About Hard Water
Water is considered the universal solvent. As it passes from liquid to vapor and back again, it tends to dissolve everything it touches - whether in the air as water vapor were it can mix with sulfur from smoke stacks forming acid or from the ground, absorbing calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, lead and limestone - water can have a negative impact on you, your household and your pocketbook. Depending on where you live, contaminants from sewage, industrial waste and agricultural run-off can also seep into your water supply.
Hard water is water high in mineral content. Hard water has high concentrations of Calcium and Magnesium. With hard water, soap solutions form a white precipitate (soap scum) instead of producing a lather.
Hard water also forms deposits that clog plumbing. These deposits, called "scale", are composed mainly of calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide and Calcium Sulfate. Calcium and magnesium carbonates tend to be deposited as off-white solids on the surfaces of pipes and the surfaces of heat exchangers. This precipitation (formation of an insoluble solid) is principally caused by thermal decomposition of bi-carbonate ions but also happens to some extent even in the absence of such ions. The resulting build-up of scale restricts the flow of water in pipes. In boilers, the deposits impair the flow of heat into water, reducing the heating efficiency and allowing the metal boiler components to overheat. In a pressurized system, this overheating can lead to failure of the boiler.
Hard water is water high in mineral content. Hard water has high concentrations of Calcium and Magnesium. With hard water, soap solutions form a white precipitate (soap scum) instead of producing a lather.
Hard water also forms deposits that clog plumbing. These deposits, called "scale", are composed mainly of calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide and Calcium Sulfate. Calcium and magnesium carbonates tend to be deposited as off-white solids on the surfaces of pipes and the surfaces of heat exchangers. This precipitation (formation of an insoluble solid) is principally caused by thermal decomposition of bi-carbonate ions but also happens to some extent even in the absence of such ions. The resulting build-up of scale restricts the flow of water in pipes. In boilers, the deposits impair the flow of heat into water, reducing the heating efficiency and allowing the metal boiler components to overheat. In a pressurized system, this overheating can lead to failure of the boiler.