On TV every now and then flicker messages about the properties of hard water and its harm, not only for household appliances, but also the body as a whole. What kind of water is it and why is it called hard? If you hit scientific facts and resort to the help of special literature, it will become clear that the degree of hardness is determined by calcium and magnesium ions. The smaller they are, the softer and healthier the water. And here the question rightly arises of how to determine the hardness of water at home.
Why is it necessary
Before solving the task, it is necessary to understand if it is necessary to know what the hardness of water is, how to determine its degree at home and what should be done if it is exceeded.
Undoubtedly, everyone makes their own decisions, but just look at the consequences of using excessively hard water, and everything immediately falls into place.
What hard water leads to
Every year, household appliances suffer from scale, formed as a result of excess salts in the water, which means its effectiveness is reduced by an average of 20%.
Due to the accumulated limescale, heaters experience difficulties in heat transfer. Electricity costs are starting to rise.
More detergents are required due to the slowing down of the foaming process and the loss of removal efficiency.
Entering into contact with shampoos and shower gels, hard water forms an invisible film on the body that can cause irritation and dryness.
In connection with the foregoing, determining the hardness of water at home becomes not just an interesting activity, but one of the actions on the way to health.
A bit of history
Do you know why water is called hard or soft? This concept dates back to ancient times when soap containing fatty acids was used for washing. Entering into contact with the fabric, they made it stiff to the touch. Another version is the ability of fibers to participate in ion-exchange processes. Interacting with water, they give the effect of a hard tissue.
So how to determine the hardness of water at home?
Ways
1. The simplest and fastest way to check, according to the housewives, is ordinary tea. It is enough to brew loose tea, give it time to brew, and after a few minutes to look at its shade. If the water is hard, it will be cloudy and dark. In soft water, tea acquires a peach color.
You can also compare the weight of water. Hard water is heavier. But such experiments will require high-precision scales. Ordinary is unlikely to show that subtle difference in weight.
2. Detergents can also help to know the hardness of water. How to determine at home this value using improvised means? Very simple! Just need to soap my hands.
Soap foams instantly? Excellent, therefore, the salt content in the water is minimal. But if foaming is delayed, then it is worth thinking about the quality of water.
3. By the way, soap will become an assistant in determining the degree of hardness if crumbled into water. Insoluble particles will indicate an excess of calcium and magnesium.
And how to measure the hardness of water at home? Among the reviews on checking the quality of water you can find the above method, which allows to determine it no worse than a special device. True, you have to complicate it a bit and make some calculations.
So, we need 72% household soap, purified bottled and ordinary tap water.
We find a cross section at the soap and collect chips from it. We need only 1 gram. We heat distilled water (about ten ml) and add soap shavings to it. After that, we fill any convenient vessel with plain water. Half a liter will be enough. We take a syringe and add 1 ml of soapy water to a vessel with clean water, not forgetting to stir them each time. Stop this manipulation after the appearance of stable soap bubbles.
Now we answer the question of how to find out the hardness of water at home. Determine how many ml of soap solution was spent. Multiply the obtained data by 2. The result will be equal to the degree of rigidity.
4. Pay attention to how often limescale forms on the kettle. The more often this happens, the more salts in the water, as well as calcium and magnesium, which contribute to the formation of plaque.
5. Have you noticed that the spray on the glass, drying, leave white marks?
This is another confirmation of the hardness of the water.
6. An excellent helper in solving this problem will be ordinary potassium permanganate. Contacting with hardness salts, potassium permanganate acquires a yellow tint. If this did not happen, everything is in order with water.
7. You can use a special test that identifies the hardness of the water.
How to determine the result at home, an individual instruction will tell. Often it is enough to lower the tester into water, wait a few seconds and observe the change in the painted strip.
How to soften water
So, there are a lot of ways to find out how hard water is. If you find that the quality of the water does not suit you, then use some tips.
1. The most famous method that everyone uses without thinking about their true purpose is boiling water. It is enough to boil the water for an hour, and then let it cool, as a precipitate forms at the bottom. In the future, you can remove it by filtering. Of course, in this way it will not be possible to get rid of salts, but it will be possible to soften the water a little.
2. You can neutralize the salt with alkali, which is contained in soda. ¼ teaspoon per glass of water - and the degree of hardness is markedly reduced. Many have tested this in practice!
3. Alkali can be replaced with almond bran. They are the end product of processing almond seeds. A tablespoon in a glass of water is enough.
4. The easiest option is to buy a special filter. However, a study of user opinions based on reviews showed that there is no effectiveness in using filters. Moreover, it is necessary to constantly monitor the water treatment system and periodically change some elements. Often, this is not possible in a timely manner, and harmful substances are again in the water.
Conclusion
Now you know what water hardness is, how to determine its degree at home and mitigate it using improvised means. Undoubtedly, in matters of drinking water quality it is worth trusting in professional developments: special strips or measuring devices showing the amount of hard salts. However, if such an opportunity does not appear, then you can solve the problem yourself, without leaving your home.