Hard Water
What is Hard Water?
Hard water is the most common problem found in the average home. Hard water is water that contains dissolved hardness minerals above 1 GPG (grains per gallon).
What are Hardness Minerals?
Calcium, manganese and magnesium are the most common.
How Do You Measure Hardness?
Parts per million or grains per gallon are the most common. One part per million (PPM) is just what it says: out of one million units, one unit.
Why Should Hard Water Concern Me?
For many uses, it would not matter. For instance, to put out fires, water your lawn, wash the mud off the streets or float your boat, water would have to be pretty hard to cause a problem. But for bathing, washing dishes and clothes, shaving and many other uses of water, hard water is not as efficient or convenient as "soft water." For instance:
- you use only 1/2 as much soap cleaning with soft water.
- hard water and soap combine to form "soap scum" that can't be rinsed off which leaves spots on what ever the water drys on
- when hard water is heated, the hardness minerals are re-crystallized to form hardness scale. This scale can plug your pipes and water heater, causing premature failure, and costly replacement.
- the soap scum remains on your skin even after rinsing, clogging the pores of your skin and coating every hair on your body. This residue can serve as a home for bacteria, causing diaper rash, minor skin irritation and skin that continually itches.
Who Will Test My Water for Hardness?
Terrytown Plumbing will test your water at our office for no charge. Simply bring your untreated water in a small clean container and we will test it. We also have a portable test kit so we can test it in your home. We can test for Hardness, pH, Iron, Total Dissolved Solids and Sulfur.
My Water is Hard; Now What?
If your water tests over 6 GPG (grains per gallon) hard, you should soften it. Over 6 GPG, you will save enough to pay for the cost and maintenance of a water conditioner.
The most economical way for you to soften your household water is with an ion exchange water softener. This unit uses sodium chloride (salt) to recharge man made plastic like beads that exchange hardness minerals for sodium.
As the hard water passes through and around the plastic like beads, the hardness minerals (ions) attach themselves to the beads. The beads are covered with sodium (salt) ions which were deposited there from the last regeneration of the softener. When the plastic bead, called Resin, has no sodium ions left, it is exhausted, and can soften no more water. The resin is recharged by flushing with salt water during the regeneration process. The sodium ions force the hardness ions off the resin beads; then the excess sodium is rinsed away, and the resin is ready to start the process all over again. This cycle can be repeated many, many time before the resin loses its ability to react to these forces.
