the life of any equipment that uses hot water and can lead to clogged pipes over time. Mineral deposits can even form on your coffee pot. Many people notice hard water spots on their appliances that use water, which can be a sign that you have it in your home.
Measuring Hard Water
The simplest way to determine if you have hard water is to have it measured. There are different degrees of hardwater. Measuring the calcium carbonate in your water is typically done. If you have less than 60 mg/L, then your water is considered to be soft while greater than 180 mg/L is considered to be very hard.
You may especially want to consider having your water tested if your system uses groundwater. Since water moves through rock and soil, it can dissolve naturally occurring minerals and then carry them to the groundwater supply. Water dissolves calcium and magnesium easily so it's fairly simple for these compounds to get into your water supply when you use ground water. Water hardness varies throughout the United States. It's more prevalent in the Western United States but can be present in almost any system.
Is It Dangerous?
While hard water can shorten the lifespan of appliances or pipes and cause other problems around the home, it's not dangerous to drink in most cases. It may be a good idea to have your water tested to determine what compounds are present to be on the safe side. If you do have hard water, then softening it is possible. A filtration method can be used to filter out these compounds. Not every homeowner decides to have a softener in place but it's not a bad idea if you have hard water supplied to your home.