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Hard water is probably the most common water problem found in the home. According to
the Water Quality Association of the United States, hard water is water that contains
dissolved hardness minerals above 1 GPG (grains per gallon). The most common hardness
causing minerals are Calcium and Magnesium - dissolved in a water supply.
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Hardness levels are:
- Soft Water - less than 1 gpg .
- Slightly hard - 1 to 3.5 gpg.
- Moderately hard - 3.5 to 7 gpg .
- Hard - 7 to 10.5 gpg .
- Very Hard - 10.5 and higher gpg.
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Problems caused by hard water
Hard water is fine for many uses around a home. From watering a garden to washing down
a driveway, most water (whether it comes from a well or municipal treatment plant) works
fine. But for indoor use such as bathing, doing dishes, washing clothes and dozens of other
uses, hard water is not as efficient or convenient as "soft water."
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Potential results from water hardness:
- Soap Scum stays on surfaces leaving unsightly spots on dishes, glassware and flat
ware .
- Heating hard water in the water heater forms hardness scale. This scale plugs
plumbing and builds up on the inside of water heaters, It can cause increased electric
or gas bills, and may lead to early failure of the appliance with costly replacement
necessary.
- Soap scum is difficult to remove and stays on your skin after bathing or showering. It
clogs skin pores and coats hair, and its residue can be a breeding ground for
bacteria, cause diaper rash and skin irritation .
- Hardness minerals may cause unwanted taste in cooked foods such as vegetables
and cause cloudy ice cubes.
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Where to obtain water hardness information
For municipal water supplies, call the water department or your local city government. But
to obtain additional information about a water supply, have the water tested through a
professional laboratory. Such analysis may be bacterial, microbiological, or chemical,
depending on the purpose. Chemical analyses made by labs show iron in milligrams per liter
and hardness minerals in grains per gallon or milligrams per liter.
If on a private well, contact your county extension agent. Take a sample of the water to be
tested and send it to the state health department for testing. There are independent testing
labs listed in the yellow pages that will test the water. Independent water conditioning
companies can also test for hardness
If water comes from a private well, the homeowner should test it for bacteria annually.
Check with local authorities for recommended tests and their frequency
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Treatment options for hard water
If water tests over 1 GPG hard, consider treating it with:
Chemical Treatment
Chemical treatments use various detergents and other substances to "cover up" or hide
some of the negative effects of hard water.
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Mechanical Treatment
Mechanical treatments physically remove hardness minerals from the water.
The most common mechanical way to soften water is through the use of an ion exchange
water softener. This device uses an ion exchange process to replace hardness minerals in
the water with another substance. The vast majority of water softening equipment today
exchanges hardness minerals for sodium. The process consists of flowing the hard water
over a bed of plastic resin beads. On each bead, slight electric charges hold sodium ions on
the surface of the bead. However, these beads also have the ability to attract and hold
hardness minerals. As hard water flows through the water softener, it passes around the
plastic beads. The hardness minerals (ions) in the water have a greater attraction to the
bead than the sodium on the bead. Therefore, they attach themselves to the bead, and in
the process they displace the sodium ions. Thus the name ion exchange.
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