Water hardness tester: any recommendations?

[Allan]

Just moved in to a new house a few months ago in a hard water area (Suffolk): water company sayd hardness is 26 degrees Clark). House has a water softener, which has been in operation for a few months. I want to check softener is doing it's job, and also which taps are hard and which are soft (and by how much). I'd like a small widget thingy that you can dip in a sample that gives a digital read-out. I'm planning on doing periodic tests to see if levels fluctuate (e.g. with the softener cycle to get it right), and therefore the kits that you have to add chemicals to the sample will probably be time-consuming and require replenishing. Also, might have to get my Mum to do some of the samples, as I might be away for a couple of weeks, and she'd probably prefer to dip a gadget in a glass of water and take a reading, rather than dealing with chemicals/solutions. I don't much mind what the units are, but a readout in degrees Clark, or able to be easily converted would be helpful. TIA Allan

[Bob Minchin]

[Onetap]

Not much point. Water comes out soft, 0 ppm hardness. You'll get some hardn= ess if the resin is approaching exhaustion/regeneration, the flow rate thro= ugh the softener is too high, if the flow rate is too low causing 'tracking= ' or if the softened water is mixed with hard water in a storage tank or in= tentionally by a mixing valve. =20

You can get single use dip strips, or titration drop test kits for accurate= measurement of ppm hardness. Washing your hands in the 'soft' water will t= ell you immediately whether it is softened, which is good enough for domest= ic stuff. =20

[Onetap]

TDS is not a measurement of water hardness. The hardness depends on which solids are dissolved in the water (e.g., calcium carbonates - hard, sodium carbonates - soft), which a TDS meter won't tell you.

[Davey]

Thank you for that. I had looked at some of those testers, and that fact was often hinted at, but rarely if ever actually stated. I agree with your statement that simply using the water will tell you if it's working or not. The header tank will act as a large warning delay if the salt runs out. I will also add that I live in the same Suffolk Extremely Hard Water Area as the OP, and even though my dishwasher uses unsoftened water, it works fine, without using the internal softener or rinse-aid, while I use Fairy Platinum sachets. And I have no connection with them. It may be that others would work just as well. My softener uses blocks of salt, which I find so much better than the granules, and it has a transparent cover, so I can always just look to check if they need replacing.

[Onetap]

On Sunday, December 30, 2012 11:06:06 AM UTC, Davey wrote: =20

Yes; the Finish dishwasher tablets have some phosphate chemical in the powe= r ball bit. I believe. that somehow makes the limescale less likely to form= deposits. The same stuff is used in the Combimate. which treats water goin= g through combi boilers, but isn't a softener. I used my dishwasher for mon= ths/years with these and no salt with no problems. I bought some cheapo Ald= i tablets (1/4 of the cost) when I ran out and there was a film of scale al= l over the dishwasher within 3 or 4 washes; the packet did say that salt wa= s needed. The limescale vanished when I bunged some salt in.=20

I'm unconvinced by the requirement to use block salt; softeners regenerat= e using brine and the solid salt is immersed in water for usually >24 hours= between regens, so I can't see how blocks or tablets would make any differ= ence.

Some commercial dishwashers recommended 40ppm hardness ISTR, less corrosi= on problems apparently. You could only get this by blending softened water = with untreated mains using a manual blending valve. I never found a detecto= r that could measure hardness, despite much looking. The only automatic dev= ice I saw was a Heath Robinson gadget that used a colour change titration s= ensor.

I'd suggest the OP tries E-bay for dip strips if he really wants them, bu= t soap is a cheaper and reliable indicator. =20

[Davey]

snip

My only difference of opinion is that, having used both granule salt and block salt, I find the block variety much easier and cleaner to use; and the unit I have does not keep the block in water between regens., the bottom of the holder is dry. How this is achieved, I don't know. Which just shows that there are different types of softener unit, and different opinions about their use.

[Onetap]

combi boilers, but isn't a softener.

And that Calgon stuff.

I've never come across 'dry brine tank' softeners, I'd imagine they put water into the salt tank at the start of the regen cycle. The main purpose of the block salt seems to be in selling cheap salt in an expensive shape. I may be described as cynical.

[Dave Liquorice]

Possibly under Aquarium supplies. Some aquarium water dip strips do hardness, though I don't know without looking if the correct ions and range is being tested...

[Davey]

snip

I would imagine so, on both counts. I agree that the block salt method is a bit more expensive than the granules, per kg, but the location of my softener (the only possible location) makes a big difference, as I have to move the salt in and under an overhang. This would be a lot harder, and probably messier, with granules, and would certainly take longer to do. The old softener that was there originally was a granule type, and due to the fact that it had died while full of salt and water made removal a real pain in the behind. This might have something to do with my dislike of them. It is my choice to stick with the block, without regrets, and I wish you many happy years of softened water with whatever you finally choose.