What is hard water?

Hard water occurs when a lot of calcium or magnesium is dissolved in it. Water softeners are used to take the calcium and magnesium out of water in a simple process where the calcium or magnesium are replaced by sodium, instead.

Hard water is a problem for pipes and for you. Hard water causes 'scale' to form on the insides of pipes, water heaters, and other water containers (including your teapot!). The scaling causes blockage in your pipes, as well as causing problems with heat conduction.

It will also react with soap, causing a sticky scum. It will also reduce the lather from your soap, making it harder to clean yourself (or your dishes, laundry, etc...).

There are simple tests that a water man can conduct. Or, if you are a do-it-yourselfer you can contact a local lab and they will mail the test to you. Once you've conducted the test, you send the kit back and they will conduct the analysis.

Are you wondering how hard your water really is? Or perhaps you just want to know how to choose which water softener system or how large a system you need? What kind of controls do you need?