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Would you live in a hard water area?
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
No. Not something that ever even vaguely entered consideration when choosing where to live.
If anyone has a real problem with it, there are enough systems available to soften it, and if you just don't like drinking it get a filter jug or buy bottled.
It's quite hard here (c. 355mg/l) but it isn't a problem, we've got a softener.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I do live in a hard water area - and having stayed in soft water areas, I find the hard water tastes better...
Geezertronic
Established Member
My father in law moved from Birmingham to Mablethorpe (Skegness) and the difference in the quality of the water in Mablethorpe is dramatically worse compared to the Elan Valley water that we get in Birmingham. When we visit him, drinking water from the tap makes me ill as does kettle boiled water. His taps are covered in limescale, and I mean covered. He has a water purifier, and uses a lot of bottled water
I am not sure of the source of the water there but it is dramatically worse than Elan Valley water we get in Brum
I am not sure of the source of the water there but it is dramatically worse than Elan Valley water we get in Brum
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
The purer water is, the more it tastes of nothing. Mineral water is of course quite hard.
That said, the nastiest tasting water I've come across was in Sicily - it had a very milky taste, I wonder if this was due to high calcium levels? It was vile, though, and difficult to drink enough of it despite the heat.
alxndr
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No, I wouldn't even think about it. I grew up in a hard water area and know no different. I couldn't even honestly tell the difference between when we had a working softener and when we didn't any more.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
There's very hard water round here this morning... (SWIDT?)
cactustwirly
Established Member
So my home area is a very hard water area, and my uni is in a soft water area, and apart from having to filter the water before using it in a kettle, I haven't noticed any difference
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EssexGonzo
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I live in a very hard water area. The "why-didn't-we-do-that-years-ago" moment for us was installing a water softener. A very, very wise investment that I'd recommend for anyone. We kept a hard water tap for drinking but irons, kettles and appliances are furring up much more slowly now and we're using far less soap and laundry products. It's easier to wash the car too!
So no, in my view avoiding an area because of water hardness would be silly unless there was a medical reason as you can mitigate the hardness quite easily.
So no, in my view avoiding an area because of water hardness would be silly unless there was a medical reason as you can mitigate the hardness quite easily.
StoneRoad
Member
Much prefer Hard Water for drinking from the tap, as that is what I grew up with ...
But prefer soft water for use in washing machines and the like.
I've been told that some areas now have "hardness" added to the supply.
I have to remember when I'm in TLC of Wales not to use too much soap or shampoo, otherwise rinsing off is very time-consuming.
But prefer soft water for use in washing machines and the like.
I've been told that some areas now have "hardness" added to the supply.
I have to remember when I'm in TLC of Wales not to use too much soap or shampoo, otherwise rinsing off is very time-consuming.
So they still fur up? In a soft water area, there is no furring up at all.
gazthomas
Established Member
Is that your concern?
Half of Great Britain is in a hard or hardish water, as this map illustrates. You would have to live in the west and north to avoid hardwater.
https://www.bristan.com/hard-water-map
So the option is to either move, get some form of treatment device or live with it. I chose the later, but do use a descaler on my kettle and shower head from time to time.
I wonder though, with all that calcium in my water whether I'll have less issues with osteoporosis when I get older!
I'm not sure how accurate that map is as I live near Gatwick and haven't had any problems with furring up kettles in the last 20 years.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
No. Would it put you off? If so why?
cactustwirly
Established Member
gazthomas
Established Member
It's indicative. For more accuracy you would have to look at each water supply company's website, assuming they share this data (many do). The source of water, abstraction from aquifer or reservoir and river plus the local geology can create a lot of local variability.
I'm still intrigued to as to what triggered the question! If the question was would you live near Gatwick I would say no, certainly not Crawley!
What do you think you are "filtering" out? Hardness is dissolved solids and unless you are softening the water you are probably just taking out the chlorine.
It might not necessarily be a deal-breaker but it does seem that most hard water areas are also expensive places to live, so it means even less reason to live in those areas.
cactustwirly
Established Member
I know, it's a jug which contains a filter, which contains sodium ions, which swap with the Mg & Ca ions in the hard water.
gazthomas
Established Member
Brita, who supply the filters for my Russell Hobbs kettle suggest they do reduce carbonate hardness: https://thinkyourwater.brita.co.uk/en/faq/
I certainly have no "scum" on the top of my tea or any chlorine taste
birchesgreen
Established Member
Well living in Brum it used to be soft but definitely getting more limescale these days.
gazthomas
Established Member
That could be because Severn Trent Water have decided not to remove the carbonate as part of water treatment.
My 14 years in the water industry are starting to be useful!
So you are softening it. No filtration needed (although it's probably a by-product of the process.)
Water from Welsh reservoirs is soft, groundwater is almost invariably more or less hard. Where I live we get either River Dee water or Midlands aquifer water so it alternates between soft and hard.
RailUK is the last place I would have expected to see your expertise needed, but there you go!
Has anyone had any experience in using specific tea bags for their water condition? I notice Yorkshire Tea do a hard water blend, i'd assumed it was a load of old cobblers.
cactustwirly
Established Member
It's called a Brita filter...
Are you up-to-date? I ask because there has been a big change in water treatment. Once upon a time all water had to be alkaline to prevent plumbo-solvency and lime was added to any water from an acidic supply. Unfortunately dissolving even a little bit of dry lime is quite difficult and expensive: nowadays they add phosphoric acid to acidic supplies instead, so that even though the water is acid the inside of lead and iron pipes are passivated by the phosphorus reaction compounds created.
So my water is alternately alkaline if it is the groundwater being used, and more acidic than the Dee water if it's from Bala!
trainmania100
Established Member
My tea tastes disgusting from the kettle so I'd assume so
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