Hard Water vs Soft Water - What you need to know

Hard water vs Soft water - learn the differences and the advantages and disadvantages of water softeners, plus some expert tips to make sure you get the very best outcome for your home.What is Hard Water?"Hard water" is water that contains mineral salts (such as calcium and magnesium ions) that limit the formation of lather with soap and form what we refer to as "limescale". The dissolved calcium ions and magnesium ions in hard water react with the soap to form scum, so more soap is needed.Water in different parts of the United Kingdom varies in the amount of dissolved mineral ions it contains. This determines whether it is hard or soft water. It is very important to note that here are advantages and disadvantages of both hard and soft water and there are several techniques to know to ensure you get the best outcome from any water treatment you may be thinking about. The damage that hard water can cause to water pipes and appliances may mean that water needs to be softened, but knowing how to overcome the disadvantages of water softeners is key!Do you live in a hard water area?Have a look at the map below:What is the problem with hard water?Lots and lots of scrubbing! - No matter how hard you scrub, limescale and water marks will keep coming back. Limescale removers are costly and only give you temporary results.Damage to boilers and plumbing system - The build up of limescale in boilers forces them to work harder and less efficiently and are a major cause in the breakdown of taps, boilers, central heating systems, washing machines and dishwashers.Dry and itchy skin and dull and lifeless hair - Bathing in hard water can make your skin feel dry and itchy afterwards and can leave your hair feeling dry without any shine.Shower heads and taps clogged with scale - Shower heads can easily clog up with scale and lose their effectiveness, which means constant cleaning and frequent replacements.Dull and lifeless glassware - After washing your glassware in hard water and leaving them to dry, you will notice how dull and lifeless they look with little or no sparkle.You may well have had difficulty cleaning this limescale from your shower screen or bathroom and kitchen taps. Limescale also forms in internal pipes and plumbing systems and is the number one cause of breakdown of plumbing components, shower heads, boilers as well as other water based appliances (such as dishwashers, coffee machines, ice makers, washing machines , steam sterilizers and more).Good reasons to install a Water SoftenerSave Money - You can save up to £500 per year on cleaning products (as soft water makes them go much further), central heating and plumbing maintenance costs and up to 10% of energy bills by making your heating system more efficient.Less cleaning - You can keep your kitchen, bathrooms and shower rooms looking pristine for much longer than usual and say goodbye to stubborn water marks on shower screens, tiles and worktops, taps and so on.Softer and smoother skin and silkier hair - You can make your skin and hair feel great and a difference you will notice instantly. Bathing in soft water is a luxurious experience and become and even better place to unwind and relax. Water softeners are also proven to help people with eczema and psoriasis and other sensitive skin conditions.Alleviate eczema and dry skin conditions - Eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions are helped greatly by soft water. Many of our customers use water softeners for these reasons and the vast majority report less itchiness and need to creams.Make your glassware sparkle - Make your win glasses and glassware sparkle.The disadvantages of Water SoftenersThere are a few disadvantages of water softeners which you need to be aware of before installing one. The good news is that these are easily overcome!Corrosion of copper pipes from chlorineA very little known fact about water softeners is that because they are extremely effective at preventing the build up of limescale, this can mean that the chlorine in the water has a corrosive effect on pipes because the limescale build up from hard water actually protects pipes from corrosion.This is especially the case with new build properties. We have had several calls from customers who put in a water softener into a new build property 3 years ago but are now complaining about a green colouration in their wife's blond hair! You guessed it! It is the corrosion caused by chlorine of the copper pipes in the property. The pipes never had a chance to build any scale whatsoever so were completely exposed to chlorine's corrosive effects. Chlorine is a highly volatile substance and was used to make bombs in World War 2 and is still found in chemical weapons today. Corrosion will also effect other central heating elements and appliances.The solution: A simple carbon block filter is very inexpensive and will remove 99.99% of the chlorine in the water, therefore protecting the copper pipes from scale.  If you use non-corrosive plastic pipes, it is still advantageous to remove chlorine and other chemical disinfectants from your water.Softened Water is not universally considered good to drinkOne of the main disadvantages of softened water is that it is not universally considered healthy to drink, besides the fact that it does not taste very nice due to the high levels of sodium carbonate. There is considerable debate about the health effects of soft water and no clear consensus in the medical research community, however it is generally accepted that if you are already on a high sodium diet, soft water can increase this.The solution - Either install a reverse osmosis water filter or run a hard water supply to the kitchen sink (bypassing the water softener). WRAS guidelines advise that a hard water supply must be made available at the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking purposes. Any plumber worth their salt would already know this and watch out for any cowboy tradesman who do not run a hard water supply (as it can be tricky and adds to the time and cost but it really bad practice). If you find yourself in a situation where a plumber has installed the system and not provided a hard water supply, we highly recommend installing a reverse osmosis system which will give you ultra-pure great tasting fresh water.Waste WaterWater Softeners do waste water when they need to regenerate.  Our range of EcoSoft Water Softeners use a process called ion exchange, which exchanges (or removes) calcium and magnesium ions, which cause scale, for sodium ions which make your water soft. The softener contains a bed of resin beads which hold sodium ions. As the water passes through the softener, the resin beads attract and hold the magnesium and calcium ions and release the sodium ions, making the water lovely and soft. Once the ion exchange resins are saturated with hardness, the regeneration sequence on the water softener begins through backwashing and a down flow flush to drain.The solution: Wasting water is something you just have to accept however, the clear advantages of softening your water far outweigh this disadvantage. Salt based softeners are by far the most effective at dealing with the limescale problem, however if you do not like the idea of wasting water, then you can use a non-salt based scale treatment system which wastes no water, requires no maintenance and last a very long time (5-7 years). These are not softeners but scale treatment units and they do not actually remove limescale. Instead they use a process called Template Assisted Crystallization to turn hard scale into oft Scale Crystals in a reaction which lasts for 72 hours meaning limescale is unable to form in internal plumbing fittings. For taps, shower heads and shower screens, limescale will still form, however after the water has evaporated it will leave a soft scale which wipes away easily.This videos explains how it works:We hope this article has been informative and helps you make the right decision about what to do for your home or commercial application and gives you everything you need to know about hard water vs. soft water.We would really welcome your thoughts and opinions, so please share and comment below!