Water hardness is a term many homeowners come across when discussing simple plumbing and water supply issues, but it isn’t unusual for some not to have a complete understanding of what it means.
There certainly are concerns for excessive hardness and other contaminants in the water supply especially when sourced from a well, as it can cause damage to the plumbing system over time. Installing a water softener, the device used to regulate water hardness, is an effective way of reducing water hardness and reaping the many benefits of having a soft water supply.
What is Water Hardness?
The “hardness” or “softness” of a water supply simply refers to the presence of dissolved minerals in the water. Water with a higher concentration of dissolved particles is considered hard, while a lower concentration is considered soft.
The criteria for determining water hardness might differ from region to region based on measuring standards, the types of elements present, and testing specifications. But in general, hard water can always be associated with a higher concentration of dissolved minerals.
Effects of Hard Water
A variety of elements may be present in order to determine hardness including iron, aluminum, and manganese, but the two most prevalent elements are calcium and magnesium. The presence of calcium and magnesium isn’t harmful to the human body if ingested but can, in fact, be beneficial in moderate amounts.
However, calcium and magnesium can cause limescale buildup in pipes and faucets and ultimately clog up the plumbing system over time. If left untreated, the damages that hard water can cause to a water system can certainly be costly.
The Top 4 Water Softener Benefits
- Prolonged Life of Plumbing System
- Lowered Energy Bill
- Reduce Soap Usage and Improve Skin Health
- Keep Fabrics Soft, Colorful, and Fresh
How to Test for Hard Water
The two most common units of measurement for water hardness in the US is parts per million (ppm) and grains per gallon (gpg).
PPM
The term, parts per million, is defined as having 1 milligram of dissolved minerals for every Liter of water. For example, a Liter of water which measures as 1 ppm contains 1 mg of dissolved minerals within it.
GPG
The term, grains per gallon, is defined as having 1 grain (which is equivalent to about 64.8 mg) of dissolved minerals for every gallon of water.
There are several other units of measurement used for testing water hardness, but in the United States, ppm and gpm are most commonly used. While the different units of measurement can often become confusing in determining water hardness, each unit can be converted to suit measurement needs.
1 PPM = 0.05842 gpg
1 GPG = 17.2 ppm
Related Products
Water Softener Salt
Water Softener SaltThe salt used in the brine tank of a water softener does not directly soften the water, but is used to regenerate the resin beads in your water softener. These actually soften the water from your well by removing the hard water ions, calcium, magnesium and iron.
Water Softening
Water SofteningIndustrial Water Softeners remove hardness ions from water through ion exchange, which exchanges hardness ions for more harmless ions, such as salt.Hard water is water that has calcium and/or magnesium salts dissolved in it. The degree of hardness is directly related to the concentration of these salts. Hard water consumes soap and adversely affects washing and cleaning operations in the home and throughout industry. Hard water salts form scale in pipe lines, boilers, heat ex changers, hot water heaters, water chillers & UV shells.
Automatic Clack Head Water Softener
Automatic Clack Head Water SoftenerHard water can be hard on body and your house hold appliances Take the edge off with CLACK USA home water softening systems. Each is designed to help reduce water contaminants, scale build up, and electricity use, plus extend the life of your appliances, deliver better-tasting water, and make cleaning easier—from sparkling dishes to softer laundry. This Soft water is a natural moisturizer for your hair The leading edge of our water softener is the original made in USA Clack Automatic Digital control head.