Civil and Environmental Engineering
Document Type
Fact Sheet
Date of this Version
5-2016
Citation
NebGuide 2275: Natural Resources: Water Management (May 2016)
Nebraska Extension, University of Nebraska
Abstract
New no-salt technologies may be effective in treating hard water, but consumers should carefully investigate product claims prior to buying a specific treatment device.
Hard water is not a health risk, but many Nebraska consumers find hard water to be a nuisance because of mineral buildup on plumbing fixtures, including water heaters; unsightly film on glass and crystal wares; and poor soap and/or detergent performance. Water described as “hard” contains high amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium, which are positively charged contaminants called cations.
Water hardness often is expressed as grains of hardness per gallon of water (gpg) or milligrams of hardness per liter of water (mg/L). Table 1 shows hardness classifications. For consistency, concentrations are generally converted to the equivalent concentration as calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and expressed in terms of hardness as calcium carbonate.
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