Understanding your water hardness is crucial for maintaining your home’s plumbing, appliances, and even your personal care routine. Hard water, rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, can lead to scale buildup in pipes, reduced efficiency in water heaters, and dry skin and hair. In this guide, we’ll explore two straightforward methods to check your water hardness.
Why Check Your Water Hardness?
Before we dive into the methods, let’s quickly recap why knowing your water hardness is important:
- Protect your appliances from scale buildup
- Improve the efficiency of your water heater
- Determine if you need a water softener
- Adjust your cleaning habits for better results
- Understand effects on your skin and hair
Two Simple Methods to Check Water Hardness
1. Search Your Water Company Website
Many water providers conduct regular water quality tests and make this information readily available to the public.
Steps:
- Identify your local water provider
- Visit their official website
- Look for a section on “Water Quality” or “Water Reports”
- Download or view the latest water quality report
- Find information on water hardness or mineral content
Advantages
- Free and easy to access
- Provides comprehensive water quality information
- Regular updates ensure current data
Things to consider about this water hardness indicator
- May not reflect the exact conditions in your home.
- Is more of a blanket level for your whole area, water hardness levels will area, by area.
- Reports might be technical and hard to interpret for some users
2. Use a Water Hardness Test Strip
Water hardness test strips offer a quick, affordable, and reasonably accurate measure of water hardness right in your home.
You’ll need:
- Water hardness test strips (available at most hardware stores or online or From Aquasoft UK)
Steps:
- Run cold tap water for a few seconds to ensure a fresh sample
- Dip a test strip into the water for a few seconds (follow package instructions)
- Remove the strip and wait for the color to develop (usually about 15 seconds)
- Compare the color on the strip to the chart provided with the test kit
Why we love it..
- Quick results (usually within a minute)
- Affordable and widely available
- Tests your actual tap water
- Easy to use with no technical knowledge required
Understanding Water Hardness Levels
Once you have your results, use this general guide to interpret them:
- Soft: 0-60 ppm (0-3.5 gpg)
- Moderately Hard: 61-120 ppm (3.6-7.0 gpg)
- Hard: 121-180 ppm (7.1-10.5 gpg)
- Very Hard: 180+ ppm (10.5+ gpg)
Note: ppm stands for parts per million, and gpg stands for grains per gallon.
What to Do If You Have Hard Water
If your tests reveal hard water, consider these options:
- Install a water softener: This is the most comprehensive solution for whole-house treatment.
- Use a shower head filter: This can help reduce the effects of hard water on your skin and hair.
- Descale appliances regularly: This helps maintain efficiency and longevity.
- Adjust cleaning habits: Use cleaning products designed for hard water.
Conclusion
Checking your water hardness is a simple yet important step in understanding and managing your home’s water quality. Whether you opt to check your water company’s report or use a home test strip, knowing your water hardness allows you to make informed decisions about water treatment and home maintenance.
Ready to get a professional assessment of your water quality? AquaSoft UK is here to help! We’re offering a FREE water quality test to ensure you have the most accurate information about your home’s water. Our experts will not only test your water hardness but also check for other important factors that affect your water quality.
Contact AquaSoft UK today to schedule your free water quality test and take the first step towards softer, more manageable water in your home!
Resources
Kent Water Companies
Affinity Water
- Website: Affinity Water
South East Water
- Website: South East Water
- Southern Water
- Website: Southern Water
- Thames Water
- Website: Thames Water