H 2 O is the formula of the necessary substance for the entire vast universe: water. On earth, it has three states of aggregation in which we daily live. These states are divided into gaseous - steam, solid - ice, liquid - water. As you know, without drinking a person can survive no more than 5 days, since the process of dehydration begins in his body.
Experts advise to use from 2 to 2.5 liters of liquid per day, because its property very favorably affects our well-being and appearance. But, unfortunately, not everything in this drink can be useful and safe. It contains iron, which in an excess state can harm a person. Yes, it is really useful in doses of up to 8-10 mg per person. However, when the total hardness reaches over 12 mg, measures must be taken to clean it.
Soft, medium and hard
Soft water is odorless, tasteless, or colorless. It takes in its composition: potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine and mineral salts. These elements are contained in exactly the amount that is considered useful and safe for humans.
The average is close in the presence of an excess of side components to the state of water with a high content of harmful substances. It is not harmless when eaten.
Hard water leaves a taste of iron in your mouth. It has an identical composition, but the concentration of substances is extremely extreme, and therefore can cause various diseases, even in a person with good health.
Benefit and harm
Of course, a certain amount of metal in water is beneficial to humans. But if its concentration has reached a maximum level, then special attention should be paid to the ensuing symptoms, which, most likely, indicate its excess in the body:
- the appearance of stones in the urinary organ or in the kidneys;
- deviation from the norm of the digestive tract;
- disorder of the nervous system;
- lifelessness of the skin and hair, as well as their fragility.
You should not water your pets with it. As you know, animals are susceptible to the same diseases as humans. And, of course, it’s better to water home plants with purified water.
In addition to harm to health, excess salts also cause damage to all household appliances in the house. Due to overheating from the formed scale, heating devices fail and their repair is not always possible.
Well, then what is the use of water? Studies by scientists show that its daily presence in the human diet reduces the risk of developing vascular and heart diseases, this is especially true for men who are more likely to have heart attacks.
In medicine, for example, it is used to strengthen bones due to the high potassium content in the composition.
At the same time, water with a low concentration of calcium and magnesium, which are some of the most important minerals for the body, is not useful. Too soft is capable of leaching beneficial substances and bacteria from the body.
Varieties of conditions
Divided into several groups:
- Carbonate - indicates the presence of carbonates.
- Constant - boiled water for more than half an hour, as a result of which it forms sulfates and chlorides, which do not precipitate.
- Disposable - contains calcium and magnesium bicarbonates, they, in turn, during the achievement of high temperatures turn into insoluble carbonates and precipitate.
Total hardness also includes sulfate, chloride and bicarbonates in its contents.
How to measure salt levels yourself
There are two ways to recognize water in a home environment with an increased composition of harmful elements. The first of them is the most affordable: if you find that scale remains on the teapot and pots after they interact with the metal, a film floats on the surface of the tea mug, and white stains remain on the dishes, which means that the water in the house is unsuitable for consumption.
For the second method, you can not do without a special device, a TDS test, which can be bought at the store. The principle of using this method is very simple: when it is placed in a glass with liquid on a thermometer, data on the concentration of all substances in milligrams will be displayed.
Determining the total hardness of water is especially important if you are using household appliances. Indeed, for a dishwasher in this case, it is necessary to purchase a descaler. The coffee machine should be programmed for self-cleaning. For a steam iron and a washing vacuum cleaner, it is better to buy distilled liquid separately. Is not it, a lot of worries associated with providing one of the most necessary foundations of life in domestic life? This can all be avoided by filtering it or diluting it with substances that can regulate the concentration of metals. What they are, we will consider in this article.
Laboratory method for determining the total hardness of water
The most reliable method of determination is to pass a fluid sample to the laboratory. This type of research is especially recommended for those involved in the installation of a water supply system in the private sector. Not many people know that if you neglect to check the composition of the future source of water supply and adjacent soil at the installation site of the sump, then harmful substances entering the soil can poison the water for several years.
Laboratory specialists will be able to calculate the total hardness of the water, provide you with information about the presence or absence of other impurities, hydrogen sulfide and pesticides, as well as give recommendations on how to purify it.
Calculation formula
To determine the total hardness of water, there is a certain formula:
Ca2 + Mg2, where Ca2 is calcium, Mg2 is magnesium. In total equivalent, it gives an indicator of the level of content of the components as a whole.
Laboratory assistants determine the total amount by two conditions - permanent and temporary. Since when heated, hydrocarbons contained in a temporary state decompose and form insoluble precipitates of elements, the total water hardness should be calculated using the following formulas:
Ca (HCO 3 ) 2 = CaCO 3 ∣ + H 2 O + CO 2 ;
Mg (HCO 3 ) 2 = MgCO 3 ∣ + H 2 O + CO 2 .
Boiling as a way to soften
The easiest method to reduce the composition of iron in a liquid is boiling. As we already know, when a liquid is heated to high temperatures, the chemical elements contained in it decompose and lead to the formation of a precipitate.
Another option is also associated with heating, but it will take much more time - about an hour, after which such water should be cooled and allowed to stand for up to a day. The total rigidity after doing the manipulation will significantly decrease to the average level, this can be checked by the TDS test.
When boiling, salt impurities are excluded. However, boiling water has negative qualities. These include:
- scale formation, which is difficult to remove;
- unsuitability of the composition for watering plants;
- its long-term consumption can lead to gastrointestinal disorders.
Freezing
Also, easy ways to combat the general hardness of water include its freezing. But here it is important to adhere to the following rules. The required amount of liquid should be poured into a container, wait for it to be partially frozen (approximately 70%), after which the remainder should be drained into a jar. The remaining block of ice should be discarded, since it contains all the harmful substances that needed to be disposed of. Of the minuses of this method, it is worth noting that to get a large amount of melt water, you will need several liters of it to freeze.
Reagents will save the situation
Mitigation can be achieved by adding to the water containing harmful components such substances as:
- Citric acid is able to oxidize and destroy limescale. It is recommended to add 5 mg per 2 liters of liquid.
- Baking soda lowers the acidity of salts. Use 5 mg per 8-10 liters of water.
- Tablets or powders made specifically for the washing machine and dishwasher. They reduce the concentration of impurities.
Popular filtering systems
Today, manufacturers offer us less time-consuming ways to get rid of general rigidity, which can be purchased in the store and installed independently. Of these, it is worth highlighting:
- Electromagnetic filters, they are installed on water pipes. Under the influence of electromagnetic fields, they delay harmful metals and dump them into the waste.
- Reverse osmosis. This system works with the help of a special membrane, it, in turn, absorbs harmful substances, and passes water and purifies it through an additional filter. However, it is not recommended to use it for drinking, since there are no useful substances left in it after processing osmosis.
- Ion exchange filter. Its function is the ability to change the composition of water. When penetrated into a liquid, ionic filter particles replace calcium and magnesium particles with sodium particles. As a result of the connection and interaction of elements in these chemical processes, its composition does not change. This cleaning method is one of the most practical and safest.
General rigidity in accordance with GOST
Measurement of the composition of water, as well as the presence of zinc, potassium and other substances in it, is determined according to international GOST. So, in 1989, according to GOST 4151-72, mol / m 3 was adopted as the unit of stiffness. In 2005, a new GOST 520029-2003 was introduced, in which the unit of measure is expressed in milligrams.
When determining the structure of a liquid, according to GOST 520029-2003, are based on equivalents:
- soft - the norm is from 1 to 5 mg;
- average - the norm is from 5 to 8 mg;
- hard - from 10 mg or more.
Interesting facts about water
The cleanest water is rain. Before turning into rain, it evaporated. During the evaporation, the salts contained in it could not evaporate, therefore they were screened out. It becomes stiff when it passes through the soil and absorbs harmful components from it.
Even in ancient times, people began to notice differences in the quality of things after washing. After one wash, things remained soft and pleasant to the touch, and after another they were coarse and hard.