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Did you know that most drinking water in the Czech Republic is hard and does not meet the standards for maximum calcium and magnesium content? Although calcium is not harmful to health even in higher concentrations, hard water has a number of disadvantages (not only) for your wallet. Investing in its home treatment is definitely worth it.
If you have hard water at home, you are surely dealing with limescale problems. It is not only unsightly but also leads to appliance malfunctions, such as with your washing machine, dishwasher, or coffee maker. Their lifespan is proven to decrease by up to a third in the case of hard water.
Moreover, hard water dries out skin and hair, which is particularly troublesome for people with atopic dermatitis. Hard water reduces the effectiveness of cleaning agents and, when heating pipes are clogged, also reduces heating efficiency. Investing in water softening will pay off within a few years thanks to savings in the household.
Conversely, in soft water, cosmetics and cleaning agents dissolve much better, so your laundry will be beautifully fragrant and soft, and your detergent consumption for dishwashing and laundry will be much lower. Soft water is therefore more environmentally friendly, extends the lifespan of appliances, and does not create limescale on taps, sinks, or other appliances. Soft water also tastes better, preserves the properties of food better during cooking, and is healthier for your skin.
Limescale reduces the lifespan of appliances and the effectiveness of cleaning agents.
So-called hard water is simply water with a high content of calcium and magnesium. It is most commonly found in areas with a limestone substrate. Excessively hard water can come from both the water supply and wells or boreholes. The only guaranteed source of soft water is rainwater.
The ideal water hardness is 0.7-2.5 mmol/l. Water with lower hardness is called demineralized and is not suitable for long-term consumption. Water with a calcium content of 2.5-3.75 mmol/l is hard, and very hard water has values above 3.75 mmol/l.
You can easily detect hard water by the limescale deposits on taps and appliances. If you are unsure, you can determine the hardness of your water in three ways.
A softener is a water filter for hard water that removes unwanted calcium and magnesium. There is a wide range of softeners on the market that work on different principles – either salt-based (ion exchange softeners) or salt-free (catalytic water softeners).
Ion Exchange Water Softeners operate on a simple ion exchange principle. They contain cation exchange resin and salt, which is why they are sometimes called cation exchange or brine softeners. In the ion exchanger (an insoluble granulate in water), calcium and magnesium ions are absorbed from the water and sodium ions are released. Unwanted mineral substances are then flushed into the waste, while all other important elements in the water remain. Ion exchange water softeners are highly efficient and suitable for softening water even in larger buildings with high water consumption.
An important parameter when choosing is the capacity of the softener, which should correspond to the usual water consumption in your household. Also, pay attention to electricity consumption.
Water softeners can have various additional features, such as the ability to set the output water hardness or an intelligent control unit that automatically adjusts the softener's performance. A highly sought-after feature is the automatic notification of the need to add a regeneration salt tablet. Modern water softeners can also be controlled remotely via mobile applications.
Honeywell hard water treatment plant.
Ion exchange water softeners require electricity to operate. The granulate contained in the ion exchanger has a limited lifespan. However, it can be very easily and cheaply regenerated with regular table salt.
For these purposes, salt compressed into tablets is sold. The salt in the granulate initiates the reverse process, meaning the granulate captures sodium ions and is then able to effectively capture calcium and magnesium ions from the water again. Salt replenishment is done every few weeks. The cation exchange resin in ion exchange water softeners has a lifespan of about 10 years.
A high content of iron, manganese, or arsenic in water is less common in the Czech Republic but is certainly no less serious. The standard for drinking water sets a maximum value for iron at 0.2 mg/l and for manganese at 0.05 mg/l. Iron-rich water may (but does not have to) have a rusty color and iron taste at first glance, cause red or orange stains on taps or laundry, and form deposits in pipes and appliances, thereby reducing their functionality and lifespan. Iron in water also causes the growth of iron bacteria colonies, which create a slimy coating and water odor.
Filters for iron and manganese also contain a special granulate with manganese dioxide, which in this case acts as a catalyst – it precipitates unwanted dissolved metals into insoluble particles through chemical reactions, which are then captured.
The fillings of filters for iron-rich water must be regularly regenerated by backwashing, which flushes out the deposited particles. Maintenance therefore does not represent an additional financial investment, and in the case of modern filters, it is completely automatic.
Protect your appliances and your health. If you have hard or iron-rich water at home, investing in its treatment is definitely worth it. There are also combined devices available on the market that can adjust both the hardness and iron content of water thanks to special filtration mixtures.
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