You’ve probably heard water being referred to as either hard or soft, and you probably aren’t alone if you don’t entirely understand the difference between the two.
The Express recently explained what the differences are, and if you’re in a hard water area you may well want to consider a water softener to make your water supply softer.
The fundamental difference is that hard water has a high mineral content, while soft water has a lower mineral content. Rainwater is all soft, but the reason some water supplies become ‘hard’ is because the rain water is filtered through soft rocks, such as limestone, gypsum and chalk. As a result, the water absorbs some of the minerals held in the rocks.
Calcium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate, calcium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are the most common minerals found in hard water.
These minerals alter the flavour of the water that comes out of the taps, but another noticeable sign of hard water is the residue it leaves behind in the form of limescale.
Limescale is caused by a build-up of these minerals and it can damage appliances and plumbing if it’s left unchecked.
Earlier this month, the newspaper shared figures from Kinetico, which revealed that 13 million households in the UK struggle with the effects of limescale simply because of where they’re located and what water supply they receive.
Areas such as Berkshire, Dorset and Kent have what’s classed as hard to very hard water. If you’re interested in installing water softeners in Berkshire, get in touch with us to find out about our products and services.