Little frustrations may be signs of big problems. If your favorite t-shirt always feels stiff and you’re constantly descaling the coffeemaker, you may have a hard water problem.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water is water with high mineral content. Water picks up these minerals, particularly calcium and magnesium, naturally from soil and rocks before entering any public water system. People using water from private wells are more likely to deal with this issue because their water is less treated and closer to its mineral-rich source. There’s no proof that hard water causes major health concerns, but it’s a threat to pipes, appliances, and overall comfort.
What Are Signs of Hard Water?
The easiest ways to notice hard water in your home come from calcium’s interaction with soap. Calcium and soap combine to make soap scum, creating spots on your dishes and cloudy glasses that never look clean. Laundry may feel rougher for the same reasons. You could even feel the effects of hard water on your skin. People with hard water typically use more soap in any kind of washing, including in the shower, because hard water limits frothing and leaves uncomfortable residues.
Calcium carbonate builds up in pipes and appliances channeling heated hard water. This scale wears down water heaters and dishwashers and can even block pipes. While it’s hard to see inside your plumbing, countertop appliances like electric kettles and coffeemakers show this scaling effect, too. If you find yourself buying a new coffee machine every year, you probably aren’t the problem. It’s the water.
How Is Water Hardness Measured?
There are several ways to measure water hardness. The World Quality Association’s standard is the most popular. It measures hardness in milligrams per liter (mg/L). On this scale, water testing up to 60 mg/L is soft. Water testing up to 120 mg/L is moderately hard, up to 180 is hard, and anything over that is very hard.
Some experts also measure hardness with the grains per gallon (gpg) scale. Under these guidelines, water with up to 3 gpg is soft, up to 7 gpg is standard, and water testing 7.5 gpg or higher is hard.
How Do You Test for Hard Water?
First, see if your water utility has water quality reports available. This is easiest if you live in a city or have municipal water, but even if you draw from a private well, checking the area will give you an idea of what to expect. If the rest of the county has hard water, you likely do, too.
A rudimentary hard water test only requires dish soap, a clean container, and tap water. The results provide a yes/no answer to the presence of hard water rather than a number, but it’s quick and simple. It may help you decide if it’s time to call in professionals. To perform this test, take a clear container with a lid like a mason jar or plastic bottle. Fill it 1/3rd of the way full of tap water and add about ten drops of dish soap. Close the container and shake well. After at least ten seconds, set it down and see how well the soap has bubbled. If there’s a thick layer of bubbles over clear water, you probably don’t have a problem. A thin skim of bubbles over murky water suggests hard water.
If you want something more precise, a water testing kit may be for you. Strip testing kits provide treated strips of cardstock you place in tap water. They turn a specific color in response to levels of particular minerals. You then compare the strip with a color chart from the kit and get a rough estimate of your water’s hardness.
The most accurate results come from a professional lab. This requires buying a kit, collecting a sample of your water, and sending it off for testing. It’s the most expensive DIY option.
How Can You Make Things Easier?
The easiest way to test for hard water is to let an expert do it for you. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing offers water hardness testing for Florida residents who want specifics from qualified professionals. If you find out you need a water softener to protect your clothes, plumbing, and budget, we’re happy to offer a local’s insight.