More than 60% of Britain live in hard water areas. Therefore, descale of kettles, coffee machine, or boilers is a constant issue. What Causes Water Hardness – related site?
Hard water occurs when there is a high level of dissolved minerals such as Calcium and Magnesium within the water supply. When water is heated, calcium and magnesium molecules are separated from water molecules. These are attracted to the sides, such as the coffee maker or kettle, forming the white crusty deposits we call limescale.
Problems caused by hard water?
In coffee machines or kettles, limescale built up around the heating element can slow down the heat of the water. It also increases the amount of energy required to heat the same volume. It is possible to save money by removing or preventing limescale from heating elements. Also, water dissolved minerals can affect the flavor of hot drinks like tea or coffee.
The solution!
There are many possible solutions. These are the ones you can choose from:
Chemical Descalers can be found in many forms. The descalers are designed to be used inside kettles. Nitric Acid is used to inject directly into the irrigation system by agricultural or horticultural users.
Water Softeners are Ion Exchange Resin Devices. They contain an organic resin with sodium ions. The water passes through them and these are exchanged for calcium and magnesium ions in hard water regions. After the sodium ions are exchanged, the resin can be automatically recharged using a salt solution. The high salt content means that this water is only suitable for washing and cannot be used to cook or drink.