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Why is hard water a problem and why does adding sodium carbonate to hard water soften it?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Adding more ions to water does *not* soften the water. Passing the hard water across an ion exchange resin, where calcium (hardness) is exchanged for sodium... softens it.
Hard water causes different problems around the home. See below...
Bathroom
Showerheads and spray-nozzles can become blocked; they can even clog the small holes completely and reduce their efficiency. The bathtub and sink seem to be the places where there is a visible soap scum build up. Without proper treatment his build up is very difficult to remove and may require a lot of cleaners and many applications. Scale can clog pipes and can decrease the life of toilet flushing units.
Bathing
Bathing with soap in hard water leaves a film of sticky soap curd on the skin. The film may prevent removal of soil and bacteria. Soap curd interferes with the return of skin to its normal, slightly acid condition, and may lead to irritation. Soap curd on hair may make it dull, lifeless and difficult to manage. Similarly, the insoluble salts that get left behind from using regular shampoo in hard water tend to leave hair rougher and harder to detangle.
Laundering
Clothes washed in hard water often look dingy and feel harsh and scratchy. The hardness minerals combine with some soils to form insoluble salts, making them difficult to remove. Soil on clothes can introduce even more hardness minerals into the wash water. Continuous laundering in hard water can damage fibers and shorten the life of clothes by up to 40 percent.
Dishwashers
When washing dishes, especially in a dishwasher, hard water may cause spotting and filming on your crockery. The minerals from hard water are released faster when it comes into contact with heat, causing an increase in the amount of spotting and filming that occurs. This problem is not a health risk, but it can be a nuisance to clean and reduce the quality of your crockery.
Problems in Water Boiler Systems and Pipework
Hard water also contributes to inefficient and costly operation of water-using appliances. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals (limescale deposits) that can contribute to the inefficient operation or failure of water-using appliances. Pipes can become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement. Limescale has been known to increase energy bills by up to 25%.
Conventional water-softening depends on an ion-exchange resin in which "hardness" ions trade places with the sodium ions that are electrostatically bound to the anionic functional groups of the polymeric resin - and softens it.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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Should you use sodium or potassium salt in your water softener?
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Is it safe to remove ear wax with hydrogen peroxide.?
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What if your garden soil is hard what can you do to fix it?
use a hoe or a garden rake to soften it up, them you can mix water into it to help...that is...if you havent put your plants in yet ;)
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What name a white crystalline solid salt used to make hard water soft and potable?
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What does sodium do in dish detergent?
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