From Newsgroup: uk.d-i-y
On 5 Jul 2025 09:57:21 GMT, "Jeff Gaines" <
jgnewsid@outlook.com> wrote:
On 05/07/2025 in message <mcs9cmFo9buU1@mid.individual.net> D.M. Procida >wrote:
Our actual water hardness here is apparently between 5 and 9 ?dH, and all >>the
signs are that it is pretty hard (limescale forms at the slightest >>opportunity).
My water turns to limescale as I fill the kettle!
AI says It falls within the range of 100 to 200 mg of calcium carbonate
per liter.
Harvey Water Softeners says 324.20 parts per million (doesn't define parts >of what).
Fountain Filters says You've got HARD WATER!
Wessex Water say they don't supply my are which is odd as I pay my bill to >them.
Bournemouth Waters says Most of our water supply can be classified as >‘moderately hard’ (on a scale of one to ten this would be seven).
How do I compare these results with each other and your "dH" figure?
Eh, "don't bother"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hardness#Hard/soft_classification
says: "As it is the precise mixture of minerals dissolved in the water, together
with water's pH and temperature, that determine the behaviour of the hardness, a
single-number scale does not adequately describe hardness."
As far as I can tell, there is dissolved hardness due to carbonic acid dissolving rock. Carbonic acid is formed when water absorbs carbon dioxide, and I think this is one prime kettle scaler: heat the water, CO2 leaves, and the with the acid gone the dissolved rock precipitates. And it can be calcium or magnesium carbonate. Might be sulphate in there, too.
I have found that mechanical scrubbing gets a lot of the limescale out of the kettle, scrub with a brush, rinse -- 16 °dH here.
Thomas Prufer
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2