How hard is hard water?

Answer 1

It all depends on how fast you are going when you hit it.

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Water hardness varies from area to area. Hard water is water that has high mineral content (in contrast with soft water). Hard water minerals primarily consist of calcium (Ca2+), and magnesium (Mg2+) metal cations, and sometimes other dissolved compounds such as bicarbonates and sulfates.

Because it is the precise mixture of minerals dissolved in the water, together with the water's pH and temperature, that determines the behaviour of the hardness, a single-number scale does not adequately describe hardness. Descriptions of hardness correspond roughly with ranges of mineral concentrations:

• Very soft: 0-70 ppm, 0-4 dGH (degrees of General Hardness)
• Soft: 70-140 ppm, 4-8 dGH
• Slightly hard: 140-210 ppm, 8-12 dGH
• Moderately hard: 210-320 ppm, 12-18 dGH
• Hard: 320-530 ppm, 18-30 dGH
• Very hard >530 ppm, >30 dGH

According to the British Drinking Water Inspectorate shows that drinking water in England is generally considered to be 'very hard', with most areas of England, particularly east of a line between the Severn and Tees estuaries, exhibiting above 200 ppm for the calcium carbonate equivalent. Wales, Devon, Cornwall and parts of North-West England are softer water areas, and range from 0 to 200 ppm.

More than 85% of American homes have hard water. The softest waters occur in parts of the New England, South Atlantic-Gulf, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii regions. Moderately hard waters are common in many of the rivers of the Tennessee Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and Alaska regions. Hard and very hard waters are found in some of the streams in most of the regions throughout the country. Hardest waters (greater than 1,000 ppm) are in streams in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, and Southern California.

Source: DWI, Wikipedia,

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