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Total Hardness Of Water


Total hardness Water is one of the characteristics of water that that is either desirable or undesirable depending on level of hardness. In reality not all water contain hardness, some are soft, we will explain later.

What is water hardness?

Hardness is defined as the concentrations of calcium and magnesium ions expressed in terms of calcium carbonate, in another word water hardness can also be define as a measure of divalent cations (primarily calcium and magnesium) present in the water and is expressed as mg/L hardness as calcium carbonate or Water hardness can also be defined as the sum of the divalent metallic ions in the water. We have been able to define water hardness in different way, from our definition so far, we can identify what water hardness is and also the likely cause, but, the information provided is not enough as to why are we interested in water hardness or why should we be concern about the hardness of our water.
Table Top Total Hardness Meter


Why should we be concern about the hardness of our water

We have every reason to concern about the hardness of our water, especially water when our water is giving us unnecessary problems such as listed below;


1. Lime scale build up in pipes, which usually reduce the flow water

2. Industrially, Hard water can cause corrosion in the cooling towers and boilers, which will reduce machine efficiency and economic lost

3. In the textile industry, it can make yarn stiff/scratchy. It can also affect the colour of the clothes

4. build up on geyser and kettle elements, causing damage.

5. It reduces heat efficiency of water

6. It reduces lathering properties of soaps and detergents, so you use more of these products causing you to spend more.

7. It causes scaling in membrane filtration system.

Apart from the above mentioned, another area of concern is health implications of water hardness, but, medically water hardness is not a health hazard. Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, drinking hard water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet. If you have an iron, manganese, or a hardness problem you may want to check the arsenic level of your water

Scientific Testing For Hardness of Water by Titration Method

Having studied the effect of water hardness and it's implications, we now take a step further to find out the cause of water hardness.

What is responsible for hardness of water

What is responsible for hardness of water is an important question that must be asked and answered correctly, because in reality not all water is hard, nor gives the problems listed above. From studies, it is evident that hardness of water is caused by the presence of calcium and magnesium, although some other minerals have been suggested but their contribution is very small. Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates.

Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water are the two most common minerals that make water "hard." The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium concentration increases and is related to the concentration of multivalent cations dissolved in the water.

There are two types of water hardness; temporary and permanent hardness. Temporary water hardness is due to the presence of calcium hydrogen carbonate Ca(HCO3)2(aq) and magnesium hydrogen carbonate Mg(HCO3)2(aq). In the presence of heat(boiling) both calcium hydrogen carbonate and magnesium hydrogen carbonate decompose, when this happens the water lost it's temporary hardness and permanent hardness is form, which is insoluble in water in the presence of heat. Total permanent hardness of water is the sum total calcium hardness and magnesium hardness expressed in CaCO3

What level or sum total of permanent hardness of water is acceptable

Base on the concentration of calcium and magnesium in waters, regulatory bodies such as WHO, EPA classified water as:


1. 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate as soft water

2. 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard water

3. 121 to 180 mg/L as hard water

4. 180 mg/L and above as very hard water


One of the best way we can soften our water is through ion exchanger. Hard water is a secondary contaminants since it is not an health hazard, but, constitute a nusiant and result in economic lost, in some cases it is very expensive to treat, especially areas with high lime stone. On the other hand a Soft water is one that is almost free of Calcium and magnesium.





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