Hard water is a constant headache for most families. The chalk and limestone content creates scale.
Scale blocks up shower heads and builds up in pipe-work and in hot water cylinders.
The Havoc And High Costs Associated With Hard Water
For most people living in the South East water hardness is a bane of ones life.
It increases housework and housekeeping bills. Lime scale and staining can be seen everywhere that water touches. Blocked up shower roses, crud around taps, and furred up heating elements are just some of the annoyances.
The reaction with soaps can be equally frustrating with greasy scum residues causing staining and affecting the cleaning ability of soaps and other cleaning products.
Water hardness can be measured and the following chart shows how it is classified:
(as milligrams per litre of carbonate hardness)
0 to 50 mg/l = soft
51 to 100mg/l = moderately soft
101 to 150mg/l = slightly hard
151 to 220mg/l = moderately hard
221 to 300mg/l = hard
Over 300mg/l = very hard
The map below shows how water hardness varies in England and Wales. In North Hampshire and The Thames Valley hardness can vary between 300 and 350 mg/l, which makes the area particularly vulnerable to hard water problems.
Hard to Very Hard Water
Slightly Hard Water
Slightly Soft Water
Official figures show that just 1.5mm of scale on a heat transfer surface (such as an immersion heater) can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 15%.
Hard water therefore adds considerably to the cost of heating water in appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers. The build up of scale can also exacerbate their servicing costs.
It has been estimated that hard water increases the use of washing powders, soaps, shampoos, conditioners etc., by more than 50%. In total, hard water can cost a family more than £200 a year.
The savings and benefits of using softened water are therefore considerable.
Please refer to our AQUAFACTs leaflets for further information.
