someone filling up a glass of water from the tap

What is Hard Water?

All your questions answered...

Curious about what hard water actually is, why so many water companies are talking about it, and what problems it can cause? Below are a few ways that hard water can impact your life:

💧 Limescale
💧 Dry skin and hair
💧 Expensive bills
💧 A shorter lifespan on your appliances

The creation of hard water…

two shower heads, one with limescale and one without

Defining ‘Hard Water’

Hard water contains a large number of dissolved minerals, predominantly magnesium and calcium. Although water is naturally soft when it falls from the sky, it gains it’s hardness after making contact with the ground. The South East of England and London have particularly high water hardness levels, however Scotland, Ireland and Wales typically benefit from soft water. Try our free ✔️ Water Hardness Checker✔️ to find out what the water hardness is like in your area!

water cycle diagram

The Water Cycle

The sun heats water, which evaporates into vapour, rises into the air, cooling and condensing into clouds. The clouds eventually break apart, forming precipitation or rainfall. Water then collects on the ground or in rivers, lakes, and oceans, heated by the sun once again and re-starting the cycle. Only pure water rises up to become clouds, so all water falling from clouds is pure and mineral-free (soft water). Only when water reaches the ground does it pick up hard minerals – these remain once they get to the reservoir and enter your home.

Hard water can lead to…

limescale on a tap

Limescale in your home

Hard water’s high mineral content leads to limescale build-up in your home which can be a pain to remove and maintain. Limescale can also make your home appear unclean and old – two things which proud homeowners don’t want. It can clog up shower heads, corrode the inside of your appliances, and reduce their efficiency and lifespan.

 

hard water limescale

The effects of hard water

The negative effects of hard water come in the form of scale and scum. You may be familiar with the telltale signs: white marks around baths and basins often coupled with unsightly white marks on sinks, toilet bowls and shower heads. In worst case scenarios, the build up of limescale can create blockages in pipework and lead to the premature failure of water heaters and other appliances.

Due to its composition, hard water also has difficulty making a lather when combined with soap, resulting in a less than effective wash. Clothes can be left grey and dingy, whilst dishes and glasses can appear dull and smeared.

Lathering up hair in the shower

Your hair can also be affected by hard water, leaving it dull and difficult to manage. Find out more about hard water hair and how to treat it, here.

In our research, the most commonly identified issues from hard water were damage to kitchen appliances (66%), followed by damage to household plumbing (59%), boilers (58%), blocked pipes (48%), and inefficient heating systems (46%). Less mentioned were more physical issues, such as undrinkable water (34%) and skin irritations (32%).

You can find out more about the benefits of softened water, here.

The effects of soft water

1) Save money

Hard water causes limescale deposits that can damage your plumbing and appliances

2) Save time

Cleaning that ring around the plughole, shower screen, tiling and taps is a thing of the past when you have a Harvey Water Softener

Waterfall shower running

3) Feel the luxury

Laundry is softer and brighter, shaving causes less irritation, tea tastes even better, bathe in silky-smooth water, and see a vast improvement with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis

4) Help the environment

Appliances maintain peak efficiency – use less water by not having to clean scale

Water hardness in the UK

Hard water is only created in areas where the pure rainwater comes into contact with porous ground. This means that there are some areas of the UK where water is much harder than others, though the majority of the country suffers to an extent.

  • Over 200ppm of calcium and magnesium in your water is classed as hard water.
Check your water hardness

The link between hard water and eczema

In a recent study carried out by the University of Sheffield about the effects of water on eczema, it was found that hard water (as opposed to soft water) aggravates skin conditions and can trigger flare-ups. They also discovered that hard water creates an irritable skin barrier that can cause eczema in healthy skin. The study also showed that some people are genetically more prone to developing eczema, regardless of any existing eczema condition.

Read more about eczema and hard water