The Problems Associated With Hard Water

For people living in the South East of England, hard water is a real problem with real costs attached to it.

It increases housework and housekeeping bills. Lime scale and staining can be seen everywhere that water touches. Blocked shower heads, scale around taps, and furred heating elements are just some of the costly problems.

The interaction with soap and detergent can be equally problematic with scum causing staining and affecting the cleaning ability of soaps and other cleaning products.

Water hardness can be measured and the following chart shows how it is classified

The map below shows how water hardness varies in England and Wales.
In Buckinghamshire, West and Central London and South Oxfordshire hardness can vary between 300 and 350 mg/l, which makes the area particularly vulnerable to hard water problems.

Slightly Soft Water Slightly Hard Water Hard to Very Hard Water

Official figures show that just 1.5mm of scale on a heat transfer surface (such as an immersion heater) can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 15%.

Hard water adds to the cost of heating water in appliances such as kettles, washing machines and dishwashers. The build up of scale also adds to their servicing costs.

It has been estimated that hard water increases the need to use washing powders, soaps, shampoos, conditioners etc., by more than 50%. In total, hard water can cost a family several hundred pounds a year.

The savings and benefits of using softened water are considerable.