Difference Between Hard and Soft Water
The difference between hard and soft water in your Little Rock home, is the purity within the water itself. Hard water has minerals dissolved within. Soft water is pure or has only sodium in it. Soft water is good for a person’s health, plain and simple. Hard water is not generally bad for human consumption.
Hard water may even reduce or prevent the solubility of metallic ions in water. Some people can taste the difference in hard and soft water in their Little Rock home.
There is a difference in appearance between hard and soft water with hard water having a cloudy appearance when coming out of the faucet.
Temporary and Permanent Hard Water
While hard water is generally not damaging to human health, it can cause damage to pipes and containers.
There are water softening techniques that can reduce the damage that hard water does. One method for softening water is to simply boil it. For temporary hard water this method works.
Once cooled, the water is then soft and ready for consumption. Permanent hard water requires a more chemistry to soften it. Any type of hard water can be turned into soft water and vice versa.
Comparing Hard and Soft Water
The differences in hard and soft water are not just what is inside. They also behave differently when combined with soap and water. When hard water is mixed with soap and water it tends to make film instead of suds.
Soft water does the opposite. This is due to the minerals in the water. The same effect is true when it comes to detergent. Hard water makes scale which can be a problem for household appliances.
Different Types of Hard Water
There are different types of classification and levels of hard water. There is hardness measured in levels of mg/L. These levels are 0-60 as soft, 61-120 as moderately hard, 121-180 as hard, and anything more than 181 as very hard.
Hardness in mmol/L uses the same scale but with a point system. Soft water on that scale is 0-0.60 and so on. Hardness in levels of dGH/dh start at .3-3.00 for soft, 3.72-6.75 for moderately hard, 6.78-10.08 for hard, and more than 10.14 is very hard water.
Knowing the differences between hard & soft water in your Little Rock, AR home is important. For more info, call Arrow Plumbing at (501) 267-9359 today!
