There is evidence of less heart disease in hard water areas than in soft water areasMost water softeners work by replacing the hardness with sodium which can cause issues with babies and those with heart conditions Some water supplies contain impurities that may affect your softener if left untreated. The types of devises that may be protected in this way include mains water coolers and all types of water boilers and heaters. If installing a water softener is too difficult or costly then you could consider protecting specific devices that are plumbed into the mains with a scale inhibiting filter.
Hard water can create 2 main issues within a building: Issues Relating to Scale Heat causes the calcium and magnesium to precipitate out of the water and stick to things causing "scale" to form on the inside of pipes, water boilers, tea kettles and so on.co. Hard and Soft Water Regions in the UK The list below is a good indication of the general hard and soft water areas in the UK although it is an indicator only as all areas can contain pockets of completely different water types. Its also recommended that any outside taps are fed with unsoftened water to avoid waste.
Reducing the Effectiveness of Soap Hard Water reacts with soap to form a scum and (in extreme cases) reduces soap's ability to lather, this impacts on cleaning throughout the house including washing, bathing and general cleaning.uk What can I do about hard water?There are 2 options that are available to you depending on your needs; Products called water softeners will improve the efficiency and increase the life of hot water appliances throughout a building.co.
The resin removes the magnesium and calcium ions that create lime scale by swapping them with a small amount of salt, this leaves the softened water to enter your water system. Regions with soft to moderately soft water in EnglandConwynCumbria DevonFlintshireGwyneddIsle of AngleseyMerseyside North West YorkshirePembrokeshireWest YorkshireRegions with soft to slightly hard water in EnglandCarmarthenshireCeredigionDurhamGlamorganshireMonmouthshireRegions with slightly hard to moderately hard water in EnglandCheshireDenbighshireDerbyshireHerefordshireLancashireLeicestershireNorthumberlandPowysShropshireWorcestershireWrexhamRegions with slightly hard to very hard water in EnglandNorth YorkshireSomersetSouth YorkshireSurreyWarwickshireRegions with hard to very hard water in EnglandBedfordshireBerkshireBuchinghamshireCambridgeshireDorsetEast Riding of YorkshireEast Riding of YorkshireEast SussexEssexGloucestershireGreater LondonHampshireHampshireHertfordshireIsle of WhiteKentLincolnshireLincolnshireNorfolkNorth East YorkshireNottinghamshireNottinghamshire OxfordshireRutlandStaffordshireSuffolkScotlandMost regions in Scotland range from soft through to various levels of hardness with the majority not exceeding moderately soft water. Soft water can release lead from any lead pipes Once the scale is removed it can open up old leaks that have been sealed by the historic scale build-upSofteners require ongoing maintenance and need to be topped up with the correct type of saltYou purchase the system from a reputable supplier.
If you are considering this option then please be aware: When installing your Water Softener the UK Water Bylaws require that one tap in the house is left unsoftened. The machines often contain an automatic timer control which will periodically clean or regenerate the resin. About Water Softeners A Water Softener is a device that monitors and reduces the hardness of the water, it does this by removing the calcium and magnesium salts from a water supply and replacing them with a saline solution. The scale doesn't conduct heat well and reduces the flow through the pipes which can ultimately become completely blocked potentially leading to expensive repair bills. All water softeners work in essentially the same way, the incoming water enters the softener and passes through ion exchange resin. In effect the whole house has softened water and the dedicated tap provides hard water for drinking, cooking etc. Ireland RegionsIreland maybe broken down as follows: Northern Division soft to moderately softEastern Division soft to moderately hardSouthern Division soft to moderately hardWestern Division soft to moderately hard Local UK Water CompaniesAnglian Water Services LtdPhone Iron, dirt, silt, organics and bio film may not be removed by the salt regeneration system and older resin beds may start to suffer from iron fouling. To find out more you can contact your local water company (see list at base of article).3valleys. This may be accomplished by installing a third dedicated tap at the kitchen sink.uk Three Valleys Water PlcPhone.This is done by Lightning Protection Manufacturers passing salt water through the resin which swaps places with the stored magnesium and calcium ions and allows the trapped minerals to be flushed down the drain