Determination of water hardness in the modern world is a prerequisite for ensuring the operability of all equipment working with it. Nevertheless, it cannot be said that such a liquid is really harmful to humans. Everything should be in moderation, because excessively soft water causes no less damage to health than hard water.
Water hardness concept
You should always start from the very beginning so that you have a complete understanding of the problem. In our case, before proceeding with the determination of water hardness, we first need to understand what it is. According to the results of an examination conducted in 2011 at the Department of Chemistry and Ecology of Novgorod University. Yaroslav the Wise, for natural natural water, hardness is absolutely normal. Until the advent of modern technology, few people were interested in this issue; for thousands of years people have been quietly using it in the form in which it is. They give water rigidity to the magnesium and calcium salts dissolved in it. The very concept of rigidity arose from the results of the sensation of people, since when water saturated with these salts and other elements interacts with soap, the foam practically does not form, making washing or washing difficult.
Types of Stiffness
Before understanding which water to drink, the fact that hardness is not a uniform quantity should be taken into account. There are at least two main varieties :
These species depend on the type of dissolved salts, which are always present together in any hard water, making up the general hardness. Nevertheless, they can and should be separated. Temporary stiffness directly depends on the presence of bicarbonate and bicarbonate anions. Their main feature is decomposition during boiling. As a result of the decay, water itself, carbon dioxide and calcium carbonate are obtained directly, which practically does not dissolve. It turns out that temporary stiffness can be eliminated without any special problems by simply raising the water temperature to +100 degrees. An example is any kettle. After prolonged use, a precipitate can be detected inside, which is the result of the decay process described above. All that does not decompose in this way refers to constant stiffness, which is almost impossible to get rid of without special treatment.
Why you need to know the hardness of water
This is necessary in order to understand what water you can drink without fear, and also so that any equipment that interacts with water does not fail. Too much hard water is harmful to humans. But even if this parameter is at an acceptable level for our body, the equipment will not work anyway. Aquariums, coffee, washing and dishwashers, kettles, slow cookers and many other equipment options require water of strictly defined hardness. Usually Geyser-3 filters help to cope with this, but often such a measure may even be considered unnecessary. Before spending money on them, it is recommended that you first conduct a water hardness test, because it is quite possible that this indicator is already at a normal level.
Damage to hard and soft water
As mentioned above, in the first place, damage to a person is caused not by any particular type of water, but by a complete lack of balance in the body.
Effects of hard water:
- Poor dissolution of food products (associated with Ca 2 + and Mg 2 + cations).
- Coffee, tea and any other similar drinks are brewed very poorly.
- With prolonged use, relaxation of the stomach is possible.
- Hard water can cause kidney stones to form.
- Saturates the body with the elements it needs.
- Improves the condition of the teeth, reduces the likelihood of tooth decay.
- Hard water causes damage to most types of equipment.
Effects of soft water:
- It removes toxins, but simultaneously flushes out useful elements (potassium, magnesium and calcium). As a result, the bones become more fragile. It also does not affect the cardiovascular system in the best way.
- Negatively affects the pituitary-adrenaline system.
- It has a bad effect on the water-salt balance of the body.
Thus, the determination of water hardness should not be done to get rid of it, but in order to minimize the negative impact and bring the use of such a liquid to the balance required by the body.
GOST Sampling Rules
According to GOST, drinking water must be tested for rigidity strictly in the laboratory, by means of a titrimetric analysis. To do this, you must first take samples, the volume of which should be at least 400 cubic centimeters (0.4 liters). As the container in which storage will be carried out, any container can be used if it is made of glass or a polymeric material. It is very important to conduct an analysis no later than 24 hours after sampling. In special cases, when it is necessary to increase this period, acidification of the liquid is carried out by adding hydrochloric acid. In this condition, it can be stored for about 1 month.
Titrimetric (laboratory) analysis
Among all methods for determining water hardness, this option is deservedly considered the most reliable and comprehensive. It is based on the process of the formation of trilon compounds together with alkaline-earth elements of ions. The minimum stiffness indicator that can be determined using this method is 0.1 o F (7-10 o F is considered the norm). As a test, ordinary tap water can be used. The best way out in a situation with suspected increased stiffness is to immediately visit the appropriate laboratory, since no home methods can give accurate data. But about them - below.
There is no point in fully describing the whole process, since it is impossible to reproduce it yourself, without the necessary skills and chemical elements and equipment. Nevertheless, several basic principles of the reaction can be distinguished, which are preserved in any situation and are inherent in absolutely all options:
- There should always be a way to fix the equivalence of the reaction, which is the basis for determining stiffness.
- The analysis is very fast.
- The requirement of stoichiometry of the process must be met. Simply put, this means that no by-products should form during the reaction.
- From the moment a reaction begins, it cannot be reversed or stopped.
Test strips
To determine the hardness of water at home, you can use special devices, which will not be difficult to buy (they are not prohibited and generally available). They look like standard test strips. For use, it is enough to immerse one of them in water that requires verification for the period specified in the instructions. As a result, the product will change its color. When using such strips to determine water hardness, the main problem is to determine what exactly is the hardness indicator. To do this, you need to compare the color on the strip and the examples with the description on the package. Unfortunately, it is far from always possible to immediately understand what exactly the device shows, and even in a clearer situation, the accuracy of the data leaves much to be desired. In general, such test strips are only suitable for a general understanding of how hard or soft the water is.
Home analysis
You can also check the water from the tap for stiffness using improvised means. True, this is more of an entertaining experience for children than really an option for testing fluid readings.
It is necessary to take:
- A 1 liter jar (or any other similar container).
- A glass in the shape of a cylinder.
- Any scales (it is most convenient to use electronic).
- Ruler.
- Laundry soap (72% or 60%).
- Distilled water.
To check, you need to take 1 gram of soap, grind it and place in a glass. After this, distilled water should be warmed up, but not brought to a boil. It should be poured into the glass in which the soap already lies. As a result, it must dissolve in water. The next step is to pour even more water. After that, pour ordinary water from the tap into a jar and slowly pour the soapy liquid from the glass and mix (slowly). If foam forms, then this is an indicator of stiffness. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to say more or less clearly what exactly its level is using this method.
TDS analysis
Another option for determining the hardness of drinking water is to use a special device - a TDS meter. In principle, it is designed to determine the electrical conductivity of water, which is directly affected by salts (creating rigidity), as well as many other elements, which does not provide the required level of accuracy. Moreover, an ordinary person who does not know how to read them will not understand the readings of the device and will most likely get confused. Let's try to simplify the task. The vast majority of such devices use some ppm as units. We use other options based on the equivalent of a milligram per liter of liquid. On average, 1 of our units (mEq / l) equals 50.05 foreign ppm. According to the rules, the salt concentration (i.e. hardness) should be no more than 350 ppm or 7 mEq / l. It’s worth focusing on these numbers. If the device is domestic, everything is much easier. Worst of all, when such a device is made somewhere in China or another similar country where its own units of measurement are used. Then you have to independently look for their equivalent and translate into the usual indications for us.
AKMS-1
Of the other devices capable of determining water hardness, the unique AKMS-1 device should be noted separately. This is a fairly large stationary unit, similar in size to the Geyser-3 filters. It’s just not possible to check the fluid at home with it. That is why such devices are used primarily in production, where water hardness can affect the operation of expensive equipment or cause other similar harm. Unlike all other analogues, AKMS-1 really quickly and accurately shows the current level of stiffness, allowing the operator to respond in a timely manner. With the help of this device, you can either let water into the working units directly, if it does not pose a threat to them, or pre-filter it. This, of course, will result in additional costs, but it will help to save on the repair of equipment, which will cost much more.
Summary
Given all the above and the requirements of GOST, drinking water should be regularly checked for hardness. Nevertheless, it is not worth taking radical measures to soften it, since both conditions are harmful - too hard and too soft. Only in a situation where the indicators are really higher or lower, is it worth taking some action. By the way, if you regularly struggle with stiffness, then you can hardly hear about too soft water, but you also need to pay no less attention to this.