CALCIUM IN FLORIDA WATER
 |
Water described as "hard" is high in dissolved minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium. Hard water is not a health risk, but a nuisance because of mineral buildup on fixtures and poor soap and/or detergent performance. |
Sources of Hardness Minerals in Drinking Water
Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities easily. Pure water -- tasteless, colorless, and odorless -- is often called the universal solvent. When water is combined with carbon dioxide to form very weak carbonic acid, an even better solvent results. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water are the two most common minerals that make water "hard." The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases and is related to the concentration of multivalent cations dissolved in the water..
Indications of Hard Water
| Hard water interferes with almost every cleaning task from laundering and dishwashing to bathing and personal grooming. Clothes laundered in hard water may look dingy and feel harsh and scratchy. Dishes and glasses may be spotted when dry. Hard water may cause a film on glass shower doors, shower walls, bathtubs, sinks, faucets, etc. Hair washed in hard water may feel sticky and look dull. Water flow may be reduced by deposits in pipes. |  |
Dealing with hard water problems in the home can be a nuisance. The amount of hardness minerals in water affects the amount of soap and detergent necessary for cleaning. Soap used in hard water combines with the minerals to form a sticky soap curd. Some synthetic detergents are less effective in hard water because the active ingredient is partially inactivated by hardness, even though it stays dissolved. Bathing with soap in hard water leaves a film of sticky soap curd on the skin. The film may prevent removal of soil and bacteria. Soap curd interferes with the return of skin to its normal, slightly acid condition, and may lead to irritation. Soap curd on hair may make it dull, lifeless and difficult to manage.
When doing laundry in hard water, soap curds lodge in fabric during washing to make fabric stiff and rough. Incomplete soil removal from laundry causes graying of white fabric and the loss of brightness in colors. A sour odor can develop in clothes. Continuous laundering in hard water can shorten the life of clothes. In addition, soap curds can deposit on dishes, bathtubs and showers, and all water fixtures.
Hard water also contributes to inefficient and costly operation of water-using appliances. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals that can contribute to the inefficient operation or failure of water-using appliances. Pipes can become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement.
Potential Health Effects
| Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) states that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet |  |
Interpreting Test Results
The hardness of your water will be reported in grains per gallon, milligrams per liter (mg/l) or parts per million (ppm). One grain of hardness equals 17.1 mg/l or ppm of hardness.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes standards for drinking water which fall into two categories -- Primary Standards and Secondary Standards.
Primary Standards are based on health considerations and Secondary Standards are based on taste, odor, color, corrosivity, foaming, and staining properties of water. There is no Primary or Secondary standard for water hardness. Water hardness is classified by the U.S. Department of Interior and the Water Quality Association as follows:
| Classification | mg/l or ppm |
grains/gal |
| Soft | 0 - 17.1 |
0-1 |
| Slightly Hard | 17.1 - 60 |
1-3.5 |
| Moderately Hard | 60-120 |
3.5-7.0 |
| Hard | 120-180 |
7.0-10.5 |
| Very Hard | 180 & over |
10.5 & over |
NOTE: Other organizations may use slightly different classifications.
Options
ION EXCHANGE
| When we talk of water softening the first thing that usually comes to mind is the ion exchange softener (see salt softener) the salt softener has been around for many years and has proven that it can give you soft water. It uses ion exchange “ the replacement of an ion of salt for an ion of hardness”, clothes are cleaner, you use less soap and cleaning supplies, less spotting on glasses and glass surfaces. The ion exchange softener also deals with moderate amounts of some types of iron, to find out the type of iron that might be present in your water supply requires a complete water test(see free water tests) Ion exchange softeners will not deal with the issue of Hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell in your water) for this you will need a water treatment unit. |  |
NO SALT SOFTENER
| In the past few years there has been another product that has proven to do much the same thing but without the use of salt and with no waste of water. The No Salt Softener is not really a softener at all, it is a water conditioning device that is a scale preventing device. It keeps scale from building up on Electrical appliances, in hot water tanks and coffee makers. In the right application it works real well to deal with calcium issues. The issue of Chlorine in your water must be dealt with before the No Salt Softener can be installed.(see City water treatment) Also if you are on a well the issue of Hydrogen sulfide and Iron must be addressed. |
|
As you can see, THE ISSUE CALCIUM BUILD UP can be addressed and solved. Like every other aspect of water treatment, we won’t know what will work for you till we do a FREE WATER TEST, then we can tell you exactly what we can do, and the exact cost.
