Water hardness test at home. Why is this needed? What are the benefits of soft water?

08.10.2018 Home and life

There is often a need to measure water hardness. When connecting a washing machine/dishwasher, geyser and other equipment, the devices indicate numbers (mmol per dm³) and recommendations regarding water hardness, but for most these numbers do not mean anything. Many people do not want to be interested in water hardness, and this is in vain; let’s look at why.

Casiraghi, what are the parameters contained in the water and what value should they correspond to? This is one of the aspects that makes people more aware that due to the change in hardness, the taste of water is affected. Waters with low hardness, called sweet, are lighter and, for example, oligomineral or mountain waters. While more limestone waters are called hard and naturally a little heavier.

These are two factors related to the nitrogen cycle and very often field fertilizers, and in some cases they can have negative health effects. These are not direct indicators of the presence of bacteria, but may be affected by their presence. Contaminated waters, made of bacteria and therefore microbiologically incorrect, in principle have variations in these two parameters.

What is water hardness called?

Water hardness refers to the salts and microelements contained in water, some of which can dissolve when heated and boiled, while some do not dissolve and do not settle. They get into the water from the ground. Water from deep wells is much softer, since under pressure most of the microelements precipitate into the surrounding layers of the earth. Why, when drilling deep wells, there will necessarily be a layer of limestone or chalk in front of the water layer, above and below the underwater lakes.

If the water is very heavy, that is with very lime, what happens? There was once a great fear that hard water would have consequences, today Scientific research tassal was imposed on him. Harder waters do not cause this problem. Speaking of characteristics, we can say that harder water usually rinses off better, for example, when you go to the mountains and rinse your hands, you always try to remove the soap, because light water, such as mountain cleaner, the hardest water usually causes problems with objects that can easily damage household appliances, home pipes and faucets.

Increased water hardness has the following disadvantages:

  • Increased scale formation in heating elements;
  • The increased content of magnesium gives a bitter taste; vegetables and meat are also poorly cooked in it;
  • High energy consumption for heating;
  • With worse heat transfer, soft water in the heating system will heat up faster; the pump will work better because the pipes and boilers will be much cleaner.

How to check water hardness at home?

The easiest way is to watch the kettle; the thinner the scale, the harder the water. Also, if there is no saturation, and thirst does not go away after drinking water, it is difficult to wash off non-waterproof cosmetics, this indicates hard water. The stronger the heaviness in the stomach after drinking water, the harder the water.

Drinking more solid water means absorbing a substance rich in salt, and the more powerful it is. The ideal would be to alternate waters with different degrees of hardness: in summer some water rich in mineral salts, so as not to take additives, and in winter - less water. Are there ways to soften water, for example?

What you have to say is that the stiffness parameter has no real law obligation, there are more than other recommended values. However, there are many softening solutions on the market - these are tools called softeners, which, for example, using activated carbon filters, make water lighter.

For a more accurate analysis, you can purchase special disposable tests and strips (or the drug Trilon-B, with analogues - Tetra test, etc.), sold in stores with fish and aquarium accessories. For repeated measurements, there is a more complex option - purchase a TDS meter. But it does not show hardness, but the amount of salts, by which hardness can be indirectly determined without taking into account magnesium, calcium and other elements.

We are often accustomed to consuming oligomineral waters and therefore very light, slightly heavier water may not really please, not a real health problem, but simply a matter of heaviness. It is important, however, to pay attention to the use of softeners, because, for example, if you use poorly packaged softeners or do not follow cartridge replacement times, you may become too tired of the water and even drink almost distilled water, given hardness values ​​that are too low, not advisable.

Many times the water knows about chlorine. Is chlorine bad or is it just a matter of taste? This is one of the aspects that worries more people, especially regarding tap water. We began to identify systems to control the hardness of our aquarium, considering simply mixing demineralized water with tap water. This is without a doubt the simplest system.

There is a more practical test that is popular among aquarists - using laundry soap. You need to crumble 1 gram of soap and mix it with 200 grams of distilled water. glass to a level of 6-7cm. (if soap is 60% then 6 cm if 72% -7). Then pour half a liter of test water from the tap into a 1-liter jar. While stirring slightly, you need to add the solution to the water and watch when a gray, stable foam appears on top.

Exist different types, more or less complex and more or less expensive. They basically consist of a tube containing a special membrane equipped with micropores. Water passes through the pores. Thus, all the salts contained in the water are stored on one side of the membrane and are “washed away” from the wastewater. The resulting liquid may be more or less close to the chemical characteristics of distilled water, depending on the type of membrane and accessories that complicate the implant. Very thin microporous membranes, which often require pumps to seal the implant, give an overall hardness close to zero.

If 2cm of solution is needed, then the salt level is 4°dH. One centimeter of liquid can dissolve 2°dH; if, after pouring out the entire glass, foam still does not appear, it means the water is very hard. But you won’t be able to find out exactly the hardness of water, including carbonates and all microelements, at home; this requires a special analysis and laboratory. But for an approximate analysis of water hardness, it is enough to know the amount of salts.

Water quality can be further improved by the presence of prefilters upstream of the osmosis unit and resins downstream. Such a plant has a very low cost, but makes us independent in producing clean water for our aquarium. Costs are reduced with simple plants that produce water with minimal overall hardness, often using slightly larger porous membranes.

Since we rarely want to use fully demineralized water, simply use formula 2 to calculate how many gallons of water to add to get correct values for breeding our favorite species. It looks complicated, but it's not!

Hard water. Probably everyone has heard this definition. Almost everyone knows about the properties of hard water: it is not only unsuitable for drinking, but also contributes to the accumulation of dirt on fabrics, rendering even the highest quality items unusable. Determining the degree of water hardness in laboratory conditions is quite simple. However, what should those who want to find out the level of water hardness at home do? How to determine water hardness at home? Does it exist effective method determining the degree of hardness of drinking water?

The tank volume is 60 liters. What if we mix these two waters in proportions of 40 liters and 20 liters? This way we have complete control over our water: just apply the formula. The third system we will look at to correct hardness is ion exchange resins. These substances, placed in a filter or anyway along a waterway, exchange ions to reduce the amount of solutes.

There is an ion exchange resin for every need! Water hardness is an index that we must know when using these household appliances. This index highlights the amount of calcium and magnesium salts contained in water: water rich in such salts is defined as hard water. These "hard" waters cause problems such as dispersion in distribution pipes, internal installations and user equipment. Let's find out how to do a proper wash.

What is “hard water”?

Classification of hard water

The level and amount of calcium and magnesium salts determines not only the hardness of the water, but also its level. The unit of measurement is mol/m3. Post-Soviet countries recommend using water with a hardness of no more than 7 mg-eq/l. In European countries, this figure is several times lower, only 1.2 mg-eq/l. Thus, hard water is divided into three main types:

Let's see how water hardness also affects washing with a washer. washing machine and dishwasher. Detergents contain surfactants which act as a detergent and their effectiveness is determined by the presence of calcium and magnesium ions, if the presence of these ions is high and therefore the water is hard, more detergent will need to be used to get your laundry clean. Bottles of these detergents are dosed according to the hardness of the water.

What to do to know this data?

You can ask your community for information, otherwise you can measure your water hardness at home using kits you buy at hydraulic stores. The energy efficiency of appliances also depends on quality. Using it in at its best and waste reduction water resources very important in relation to various aspects, primarily environmental, but also economic and social.

1. Total up to 2 mg-eq/l. (large amounts of almost all salts in raw water);
2. Temporary up to 10 mEq/l. (the concentration of salts is quite high, but during heat treatment all the salts precipitate, purifying all the water from the high content of magnesium and calcium);
3. Constant above 10 mEq/l. (the same hard water, the level of salts and their concentration remains unchanged).

Filter the water through the installation of a self-cleaning mechanical filter that eliminates contaminants coming from the aqueduct. Keep the filter clean. If the pressure is high, install a pressure reducer on the inlet hose, thanks to this small tool, and also save up to 20% of water, you can protect the proper functioning of your home appliances, avoiding the "knocking" phenomenon.

Exceeding this threshold is not only dangerous, but also significantly increases the cost of water production and management. In general, very hard waters contain so much limestone that, while not harmful to health, they cause appliances to become less efficient, leave stains on the surface, and cause them to use more detergent.

Level of rigidity based on indirect signs

The concentration of salts in water can be determined indirectly. Simple observation is enough for this:

• Hard water forms a large amount of sediment at the bottom of pots and kettles;
• Soap does not completely dissolve in water, but settles as white flakes on the walls of the vessel or bathtub;
• When washing, fabrics form white coating, stains, detergents do not foam well;
• Skin tightens after contact with hard water, level subcutaneous fat increases, possible appearance of dandruff, peeling, irritation on the skin;
• After swimming in hard water, an unpleasant coating forms on the body, sometimes even sticky;
• Hard water also does not taste pleasant: it is a viscous liquid with an unpleasant metallic taste, and after prolonged use of such raw water, stones and dark plaque form on the teeth.

Install a disconnector into the system. This is a tool that, in the event of reflux from plant pipes, protects drinking water networks by discharging potentially contaminating liquid. In fact, there are phenomena associated with back pressure, so water can flow in the opposite direction to where it should. There is European legislation in this direction, but it is often forgotten by employment specialists.

Install a fall protection system for flood protection: This solution uses sensors distributed throughout the home and can shut off the flow of water when an abnormal leak is detected. There are many websites that allow you to analyze your “virtual water consumption” and help you calculate how much water you are using. Even more expensive, buying high-quality Class A appliances is a great investment for the future. Additionally, it is always advisable to have proper maintenance of the systems by checking the pipes regularly.

How to determine water hardness at home?

There are many effective options for determining water hardness right at home. Depending on the method and its complexity, it is possible to determine not only whether water is hard or not. But also how hard it is, and therefore unsuitable for daily use.

• Method number 1: tea

A faucet that loses one drop before the second dissipates about 000 liters in a year. Periodically turn off all taps to check if the water meter is working, if so, there is a leak. Volatization of water. This is a fundamental intervention for a number of reasons, primarily because it is responsible for the end user, who will pay the bill based on actual consumption. This tends to reduce maintenance costs and is a fairness factor.

Already in ancient times, it was noted that some waters have the property of melting soap and are not suitable for cooking legumes. The term was then used to classify waters based on their calcium and magnesium content. Of course, the two units of measurement are in a direct ratio.

The easiest way to test water for hardness is to brew loose leaf tea. It is loose leaf tea, whole, not in bags or granulated. The fact is that tea in hard water acquires a cloudy hue, a metallic taste and some viscosity in the mouth. Granulated or bagged tea may contain dyes, and small particles of tea will form a dull shade. Soft water, on the contrary, gives the drink an amber tint, transparency and a rich brown-orange color.

Several classifications of water based on their hardness have been proposed, but to date there is no generally accepted one. Water hardness, in addition to the effects described above, leads to the formation of deposits in distribution pipes, room installations and user equipment. Above certain values, the organoleptic characteristics of water are also affected; But there are no documented human health consequences from water that is too hard.

The importance of water hardness when flushing

The presence of hardness ions in the water used has a decisive influence on the washing results. In fact, the detergent effect of any surfactant, the main ingredient of detergents, is greatly reduced due to the presence of calcium and magnesium ions as its solubility and hence its effectiveness is greatly reduced. A good wash of any type, fabric or surface can only be obtained if the amount of calcium and magnesium ions in the solution is reduced to very low levels.

• Method number 2: soap

It is enough to soap your hands in warm water. In the presence of large quantity calcium and magnesium salts, the water will not be able to form a large amount of foam, and a coating in the form of white flakes will appear on the surface of the water after rinsing. The soap itself does not dissolve.

• Method number 3: glass

An increased content of insoluble permanent calcium salts forms plaque, streaks, and cloudy debris on the transparent surface. You need to wash the glass in warm water and set it to dry. It is important that the water is warm and without detergents. Once the glass is completely dry, you need to hold it up to the light and look: a large number of white streaks and a cloudy tint will indicate the presence of a large amount of salts.

To achieve this, detergents contain ingredients that can block the negative effects of water hardness components. These ingredients are, for example, zeolite, sodium carbonate and the same soaps. The higher the hardness of the water, the greater the amount of these ingredients that must be dosed to achieve a clean wash and hygienic washing results; Therefore, water with low hardness requires lower doses of detergent. Labeling instructions on containers provide consumers with the correct doses to use based on water hardness.

• Method No. 4: potassium permanganate

Dilute an arbitrary amount of potassium permanganate in a glass of water. If there is an increased amount of magnesium and calcium, potassium permanganate will take on a vague, cloudy crimson hue. The higher the salt concentration, the lighter the shade.

• Method No. 5: indicator

Instant and most accurate method for determining the level and the most important number of mudflows in drinking water at home is the use of special alkaline test strips. The indicator is offered in the form of a simple strip of paper with color stripes (from bright blue to light blue). To determine the salt concentration, simply dip the indicator into raw water. The reference scale shows the amount of salt concentration: the darker the scale, the greater the water hardness. As mentioned earlier, water with a hardness level of up to 2 mEq/l is acceptable for consumption.

Living water or how does soft water affect the human body?

A person consumes at least 2 liters of fluid per day. This is only if we take food and drink as a basis. The amount of water for everyday needs is several times higher (washing, cleaning, bathing, brushing teeth). Therefore, it is natural that water quality directly affects human health. Living water is pure water with normal, acceptable amounts of all microelements. You can boil water, but the body will not be able to function for a long time and efficiently on a neutral liquid. Living water helps restore balance throughout the body. These are beneficial microbacteria and microelements. It is important to monitor not only the water that is used daily for drinking, but also the water with which we wash our hands.