So, What is Hard Water?
Hard water is water that has a significant amount of minerals (in contrast with “soft water”). When water passes through limestone, chalk, or gypsum deposits, which are mostly composed of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, and sulphates, hard water is created.
The majority of these chemical compounds are calcium and magnesium, while other substances like iron can also dissolve. As the water seeps through the earth’s rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. It begins to accumulate minerals, After entering our water system, it finally makes its way through our home’s plumbing and is used for drinking, cooking, washing, and heating.
What are the effects of Hard Water?
Effects on the body;
Because of the mentioned minerals in hard water, it can be problematic to get a good rinse, which can lead to buildup in your hair and residue. You might assume that washing your hair numerous times a day will solve the issue, but each time you step out of the shower, the predicament will remain the same. Your water is the source of the issue, not your rinse, lather, repeat technique. Watch out for these warning indications that your hair is being affected by hard water:
- Hair that is less flexible, feels filmy, dull, and straw-like.
- Quickly fading coloured hair that needs more frequent colour treatments and greater hair damage.
- Thinning hair and breakage caused by hard water.
- Hair loss
Effects on the home;
The modern home suffers greatly from hard water. Your pipes become clogged and lose water pressure as a result of scale buildup. Dishwashers, coffee makers, and ice makers all experience much shorter lifespans due to scale. Hot water appliances are ruined by hard water. More calcium and magnesium will solidify and harden inside your hot water heater into solid deposits as the water temperature rises. Your water heater may sound like it is popping popcorn if you reside in a region with hard water. This is a result of scale building up on the heating element. The calcified rock deposits that have formed a crust over the heating elements start to break and stretch as the heater’s temperature rises and the tank expands. The cause of that popcorn is scale brought on by hard water.
The laundry needs extra detergent to keep it from looking dirty if there is no water softener. Your dishwasher will produce damaged and streaked dishes. Your shower curtains accumulate filmy grime, which prevents soap and shampoo from lathering. Your skin becomes dry and irritated after taking a bath in hard water, and your hair becomes limp and greasy. Cleaning up the negative side effects of hard water requires an absurd amount of time, effort, and money. The answer to the problem of water hardness is a whole-house water softening system.
How can I soften my water at home?
Water can be softened in a few ways, the most practical and reliable are to either boil it, or to run the water through a Hard Water Filtration System.
Boiling Water;
If you are unable to completely cleanse your home of Hard Water, but still want to limit the effects, then boiling water before using it for cooking is key, the minerals found in hard water, such as calcium and magnesium, will sink to the bottom as a result of the boiling. If you frequently use a kettle to brew tea or prepare meals, you will undoubtedly notice how these minerals accumulate over time in the shape of white furring on the kettle’s base.
The remaining water can be transferred to another container once it has been boiled and cooled to preserve its softness and cleanliness. This can be utilised in a variety of ways, including cooking. In fact, the better for washing and cooking veggies is water that is as soft as possible. Vegetables might become rough due to hard water. Food’s texture, colour, and freshness are all preserved with the aid of soft water.
You can also substitute tap water for boiled or even bottled water when using it for drinking and other purposes. Given that you may use several hundred litres of water every day, this isn’t always as simple as it may seem. So, a lot of bottles might need to be bought for this! Additionally, if they contain plastic, this might be harmful to the environment.
Water Softening Systems;
Water Softeners work by utilising Ion exchange, a process that eliminates calcium and magnesium from water. The mineral tank’s hard water enters the tank through a bed of spherical resin beads. These sodium-ion-charged plastic beads are typically constructed of polystyrene. The resin beads are negatively charged since they have been negatively charged with ions. The minerals calcium and magnesium are ionic bonds because they have a positive charge. Due to the law of attraction between opposite charges, the positive charge of the resin beads is drawn to the negative charge of the minerals. The resin beads catch the mineral ions as the hard water flows through them and removes them from the water. The sodium ion is released as soon as the bead attracts the mineral ion.
