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Hard water is usually defined as a type of water which contains mineral sediments and hasn’t gone to any kind of purification treatment. Some residents don’t see hard water as a major concern since it does not harm our health in any kind of way. But the thing is the real problem lies with the way it can do damage to our pipes, showers, and appliances. And if you try to look closely, the seemingly harmless liquid has the potential hurt our finances even if we don’t realize it yet…
So how can we detect if we are using hard water today? What are the clues to look for so we can conclude that hard water is being supplied at our residence? And how can we measure its level of hardness so we can install the best water softener to deal with this problem? These are some of the questions we aim to give answers in today’s article.
Visual Clues Reveal The Truth:
Like any culprit, hard water usually leaves traces of evidence inside our homes where Fleck water softener systems are not installed. And the good thing about this is we can make use of these clues to know if it’s really being supplied under our roof. Here are some of the visual signs you can look for to know if the water you are using is hard:
Hot water pressure differs from cold water. The reason for this is some mineral deposits in the water precipitate faster when water is hot. And these minerals are attached on the insides of the pipes causing them to clog the passageway and reduce the water pressure. This explains why hot water pipes are clogged faster than cold water pipes.
Determine if the tankless coil has been cleaned recently. Tankless coils are usually clogged faster than other plumbings inside the house because it is the area where the supplied water is supposed to be the hottest. And if this happens, some plumbers clean this part by using an acid-based solution. Cleaned tankless coils are expected to re-clog faster than before since the surface of the copper tubing has been etched in acid bath and may be susceptible to mineral deposition once hard water passes through it.
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Look for mineral traces on shower heads. This is an unmistakable evidence of detecting hard water in your area. Once this fixture has been exposed to this kind of water, then mineral impurities propagate and are more noticeable when the shower head is dried up.
Check for white stains or lime deposits on household appliances. This is also a clear in indicator that hard water is indeed present in your abode.
Methods Of Measuring Hard Water:
Hard water is commonly measure using a water test kit. These kits may comprise of paper test strips or hardness test tablets. When the tablet is mixed with a sample of the supply water, it immediately changes its color to indicate the hardness of water in your area. The same method applies when you wet the test strip with hard water as it will also change in color to specify the level of hardness in the supplied water.
If you can’t secure a water test kit, you can still measure the hardness of water by following this simple test called the ‘soap test’.
First, prepare a 12 oz. bottle with cap and a dish soap. Then fill the bottle with a sample of water in your house and add about 10 drops of soap into the liquid. Shake the bottle and look for soap suds. The level of suds (or soap) being added into the water will indicate the level of hardness in water in grains per gallon (GPG).
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10 drops – 0 to 1 GPG (very soft)
20 drops – 1 to 3.5 GPG (slightly hard)
30 drops – 3.5 to 7.0 GPG (moderately hard)
40 drops – 7.0 to 10.5 GPG (hard)
50 drops – 10.5 and up (very hard)
Do bear in mind that this simple test will only give you an “intelligent guess” in determining the hardness in water. We still recommend that you opt for the more accurate option and that is by acquiring the water test kit and make use of it in measuring the level of hardness in the water you have today.
