Hard water is a problem for most residents of the United Kingdom. Hard water is water that contains a high level of dissolved minerals and ions, the most troublesome of which are calcium and magnesium. Water is made hard when rain water falls on land that contains high levels of minerals. The water picks up the minerals as it seeps through the ground and into the water table. Water that falls on ground that is made up mostly of hard rock or peaty soil is less likely to pick up minerals or other elements and will stay "soft."
You definitely want to have soft water and not hard water. The minerals that have turned your water hard have a tendency to build up in a house or building's plumbing systems and on the inside of your home appliances and things that regularly contain water. When pipes, appliances and machines get mineral scale built up, they stop working correctly or cease working altogether.
Cleaning with hard water is also incredibly difficult as the minerals contained in hard water prevent soaps and cleaning materials from lathering correctly. When you use hard water regularly, your machines have to work harder which means they use more electricity, causing your utility bill to spike or be abnormally high. If too much scale builds up in the plumbing, you will need to replace your pipes which is also expensive.
Many homeowners in the United Kingdom have found that installing a water softener can help a great deal in ridding hard water of its mineral content. A water softener sits between a ground water source and your home and acts as a filter to trap all of the minerals that cause the water to be hard. The filters act as strainers to trap the calcium, magnesium and other minerals that are found in UK hard water.
Some water softener companies build machines that will filter out a variety of other materials as well as hard water minerals. Soft water is much easier to use for household activities and it is safer for the pipes in your house.
Depending on the minerals and ions that are contained in the hard water in your local area, your hard water could be dangerous both for your house and your body. Calcium and Magnesium are the most feared ions because they can cause terrible health problems when too much of either is absorbed into the body.
Mineral scale build up on pipes can cause the walls of a pipe to become weak and eventually those pipes will start to leak. This can cause a person thousands in repair and doctor costs. The easiest way to make sure that you only use soft water is to install a water softener somewhere inside your home or on your property. - 30517
You definitely want to have soft water and not hard water. The minerals that have turned your water hard have a tendency to build up in a house or building's plumbing systems and on the inside of your home appliances and things that regularly contain water. When pipes, appliances and machines get mineral scale built up, they stop working correctly or cease working altogether.
Cleaning with hard water is also incredibly difficult as the minerals contained in hard water prevent soaps and cleaning materials from lathering correctly. When you use hard water regularly, your machines have to work harder which means they use more electricity, causing your utility bill to spike or be abnormally high. If too much scale builds up in the plumbing, you will need to replace your pipes which is also expensive.
Many homeowners in the United Kingdom have found that installing a water softener can help a great deal in ridding hard water of its mineral content. A water softener sits between a ground water source and your home and acts as a filter to trap all of the minerals that cause the water to be hard. The filters act as strainers to trap the calcium, magnesium and other minerals that are found in UK hard water.
Some water softener companies build machines that will filter out a variety of other materials as well as hard water minerals. Soft water is much easier to use for household activities and it is safer for the pipes in your house.
Depending on the minerals and ions that are contained in the hard water in your local area, your hard water could be dangerous both for your house and your body. Calcium and Magnesium are the most feared ions because they can cause terrible health problems when too much of either is absorbed into the body.
Mineral scale build up on pipes can cause the walls of a pipe to become weak and eventually those pipes will start to leak. This can cause a person thousands in repair and doctor costs. The easiest way to make sure that you only use soft water is to install a water softener somewhere inside your home or on your property. - 30517
About the Author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about central heating, boiler, plumber London , underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
