What Is Hard Water And What Does It Effect
If you’ve been told your home has hard water but you’re not exactly sure what that means, you’re not alone. Water is described as being hard when it has a high content of minerals like calcium and magnesium. This occurs when your water runs through limestone or chalk deposits in pipes or the soil. Certain regions of the United States, such as Southern California, Arizona, West Texas, Greater Chicago and other areas have great incidences of hard water than most of the country. The compounds found in hard water can create expensive problems in your home over time if a solution is not found. What Is Hard Water and How Is It Measured? The hardness of water is measured using instruments and can be expressed in many different ways, including grains of calcium carbonate per gallon, parts per million, Clark degrees and French degrees. None of these particular units are important to you as a homeowner, but the United States Geological Survey uses these units, combined with temperature and pH, to put fresh water into several different categories. The classifications are:
- Soft
- Moderately hard
- Hard
- Very hard
- Clog water pipes
- Reduce the efficiency of appliances
- Damage hot water heaters
- Create scum in showers, tubs and sinks