Water is an essential element of our daily life. We consume it, we use it for washing, cooking, and for the operation of many household appliances. The quality of the water we use is therefore crucial for our health, comfort and long-term functioning of household appliances. In this article, we will look at the topic of water hardness and answer the question: do we really need a water softener if tap water is good?
Water hardness standards
At the very beginning, it is worth understanding what "water hardness" means. Simply put, water hardness determines the amount of calcium and magnesium ions that are contained in it. The more there are, the harder the water is. And although drinking such water is not harmful to health, it can cause many problems in our home.
Waterworks actually make every effort to ensure that the water they supply is of the highest quality. The parameters must comply with the standards set by the Minister of Health in a special regulation. However, water hardness standards are quite high and the maximum permissible level is as much as 500 mg CaCO3/dm³. This is already very hard water. Interestingly, the problem of high water hardness occurs throughout the country, regardless of the region.
The impact of hard water on our domestic installations
There are no contraindications to drinking water with such properties. However,hard wateris a challenge for our home installations, heating boilers, household appliances. You can even say that it does a lot of damage. What exactly does water hardness affect? First of all, there is a significant loss of energy. Hard water causes the formation of scale, which significantly reduces the efficiency of heating boilers.
In addition, hard water can cause many breakdowns, such as clogged pipes or damaged heating elements in washing machines or dishwashers. What's more, with the presence of hard water, the consumption of cleaning agents and cosmetics increases. Hard water does not allow for full dissolution of detergents, which results in the need to use more of them.
Why choose a water softener?
With everything we've said so far, it's worth considering buying a water softener. From the owners of this type of devices, I hear only praise and words of satisfaction. I have never come across the opinion that buying a water softener was a waste of money. And yet the benefits are numerous: a water softener prevents the formation of deposits in pipes and on heating elements, reduces electricity consumption, extends the life of household appliances, and also increases the effectiveness of washing and reduces the consumption of cleaning agents.
Water softener and warranty conditions of heating boilers
As an additional argument, I can write that many manufacturers of heating boilers require their customers to soften the water in order to maintain the warranty conditions. This just shows how much water hardness affects the condition of devices.
Is tap water good?
Although tap water complies with standards, its hardness can cause us many problems. A water softener is a solution that will certainly improve the quality of our lives, protecting home installations, household appliances and reducing the consumption of cleaning agents. Its purchase is an investment that pays off quickly, and satisfaction from use is guaranteed. Think about this before deciding that tap water is good enough.
