Many people hear the terms hard water and soft water thrown around, but aren’t really sure what the difference is. Is one better to drink than the other? What about bathing? Is one harsher on your skin? How can you get the best water for your home inside and out? Learn the difference between hard water and soft water, and how water filters and water softeners play into your home drinking and bathing.
Difference between Hard Water and Soft Water
Usually when we talk about hard and soft, we’re talking about texture, the way something feels. With water, “feel” has nothing to do with it. It’s regarding the chemicals that are in the water. The first thing to understand is that whether your water is hard or soft, it’s safe to drink and in which to bathe.
Is Water Naturally Hard or Soft?
Pure water with nothing in it but H2O is soft. It has no extra chemicals in it at all. Calcium, magnesium and other minerals that dissolve into the water are what makes it hard. Clean spring water from a free-flowing creek with a rocky bottom is often hard water; as it flows over the rocks, it gathers up minerals which dissolve and become part of the liquid.
The same thing can happen with rainwater. As it falls and washes over stones and seeps into ground layers, calcium and other minerals dissolve into it and make it hard.
Indicators of Hard Water
There are levels of how hard a given amount of water is. The only way to tell what the percentage of minerals has dissolved in the water for sure is to test it, but there are signs whether your in-home water is hard.
For example, hard water doesn’t lather as easily with soap, it leaves white deposits and residue in sinks and tubs, and it can be reddish-brown if there is iron oxide (rust) in the water. There are some advantages to hard water—with the right minerals it can be good for teeth and bones, and can even reduce the chances for heart disease.
Softening Hard Water
There are two kinds of hard water—temporary hard water and permanent hard water. Water that is made hard by the presence of calcium bicarbonate is temporary hard water. It can be softened simply by bringing the water to a boil. Permanent hard water, on the other hand, requires the addition of washing soda or the use of a chemical reaction called ion exchange, which helps to remove limestone and other minerals from the water, and makes it purer.
Home Water Softeners
While hard water can be beneficial, it can also leave a lot of film and build-up in your plumbing system. It can cause spotting. It can be hard on your skin and cause you to use excess water and consume more energy due to weakened pipes. A home water softener can solve these problems, and is surprisingly economical to install. If you’d like more information on the difference between hard water and soft water, check out our water softener services and give EcoWater a call today.