Our monthly series on the questions in the CON29DW looks at water classification.
A relatively new addition to the CON29DW is question 3.5, which deals with water hardness.
Introduced in mid-2016, the question replaced a previous one which concerned water quality. While problems with quality are exceedingly rare, water hardness is something that affects a great many households, as it can have practical implications.
Hard water is found in chalk and limestone areas, and comes from from naturally occurring calcium and magnesium mineral salts which are dissolved from the rocks through which rain water flows.
While many homeowners will know the geological make up of the area in which they live, water companies regularly move water around their network, so geography alone may not be a reliable indicator that a property is in a hard water area.
Fortunately, water companies regularly monitor the composition of water at various parts in their network, and keep detailed records. Besides it being available in the CON29DW, they also make this information freely available. For Severn Trent customers, this can be checked on Severn Trent Water’s website. Water companies will give a classification for hardness, depending on the concentration of calcium carbonate (measured in parts per million).
Although there is some evidence that it can aggravate eczema in certain individuals, it’s not otherwise hazardous to human health. The main problem it causes for most homeowners is with domestic appliances.
Hard water can cause a build-up of limescale around taps as well as in household appliances such as kettles, electric irons and washing machines. This can affect the look and performance of certain appliances, as well as making them less efficient and shorten their lifespan. The effects of water hardness can usually be counteracted by installing a water softener.
Hard water isn’t as serious as some of the other issues raised by the CON29DW, but is nonetheless one that we’d always recommend checking at a property, as it can have a detrimental effect on domestic appliances and cause issues for homeowners.