You’ve probably heard of hard and soft water. What effect does water hardness or softness have on you? How hard is the water in the United Kingdom? Water’s mineral makeup impacts how it is classified on a scale ranging from hard to soft. Although water is often transparent, it includes minerals and chemicals. Rainwater is referred to as soft. When water runs through rocks and other substrates, it accumulates dissolved solids. Water having higher-than-normal amounts of soluble minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, is referred to as hard water, and it ranks first on the water hardness scale. Soft water has a little mineral content and is at the bottom of the water hardness scale.
The Water Hardness Scale:
Each litre of soft water has less than 100mg of calcium carbonate.
Moderately hard water range between 100 and 200mg per litre.
Each litre of hard water contains between 200 and 300mg of calcium carbonate.
Each litre of very hard water contains more than 300mg of calcium carbonate.
Also, read Sources of fresh water in the United Kingdom
Around 60% of the UK has hard or extremely hard water, with several regions having more than 200mg of calcium carbonate per litre. Over 13 million houses in the UK are affected by limescale because of the hard water supply. Cities in top of the water hardness scale with hard water include London, Norwich, Newcastle, and Bristol. Water is mild in Leeds, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. And soft water is available in Cardiff, Glasgow, and Plymouth.
Much of the UK’s rock formations are limestone and chalk-based, created millions of years ago from the bones of small sea creatures rich in calcium and magnesium compounds. The chalk and limestone areas in the south and east of England release more elements to water than the granite regions of the north and west of the country. As a result, water in the South and East of England is significantly harder than water in the rest of the United Kingdom. Scotland, the northwest, and the southwest water collected here are typically soft.
In the water hardness scale, hard water and soft water each have their own set of risks and benefits. It all comes down to personal preference. Drinking tap water, without a doubt, exposes you to chemicals and contaminants. Regardless of the type of water, it must be purified before consumption. A water filtration system should be purchased to eliminate pollutants such as chlorine and possibly dangerous parasites from tap water. Phoenix stainless steel gravity water filters remove impurities while keeping essential elements. Phoenix kills about 99.99 percent of bacteria and 99.9% of viruses and other contaminants.