What is hard water and why is it a problem?

If you live in the UK, you might be aware of the problems that hard water can cause. Unfortunately, we're not all lucky enough to live in a soft water area, in fact, around 60% of households in the UK are in a hard water area. Hard water is water that is high in mineral content. This high mineral content is the underlying cause of limescale in our homes.

What is limescale?

Limescale is hard chalky deposits of calcium carbonate. When it comes to the issues associated with hard water, we may have seen limescale deposits build up in the kettle or coffee machine, but this can also be a problem in all appliances and pipes that use hot water. This means your washing machine, tap faucets, dishwasher, central heating system, and even the pipework that connects them can all suffer from problems with limescale.

Because it takes a while for limescale to build up we tend to ignore hard water. Occasionally we might descale the kettle with baking soda or a limescale remover, but unless we run into a more expensive problem with our washing machines or central heating, we tend to brush the issue under the carpet. Unfortunately, over time it's inevitable that a problem will occur with something more expensive than a kettle, so it is an issue that you would be better off dealing with sooner rather than later.

Ultimately, nobody likes to have to pay out to have their central heating fixed, or worse replaced so dealing with the issue of hard water means that it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Did you know that issues associated with hard water are estimated to be responsible for around 70% of equipment failure in your home? However, only 6% of people have a water softener to help prevent the build-up of mineral deposits. With this in mind, it makes a lot of sense to look at a product that can help with this issue such as the HomeScale Protect.

So why HomeScale Protect?

The first thing to note is that Homescale Protect is not a water softener and works in a completely different way. HomeScale Protect uses Ion Polarization System (or IPS) to prevent the build-up of limescale. IPS can be used to prevent the formation of solid sediments and corrosion in cold and hot water appliances. IPS is a flow-through body with turbine-shaped electrodes of two different electrically conductive materials. The electrode generates a swirling water flow, which in turn causes a change in the structure of the minerals, reducing hard water in your water system.

When you fit HomeScale Protect in your home, the good news is that you will reduce limescale formation by up to 76%, making it a very efficient product. Standard water softeners use salt to prevent limescale and although this can work, it can also cause other long-term issues.

In addition to this, because conventional water softeners use a consumable, you will have to ensure that you keep it topped up with salt on a regular basis, which although is fairly cheap, does add up in cost over time, plus you have to remember to do it! HomeScale Protect reduces the creation of limescale on all the devices you'll find in the central heating systems and water systems in your home, including pipework, valves, taps, showerheads and coils within your heating system.

Hard water and limescale are such a problem it is estimated that over time if you do not address the issue then it can cost you up to £200 a year in efficiency. This cost excludes the additional expense of repair and replacement which inevitably occurs when hard water is left untreated. So not only can HomeScale Protect lengthen the life of devices in the home that are exposed to hot water, it can save you money on their operation too.

Since HomeScale Protect uses an electrode to disrupt limescale crystals from forming, it doesn't require a power supply, batteries, chemicals or filters to operate and keep running. So, with no maintenance that you need to worry about, and because it is so easy to install, either by yourself as a DIY project, or by a plumber, it will start saving you money right from the start. One of the benefits of HomeScale Protect is that the device itself is completely compatible with a range of central heating systems. So, that means it doesn't matter if you have a system, conventional or a combi boiler you can still add Homescale Protect to your home.

Another key benefit of HomeScale Protect is that even if your current system has a problem with limescale build-up and has existing deposits in the pipework, Homescale Protect will work to reduce this over time, saving you the cost of having to replace or clean out pipework. For those who may have water pressure issues in their central heating system, HomeScale Protect has the advantage over traditional water softeners in that it does not affect the water pressure. Great, for those homes where water pressure may be a concern.

You can help stop hard water in its tracks with HomeScale Protect. Learn more and shop online for HomeScale Protect at Mr Central Heating.