The majority of Americans are not quite sure about the hardness or softness of water; you might think that the adjectives hard and soft are ill-paired with water, failing to see the connection. In this short article, we aim to enlighten the reader about water hardness/softness.
Mineral content
The mineral content of water determines the hardness or softness on a scale of hard to soft; about 80% of US water is hard and many homeowners utilize water softener systems to remove some of the mineral content. Check out the Kinetico water softeners in Florida that are supplied by one of the state’s leading water filtration companies.
Calcium & magnesium
These are the two minerals that cause water to be hard; soft water contains less than 17ppm (parts per million), slightly hard water has between 17 and 60ppm, while moderately hard water is rated 60-120ppm, hard water is 120-180ppm and finally, very hard water runs at over 180ppm.
What is contamination?
It is a myth that contamination and mineral content are one and the same, when in fact, mineral content has nothing to do with contamination; it is bacteria and germs that contaminate water, not minerals, so hard water might not be contaminated.
Soft water is preferred
As soft water contains fewer minerals than hard, it is considered a better alternative, which is why so many US homes have water softener systems installed. Filters need to be cleaned periodically to ensure the system works as it is intended. Soft water is kinder to garments when washing while bathing in soft water is better for your skin.
Consult a Florida-based water filtration company in order to investigate the quality of your water supply; their team of technicians use state-of-the-art equipment to accurately determine the hardness of the water, while also testing for known contaminants. Once testing is complete, you receive a detailed readout, and the technician can make a recommendation for filtration to ensure that your water supply is healthy.
There is a lot of information online regarding water quality and we should never assume that our water supply is free from contaminants; talk to a Florida-based water treatment specialist and take the first step to balanced water.