Make Entry -- Become an Editor -- Most Popular: (10, 25, 50, 75, 100)

   Help

Water Hardness

Hard water has a high mineral content. Most water hardness is caused by high levels of metal ions, particularly calcium and magnesium in carbonate form; it also often contains bicarbonates and sulfates. Water hardness is rarely risky to health or safety, and in fact mineral springs – where the hardest water can be found – have often been health centers due to the alleged healing ability of hard water. And Bourbon whiskey, brewed only in Kentucky, is distinctive in part because of the high calcium content of the water there; many liquors require a certain water hardness or softness.

However, because high water hardness means that pure water has been adulterated by a number of contaminants, it can be a nuisance at home and in industries. Silicates and calcium carbonate (one of the most common causes of water hardness) are good corrosion inhibitors, but they and other contaminants can leave deposits that over time can close up pipes. And any water contaminants have the potential to react with chemicals in undesired ways.

Water hardness can be roughly determined by adding a little soap to it. Very soft water lathers easily; hard water is less frothable.

Web Resources On Water Hardness

Water Hardness: Inorganic Reactions Experiment
Origin of water hardness

Book Resources On Water Hardness

Determining Water Hardness by Suffredini & Neidig
Water Resources of Hard Rock Aquifers in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones by J. W. Lloyd

Site Maps: Most Recent | Clusters | Browse
New: Graduate Student Job Opportunity