Hard water? Where does it come from?

When we are speaking about soft water we are usually thinking about the spring warm rain that touches gently our skin. It's pure water-with no minerals. On the other side when we are speaking about hard water we have in mind the one in which there is a high level of calcium and magnesium. If water has those minerals it's not that pure anymore, the touch of it isn't gentle. It's probably the best way to imagine the difference between them.

And why soft water becomes hard?

Before water gets into our houses it has to take a long trip. During this trip it's changing from rain into rivers and streams. When it sleeps trough the ground it is slightly possible that it picks up minerals from the rocks like limestone, chalk. And that's why a lot of us has that kind of water in home.

Is the hard water unhealthy?

It might be unhealthy for people who has kidney problems. But it causes the most damages in our kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. The mentioned minerals, during the heating process, form a visible scale in pipes, kettles and dishwashers. As a result, the scale is clogging the pipes and the efficiency of heat that it is needed to make water hot is increasing, therefore it can bring much higher bills. And shorten a lot the life of all appliances at home. It can also damage hair and leave skin feeling dried out and itchy.

Is there something like hard water treatment?

Yes, the hard water can be softened, usually by using water softners that are passing over an ion exchange resin and works by replacing the calcium and magnesium in the water with sodium.

Before buying such device you should have a good thinking. A softener will improve the efficiency and increase the life of appliances using hot water. Some people with skin conditions have fewer problems when using soft water for washing. But the way they work might cause a different healthy problems. Too big amount of sodium might be dangerous for premature babies and people on low salt diet. Healthy alternative for that might be an electroniclimescale removal which isn't using any sodium but a powerful high audio frequency signals that are designed to effectively treat water conditions and flow rate.