Hard and soft water - what does it mean? Types of water hardness. Water hardness calculator

Ordinary water consists not only of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, it also contains a large number of various impurities. It is the presence of impurities that determines the hardness of water, and the units of measurement (°F - degree of hardness) show how much this indicator exceeds the permissible standards.

Water hardness needs to be determined not only by engineers who are involved in laying communications, but also ordinary people at home. If we use an electric kettle or a washing machine with a water heating function, then all this may fail if this indicator is too high. You are unlikely to be able to dissolve soap well in such water.

How to determine the level of hardness of tap water, as well as methods of dealing with high levels of impurities will be discussed in detail in this article.

Hard and soft water - what's the difference?

The amount of salt in water is affected by the presence of calcium and magnesium elements dissolved in it. This indicator can also be significantly increased by the presence of iron hydrate, the content of which in artesian waters can be excessive.

In the case when such impurities contain a small amount, it is called “soft”. This indicator is usually divided into 3 categories:

Soft.
Average.
Tough.

Soft I is the rain or distilled liquid. There are practically no mineral impurities in such water.

In most cases, it can also be obtained as a result of prolonged boiling or the addition of special chemical reagents.

Average– found most often in water supply systems, as well as in spring and artesian water.

Hard– this category includes sea, ocean, and also water flowing from rock layers rich in mineral deposits. A large amount of salts can be dissolved in it. If taken as a percentage, the salinity can reach up to 33% of the total volume.

Let's consider the types of rigidity

This indicator is usually divided into the following categories.

Constant - is a constant indicator that depends on the content of sulfates and chlorides.
Temporary – due to the content of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates. This type of hardness gets its name from its ability to be almost completely neutralized as a result of boiling.
General hardness is obtained by adding the constant and temporary indicators.

In order to accurately determine this indicator, you need to know what units of measurement can be used.

Hardness units

To correctly calculate the level of hardness, it is necessary to determine the concentration of calcium and magnesium cations. Currently, this indicator is defined in the following units of measurement:

Mol/m3 (mol per cubic meter) – used in Russia until 2014.
°F (degree of hardness) - this unit of measurement has been used in Russia since 2014.
dH (German degree) – unit of measurement used in European countries.
fo (French degree) – also used in European countries.
ppm CaCO3 (American degree) - the unit of measurement used in North American states.

It should be noted that in our country the expression of total hardness mol/m3 began to be used only in 1952. Until this time, calculations were carried out in degrees, which were equal to the modern German degree.

Since 2014, Russia has had an international standard for calculating hardness, which is expressed in degrees (°F). One degree is equal to 1/2 millimole per liter of liquid, so calculating the concentration level of a substance in a liquid is not difficult.

Causes of water hardness

During the water cycle in nature, liquid turns into steam and rises to the upper layers of the atmosphere. After condensation, it falls out in the form of precipitation and does not contain impurities that affect hardness, but passing through the layer earth's crust, liquid dissolves various breeds, which contain potassium and magnesium. When water becomes saturated with these elements, it increases its hardness. In the sea it is always hard due to the high concentration of sodium chloride.

If it is necessary to reduce the concentration of potassium and magnesium ions, various methods can be used to reduce the amount of salt impurities.

Methods for eliminating hardness

To combat excessive salt content, the following methods are used:

Any of the proposed methods of water softening can cope with a high level of this indicator, but a chemical method is usually not used to remove salts from drinking water.

How does hardness affect water quality?

The hardness of drinking water primarily affects its taste. The taste threshold for calcium ions in drinking water is 2-6 mEq/l. The taste threshold for magnesium ions is much lower, so the most pleasant-tasting drinking water is considered to be the one in which this indicator is from 1.6 to 3 mEq/l.

In some cases, water with a hardness of up to 10 mEq/L can be used as drinking water, but long-term use can negatively affect human health. Too hard water is undesirable for use in liquid heating devices. Electric kettles, boilers, washing machines and dishwashers necessarily have a heating element in their design, which in the shortest possible time “overgrows” with deposits, and the process of heating the liquid is carried out less efficiently.

Long-term operation of an electric heater with a significant layer of scale leads to overheating of the element and its failure. Fortunately, all you need to do to descale is dissolve 2 sachets. citric acid in 1 liter of water and boil a kettle or any other water heater well. Then you should thoroughly rinse the device and use it further for its intended purpose.

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The high salt content of water also negatively affects the washing process. Dissolving detergent in water rich in potassium and magnesium ions leads to excessive foam formation. Foam contributes to the formation of plaque on the elements of the washing machine, which can also negatively affect the performance of some components of this household appliance.

Consequences for human health

With prolonged use of hard water in the human body, serious deviations from the norm are observed, which primarily manifest themselves in the functioning of the following organs:

Gastrointestinal tract (GIT)– when the salts that make up hard water combine with animal fats, salts are formed fatty acids, which envelop the walls of the stomach and intestines, preventing normal fermentation and significantly inhibiting peristalsis. As a result, harmful substances and waste accumulate in the body, and dysbiosis develops.
Joint work– some types of salts entering the human body form inorganic substances, which over time displace synovial fluid from the joints. As a result of this replacement, the joints become overgrown with crystals, which cause severe pain when moving. Long-term consumption of hard water can lead to arthritis and polyarthritis.
The cardiovascular system– with a significant increase in the hardness of drinking water, heart function worsens, up to the manifestation of severe arrhythmia.
Skin condition– hard water leads to premature aging of the skin. Negative effects are observed both when ingesting liquid and when washing dishes. When dishwashing detergent comes into contact with hard water, a film is formed, which when deposited on the skin for a long time provides Negative influence to the upper layers of the epidermis.
Formation of kidney stones– this statement is a myth that has been debunked thanks to the work of scientists. The process of stone formation does not depend on the quality of drinking water. Kidney stones are formed mainly due to a lack of calcium in the body. As a result of a deficiency of this element, it is washed out of the bones and deposited in the urinary system.

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All of the listed ailments and painful conditions can be avoided if you use multi-stage water filtration. The use of such devices will not cost too much, but the treatment of various pathologies can cost significant amounts of money.

Methods for determining water hardness

To avoid the negative effects of hard water on health, as well as to extend the life of heating devices, it is necessary to determine the approximate amount of potassium and magnesium salts dissolved in the liquid. Doing this by taste is quite problematic, because changes can only be detected in this way if a certain value is exceeded.

To determine high levels of potassium, magnesium and sodium salts at home, you can use the following methods:

Try to dissolve the soap in water; if foam does not form, then the water is very hard and should not be used.
If a large amount of scale forms in a kettle and other appliances over a short period of time, then the water definitely exceeds the safe values for this value.
Using indicator strips, you can more accurately determine the amount of salts in a liquid, but this method will require small financial expenses. To carry out the experiment, it is enough to immerse the indicator strip in water for a few seconds, and after a minute compare its color with the table in the instructions.

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Conclusion

It is very important to know what hardness the water is used for drinking, as well as in heating boilers and other water heating devices. The need to use precise units of measurement to carry out calculations at home is not always necessary.

In the chemical industry and other high-tech industries, on the contrary, you will need to know the amount of salts dissolved in water up to a milligram, so you can use any units of measurement of this indicator proposed in this article to determine and, if necessary, reduce the amount of salts in water.

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“Hard” water is one of the most common problems, both in country houses with autonomous water supply and in city apartments with centralized water supply. The degree of hardness depends on the presence of calcium and magnesium salts in water (hardness salts) and is measured in milligram equivalent per liter (mg-eq/l). According to the American classification (for drinking water), with a hardness salt content of less than 2 mEq/l, water is considered “soft”, from 2 to 4 mEq/l - normal (we repeat, for food purposes!), from 4 to 6 mg -eq/l - hard, and over 6 mg-eq/l - very hard.

For many applications, water hardness does not play a significant role (for example, for extinguishing fires, watering gardens, cleaning streets and sidewalks). But in some cases, rigidity can create problems. When taking a bath, washing dishes, doing laundry, or washing a car, hard water is much less effective than soft water. And that's why:

When using soft water, 2 times less detergent is consumed;
Hard water, interacting with soap, forms “soap slag”, which is not washed off with water and leaves unattractive stains on dishes and the surface of plumbing fixtures;
“Soap slag” is also not washed off from the surface of human skin, clogging pores and covering every hair on the body, which can cause a rash, irritation, and itching;
When water is heated, the hardness salts it contains crystallize, falling out in the form of scale. Scale is the cause of 90% of failures of water heating equipment. Therefore, water heated in boilers, boilers, etc., is subject to much more stringent hardness requirements;
In many industrial processes, hardness salts can react chemically, forming undesirable intermediate products.
From the point of view of the use of water for drinking purposes, its acceptability in terms of hardness can vary significantly depending on local conditions. The taste threshold for calcium ion is (in terms of mg-equivalent) in the range of 2-6 mEq/l, depending on the corresponding anion, and the taste threshold for magnesium is even lower. In some cases, water with a hardness above 10 mEq/L is acceptable for consumers. High hardness worsens the organoleptic properties of water, giving it a bitter taste and having a negative effect on the digestive organs.

The World Health Organization does not offer any recommended level of hardness for health reasons. WHO materials state that although a number of studies have revealed a statistically inverse relationship between the hardness of drinking water and cardiovascular diseases, the available data are not sufficient to conclude the causal nature of this relationship. Likewise, it has not been unequivocally proven that soft water has a negative effect on the balance of minerals in the human body.

However, depending on the pH and alkalinity, water with a hardness above 4 mEq/L can cause the deposition of waste and scale (calcium carbonate) in the distribution system, especially when heated. That is why the Boiler Inspectorate standards introduce very stringent requirements for the hardness of water used to feed boilers (0.05-0.1 mEq/l)

In addition, when hardness salts interact with detergents (soap, washing powders, shampoos), “soap slag” is formed in the form of foam. This not only leads to significant waste of detergents. After drying, such foam remains in the form of a deposit on plumbing fixtures, linen, human skin, and hair (the unpleasant feeling of “hard” hair is well known to many). The main negative impact of these toxins on humans is that they destroy the natural fatty film that always covers normal skin and clog its pores. A sign of such a negative effect is the characteristic “creaking” of cleanly washed skin or hair. It turns out that the feeling of “soapiness” that causes irritation for some people after using soft water is a sign that the protective fatty film on the skin is intact and unharmed. She is the one who slides. Otherwise, you have to spend money on lotions, softening and moisturizing creams and other tricks to restore the skin protection that Mother Nature has already provided us with.

At the same time, it is necessary to mention the other side of the coin. Soft water with a hardness of less than 2 mEq/L has a low buffer capacity (alkalinity) and can, depending on the pH level and a number of other factors, have an increased corrosive effect on water pipes. Therefore, in a number of applications (especially in heating engineering), it is sometimes necessary to carry out special treatment of water in order to achieve optimal ratio between water hardness and its corrosiveness.

You can estimate the total hardness of water, subject to some limitations, using a conventional conductivity meter -

Hard water may clog your kettle, but there is strong evidence that it helps protect your heart. Certain impurities in water can be very beneficial for your body's health and immunity.

What is hard water called?

Hard water is simply water that contains high levels of minerals. These minerals are mainly magnesium carbonate, calcium and manganese. However, hardness can be caused by several other dissolved metals; these forms are divalent or multivalent cations including aluminum, barium, strontium, iron, zinc and manganese. Typically, monovalent ions such as sodium and potassium do not cause hardness. But divalent cations tend to combine with anions in water and form stable salts. The type of anion found in these salts distinguishes between two types: carbonate and non-carbonate hardness.

Carbonate hardness is caused by metals combined with alkalinity. Alkalinity, the ability of water to neutralize acids, is attributed to compounds such as carbonate, bicarbonate, hydroxide, and sometimes borate, silicate and phosphate. In contrast, non-carbonate hardness forms when metals combine with anything.

Carbonate hardness is called temporary because it can be removed by boiling. Non-carbonate hardness cannot be removed by boiling, so it is also known as permanent hardness.

The most obvious evidence of the presence of hard water in the tap is that soap and shampoo are difficult to rinse out, bathtubs, washbasins and shiny plumbing fixtures have deposits, laundry is dirty after washing, and deposits accumulate in the kettle.

The minerals most commonly found in water are calcium, magnesium and manganese carbonates. These minerals end up in water naturally as water percolates through minerals containing calcium or magnesium. The most common sources are limestone (which introduces calcium into the water) and dolomite (which introduces magnesium). They are usually beneficial for the human body. Groundwater often has greater hardness than surface water.

The classic measure of the concentration of calcium and magnesium cations in water is mol/m3; in practice, degrees of hardness and milligram equivalents per liter (mg-eq/l) are usually used. Since January 1, 2014, a standard has been introduced in Russia according to which hardness is expressed in degrees of hardness (°H), 1 °H = ½ mmol/l = 1 mEq/l.

There are soft water (<2 °Ж), средней жёсткости (2-10 °Ж) и жёсткую (>10 °F).

What could be the benefits associated with drinking hard water?

Benefits of Hard Water

Calcium intake

Calcium is essential for your health. One of the most important properties of this mineral is to strengthen bones; its amount contained in the body determines the strength of the skeleton.

Calcium and vitamin D are recommended if you or your family members, including children, want healthy, strong bones. Since calcium is one of the main ions in hard water, drinking it helps add the required amount of minerals to the body.

An adult deprived of calcium in his body experiences great difficulties, especially when performing complex tasks that require additional effort. This is because he has weak bones (hypocalcemia). The latter leads to serious consequences, including fractures.

Hard water makes a significant contribution to the overall supply of calcium to the body.

Also, studies conducted by WHO have proven that calcium tends to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Although too much calcium can lead to prostate cancer, the level of calcium in hard water is much lower, therefore it is enough to prevent disease rather than cause it.

Another benefit of calcium in water is reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, research is still being conducted to determine the amount of calcium suitable for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium intake

Taking magnesium through water can also serve as a preventive measure for certain diseases. Magnesium regulates about 350 cellular enzymes in the body. These enzymes control important functions such as regulating blood pressure, stabilizing heart rhythms, and muscle contraction. Magnesium intake reduces hypertension (high blood pressure), the risk of diabetes, and improves heart health.

According to a 2009 WHO study: “Low magnesium levels have been associated with hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome."

In one meta-analysis, researchers concluded that a 100 mg magnesium supplement was associated with an 8% reduction in the risk of stroke, especially ischemic strokes.

Overall, future research in this area could give us a better understanding of the importance of magnesium in protecting our hearts.

Both calcium and magnesium are essential for the human body. In addition, hard water results in less corrosion of pipes, provided it is not too hard. Soft water is more likely to begin to dissolve the metal walls of the pipes through which it flows.

Disadvantages of hard water

Hard water has no effect harmful effects on the health of the body. However, everyday use of hard water can cause trouble at home, during washing and cooking.

Some of the problems associated with hard water are:

Blocked pipes;

Increased consumption of soap and detergents;

A slight increase in wear and tear on household appliances and plumbing fixtures (especially for fittings in toilet tanks);

Stains on shiny surfaces and glass.

With clogged pipes, your equipment will work less efficiently. This often results in higher energy bills and even damaged devices. Blockages can cause pipe leaks and shorten the life of your appliances. In addition, there may be permanent stains on sinks, showers, bathtubs, glass and even furniture.

Also, one of the most noticeable effects of hard water is irritation and dryness of the skin. Eczema in children is precisely related to this factor.

Hard water is very beneficial for the human body. Its positive impact cannot be ignored, and it completely covers up the problems associated with it. Drinking soft water deprives you of valuable minerals that you can easily get from drinking hard water. These minerals will help increase general state your health and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Those who find hard water annoying when it comes to household chores can have water softeners for purposes such as laundry, washing dishes, brewing tea, watering plants, and the like. At the same time, you may have hard water to drink in your home. This will help you reap the benefits of drinking hard water and avoid the negatives.

Water hardness is an indicator that indicates the calcium and magnesium salts dissolved in it. Soft and hard water taste slightly different due to different levels of impurities that cause hardness. But the properties of such liquids are very different.

In Russia and many countries of the post-Soviet space, the value of rigidity is measured in degrees of rigidity. But this parameter can also be measured in mass number and volume fraction. The official unit of hardness used in the International System of Units is the mole per cubic meter. meter. But in practice, measurements are usually made in other units - mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter).

Finding out on your own that the liquid in your tap is too hard is not difficult. Signs of this may include the following observations and factors:

after washing, the laundry becomes hard, quickly fades and loses color;
a cloudy or whitish film forms on the surface of tea, coffee and other drinks that require pouring boiling water;
soap, powders, shampoos do not foam well and are used up too quickly;
the aroma of food and drinks is not bright;
filters quickly fail, equipment using water heating elements breaks down;
There is a coating on the walls of pots and kettles after boiling.

Hard water has a slightly bitter taste. But you can only notice this if you have been drinking only soft or purified water for a long time. You can also measure the level of hardness using an express test (you can buy it at a pharmacy or pet store) or a salt meter (purchased where everything for aquariums is sold).

For your information. World Health Organization standards warn that water hardness that is safe for health is in the range of 1-2 degrees. The rest, both too soft and too hard, is dangerous.

Types of Hard Water

Hardness indicators allow you to divide all water into four main types:

soft, where impurities are less than 2 mEq/l;
normal, in which 2-4 mEq/l;
hard, where 4-6 mEq/l;
very hard, in which 6 or more mEq/l.

To assess rigidity, this qualification is used today in many countries around the world. If we take into account the measurement in degrees adopted in Russia, then all water can be divided into 3 groups:

soft (less than 2 degrees of hardness);
medium hardness (2-10 degrees);
extremely hard (10 degrees or more).

The hardness itself is of several types depending on the substances predominant in it:

Carbonate (temporary). It is formed by salts of magnesium, calcium, and iron. You can easily eliminate it at home by boiling it.
Non-carbonate (permanent). This water contains calcium and magnesium salts of strong acids. It is much more difficult to eliminate it.
General hardness. This value is calculated by adding the non-carbonate and carbonate hardness indicators. It is this parameter that is used in calculations and determination of the type of water.

In deep sources (wells, artesian wells) water is harder than in open reservoirs. In surface sources (streams, rivers), hardness is not a constant value, as it depends on external factors: time of year, weather, air temperature.

Damage caused by such water

Experts name several dozen examples of why hard water is harmful. Moreover, this affects both the health of a person and his pets, and the state of technology. The harder the liquid and the longer its exposure, the more obvious and stronger its negative impact on everything with which it comes into contact.

Harm to humans

According to the results of numerous studies, this water has the following negative effects on people and their pets:

Promotes urolithiasis. This is due to the fact that many harmful impurities contained in drinks accumulate in the body, stagnation of salts occurs, which do not have time to be excreted in the urine, and this leads to the growth of stones.
Provokes acceleration of the aging process. This is due to the fact that it dries the skin very much and deprives it of necessary moisture. In addition, if you use soap when washing your face, its particles cannot completely dissolve, which means they are not completely washed out from the skin. Another problem that such liquid brings to the epidermis is various rashes, irritations, pimples, and ulcers.
Damages the thin protective layer - the natural fatty film on the scalp and hair. This leads to their fragility, thinning and loss. In addition, curls lose their elasticity and healthy shine, and become faded and dull. Itching may also occur. Nails also suffer from such fluid.
Digestion of food slows down and absorption useful substances from it – decreases. Hard water can cause various diseases Gastrointestinal tract.

Highly hard water affects domestic animals almost as unfavorably as it does their owners. All of them are at risk of encountering digestive problems and the development of urolithiasis. The fur, claws, teeth, and skin suffer, especially if the pet frequently bathes or eats dry food.

Harm to appliances and household items

This water is also harmful for household appliances:

Soap and other cleaning products become less effective and are applied in more. They foam worse and wash away dirt, and are also difficult to wash off from various surfaces.
Hard water leads to the fact that as a result of a chemical reaction after cleaning furniture, windows and various household appliances, stains remain on their surface. Sometimes this plaque becomes hard and is very difficult to wash off when re-processing. Traces remain on both dishes and plumbing fixtures. Putting things in order requires more time and effort, and they become unusable much earlier than usual.
Not only household items deteriorate, but also our clothes. When washed frequently, items lose their bright color, get streaks and stains, and the designs on them cease to be colorful. Moreover, clothes, towels and other textile accessories lose not only their attractive appearance, but also become rough and inelastic.
Anything that gets hot suffers from hardness. These are pots, washing machines, regular and electric kettles, multicookers, coffee makers, boilers, dishwashers, irons and steam generators. When heating and boiling water with increased hardness, the salts contained in it turn into crystals and precipitate, significantly reducing the life of the equipment.
Due to salt deposits, pipes, batteries, and heating installations fail. The heat output of radiators drops significantly. The pressure in the tap disappears.

Important! Developers of household appliances always write in the instructions for their use how to extend their service life when using hard water. For example, it is advisable to pour specially purchased distilled water into the iron’s container, from which foreign impurities have been evaporated. And the producers washing machines They recommend that people add a special softening agent along with the washing powder.

Cleaning

Water purification from iron, magnesium, calcium salts and other impurities that affect overall hardness can be done at home in several ways:

boiling (will only remove temporary hardness);
the use of filters, for example, a filter jug;
special tablets and powders for washing machines and dishwashers;
special filters designed to purify all the water that comes into your home from the taps;
usage baking soda(a quarter teaspoon per liter);
infusions of herbs for washing and washing hair.

As you can see, there are various methods and systems for water purification that remove excess hardness from it. But remember that too soft water will also not be beneficial: it increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases, mineral deficiency appears, rickets and problems with musculoskeletal system. And in devices and communications it causes corrosion.

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This is water in which dissolved salts and alkaline earth metals are found in large quantities. Water hardness is mainly affected by calcium and magnesium, the compounds of which are the main hardness salts.

Rigidity determines not only the possibility, but also its use in domestic or industrial needs.

Taste Hard water is very easy to distinguish - it is extremely bitter. Sometimes the bitter taste of spring water is due to the presence of hardness salts.

By appearance can be found out after boiling. In this case, the salts precipitate, which is easily visible at the bottom of any vessel.

Classification of water by hardness

In Russia, water hardness is measured in degrees of hardness, but it can also be expressed in volume fraction or mass number.

An officially accepted unit of measurement that is used in the SI system ( international system of units) – moles per cubic meter. But in practice, the listed units of measurement are not used, preferring milliequivalent per liter (mg-equivalent/l).

Based on the level of hardness, water is divided into four types:

Soft water (less than 2 milliequivalents per liter);
Normal water (from 2 to 4 milliequivalents per liter);
Hard water (4 to 6 milliequivalents per liter);
Very hard water (6 or more milliequivalents per liter).

This classification is called American and is most often used when assessing water hardness.

There is a similar classification in degrees of hardness, but it represents only 3 types of water:

Soft water (less than 2 degrees hardness);
Water of medium hardness (from 2 to 10 degrees hardness);
Extremely hard water (10 degrees hardness or more).

Water hardness standards

Water hardness standards in Russia and the world differ greatly from each other. In Russia, water is allowed whose hardness does not exceed a threshold of 7 milliequivalents per liter, that is, It is not prohibited to supply the population with very hard water.

The same figures in Europe cannot be higher 1,2 milliequivalents per liter. This means that Europeans drink soft water, the hardness of which is almost six times less than that established in Russia.

Types of water hardness based on susceptibility to heat treatment.

First type - temporary hardness, when in addition to calcium and magnesium, they are found in water hydrocarbonate anions. It is also called carbonate. It is easily removed by boiling water and does not affect the human body in any way.

Second type - constant hardness, also called non-carbonate rigidity. It is caused by the presence of calcium and magnesium compounds formed as a result of interaction with strong acids, for example, sulfuric or nitric. Such hardness is not removed by boiling water, because salts of this type do not disintegrate under the influence of temperature.

Overall hardness water is calculated by summing the indicators of carbonate and non-carbonate hardness.

The highest hardness values due to the abundance of dissolved salts are determined in sea and ocean water. The hardness of surface water is usually several times less groundwater and moisture from underground sources.

Damage caused by hard water

Let's consider negative impact excessively hard water on the human body, household appliances and communications. The higher the hardness parameter, the stronger the value of each type of harmful effect.

Harm to human health and pets

High rigidity promotes growth of urinary stones and the development of urolithiasis. This is due to the accumulation of salts that simply do not have time to be eliminated from the body.
Hard water when washing dries out the skin. This is due to the appearance of “soap slag” formed from soap, which is not capable of lathering and dissolving in hard water. These soap slags clog the pores, preventing them from breathing freely, as a result of which skin inflammation can develop, and itching and burning of the skin can not rest.
The formation of a thin crust on the hair destroys the natural fat film. This happens in the same way as on the skin of the hands - "soap slag" are not washed out and gradually accumulate. This may cause itchy scalp, dandruff and even hair loss.
The effect of very hard water on animal health is no different from the effect on the human body. There is a high risk of developing urolithiasis. For pets eating dry food, this risk increases several times. Problems with hair and skin may occur in both dogs and cats when they are bathed regularly.
Cooking process slows down, due to the numerous salts, the meat is poorly cooked. It leads to poor absorption protein and can cause gastrointestinal diseases.

Damage caused by hard water to equipment and household items

Soap products due to availability large quantity extremely salty in water foams poorly and removes dirt. Therefore, the number of powders, products intended for washing dishes and other items household chemicals, will have to be increased sharply.
In addition to poor foaming of soap products, due to contact of hard water with them streaks and hard deposits form on plumbing fixtures and the surface of dishes, as salt deposits form. Such deposits are difficult to wash off dishes and also negatively affect plumbing fixtures, gradually destroying their surfaces.
In the process of heating water in electrical appliances, salts do not simply precipitate, but crystallize and fall out in the form of scale. It is scale that is the main reason for the rapid breakdown of water heating devices.
Hard water leaves stains, stains and dirty deposits on freshly washed items, the color fades, prints and designs become gray. It is very difficult to get rid of them and this, again, requires increased consumption of detergents. Fabric washed in hard water becomes rough and inelastic because the salts clog up all the free space in it. The strength of clothing and linen decreases.

Harmful effects of water with increased hardness on communications

Hardness salts, just like on household appliances, precipitate or crystallize, forming on the surface of communication paths and large devices and installations scale. Scale thins the walls of communications, subsequently completely destroying them.
The abundance of hardness salts precipitated or scaled leads to frequent failure large water heating installations, such as boilers.
In circulating water supply systems, scale deposits, water stones and salt sludge are formed reduce cross-country ability pipes, and heat transfer decreases. Water pressure drops, the amount of water in radiators decreases, water inlets and outlets from houses become clogged, which can lead to complete blockage of communication networks. All this increases energy costs.

At home, the most rational way to reduce water hardness is to purify water for drinking and cooking from excess salts. Ideally, water for any use in the home should be filtered.

But at the same time, we must not forget that the stiffness indicator must be equal to a certain average value. Water that is too soft is also of no benefit. It increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in humans, flushes salts from the body, causing the rapid development of rickets and thinning of bones. In communication systems, soft water causes corrosion of metal pipes.