From the article, you will learn what hard water actually is. You hear a lot about it; it's said that hard water has a negative impact on heating systems, causing scale buildup, which makes our heating less efficient and consumes more fuel. Hard water costs a lot because we end up with higher bills. It also damages other household appliances, such as washing machines, kettles, coffee makers, shower fixtures, etc.
But what exactly is it? Where does the phenomenon of hard water come from? Is this problem present everywhere? What impact does hard water have on human health? What is the water hardness in the UK and Ireland, and how does it compare to neighboring countries? We will present a map of water hardness in the UK and Ireland - and answer the most important question in this context: how to soften water - how to remove water hardness?
✅ The term "hard water" means that the water contains an excess of magnesium and calcium, as well as iron and manganese. These elements, though sounding healthy, when present in excessive concentrations in water, indicate hard water.
☑️ Going into details, there are two types of water hardness: carbonate (temporary - which can be relatively easily removed) and non-carbonate (permanent, which is more difficult to deal with), but for the purpose of our brief analysis, let's leave it at that.
In essence, hard water is a natural phenomenon in nature, as it originates from the Earth's interior and can be saturated with various minerals.
Of course, the degree of water hardness can be determined, as it is a characteristic that can vary in intensity.
European standards stipulate that the hardness of water in water supply systems should be maintained within the range of 60 to 500 mg CaCO3 per liter. This means that such is the recommendation for water used in our country, but it does not mean that these standards are not exceeded. Often, water hardness limits are exceeded both in water from private sources and in water from public water supplies.
✅ Moreover, according to many, even a lower hardness than the upper limit, i.e., 500 mg CaCO3/l, significantly affects household appliances and water installation components in homes. We are talking here more about the economic significance of hard water in terms of its impact on the aging of appliances, as in terms of health, hard water is most likely not very harmful, although it may cause dry skin and hair in some sensitive individuals (generally, while it is not considered ideal for hygiene, it is not considered harmful).
☑️ In commercial circulation in Europe and in the UK too, water hardness testers can be purchased. They are quite readily available online and are not very expensive. A more expensive but more reliable option is to test the water in a specialized laboratory.
In the UK and Ireland, hard water is prevalent across much of the area, particularly in densely populated regions, although there are areas with water resources that fall within acceptable limits and are therefore classified as having no hard water issues. However, the majority of British and Irish people use hard water because they reside in areas where no other option is available.
✅ Map of Water Hardness in the UK and Ireland
✔️ Dark blue indicates very hard water, light blue indicates moderately hard water
✔️ Green indicates no significant issues with hard water
The map of water hardness for the UK and Ireland is quite unfavorable, one might even say exceptionally unfavorable. However, this is not entirely accurate, as similar or worse situations can be found in other European countries. Over 80% of European territories have issues with hard water.
In fact, every component of the installation ages over time, and the rate of limescale buildup often determines the rate at which components of central heating and hot water deteriorate.
✅ The most important device that should be protected from limescale is the heating boiler. Deposits can accumulate on its walls, of which most of us are unaware. The problem only becomes apparent after some time, usually when there is a failure of the heat source. It's not too bad if it happens in summer, but the biggest problem occurs when it happens in the middle of a severe winter. It would actually be reasonable in our country (considering the water hardness) to recommend, which many boiler manufacturers already do, softening the water to increase the lifespan of the boiler.
The question: Does hard water affect your boiler - or any other heat source is natural and justified.
☑️ It is worth adding that installations where boilers operate at higher temperatures are more susceptible to limescale buildup. Hard water tends to precipitate more scale when heated. It is generally accepted that the phenomenon of limescale buildup increases significantly when the water in the installation reaches a temperature of 35 or 40 degrees Celsius, practically exposing every heating installation to this risk (except for underfloor heating systems operating below 30-35°C). However, the higher the temperature at which the heat source operates, the faster the problem progresses.
Does hard water affect your boiler ... and how about heat pumps?
✅ The problem of hard water and limescale can affect heat pumps in the same way. They are theoretically as susceptible to limescale as boilers, with the difference that they often operate with underfloor heating systems at lower temperatures, which is significant in the context of what we have written above.
The photo shows scale deposits inside a pipe from an old heating system that was replaced with a new one after many years. It clearly illustrates why scaled pipes in central heating systems do not transfer heat properly, why the flow of the hot medium through the heating system is obstructed, and ultimately why hard water and scale lead to higher heating bills. Of course, the photo depicts an extreme case; such a layer of scale has formed over many years. However, even a smaller layer of scale also negatively affects heating systems and your boiler, heat pump or any other device effectivity.
✅ Another relatively expensive device that definitely loses a significant portion of its efficiency, and we would certainly prefer the opposite, is the increasingly common UV sterilizer for disinfecting drinking water found in British and Irish households. This device often appears in homes with private water sources (where water disinfection is necessary due to a higher risk of E-Coli contamination), as well as in households using municipal water supplies. Over the years, scale can even damage, in extreme cases, the stainless-steel reaction chamber of the sterilizer (though let's be honest - we're mostly talking about critical areas like welds, welded protrusions, valves, or areas where the layer of steel is thinner). Such problems may only manifest after years (unless we're talking about a device made of poor-quality steel). It's more important to note that scale also accumulates on the quartz tube, which directly encases the UV-C lamp emitting ultraviolet rays. In this way, we cannot count on 100% efficiency of the device, even though we've invested in it for a specific reason. Check out UV lamps for sterilization available in our offer.
This is our subjective assessment. We leave the opinion to you.
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Actualisation: 6-2024
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