In the Netherlands
The water hardness of water is a measure of the concentration of metal ions, mostly magnesium and calcium carbonate, but also bicarbonates and sulphates, in the water. Most drinking water contains calcium, which precipitates as calcium carbonate when heated. This precipitation is also called lime, limescale or scale, referring to the deposits in whistling kettles.
Water with a high water hardness causes a lot of limescale and thus causes damage to heating elements, but also makes the action of soaps more difficult. The latter can be found in the dosages for the dishwasher or washing machine.
Water hardness is also an important factor when keeping fish in an aquarium. Depending on where a fish species occurs in nature, water of a certain hardness is a requirement to ensure the animals of a healthy life. This is even more true when farming fish. Water in the Amazon basin is very soft (1 dH or less) while Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika are used to hardnesses of 28 dH. Source: Wikipedia
The water hardness of water is a measure of the concentration of metal ions, mostly magnesium and calcium carbonate, but also bicarbonates and sulphates, in the water. Most drinking water contains calcium, which precipitates as calcium carbonate when heated. This precipitation is also called lime, limescale or scale, referring to the deposits in whistling kettles.
Water with a high water hardness causes a lot of limescale and thus causes damage to heating elements, but also makes the action of soaps more difficult. The latter can be found in the dosages for the dishwasher or washing machine.
Water hardness is also an important factor when keeping fish in an aquarium. Depending on where a fish species occurs in nature, water of a certain hardness is a requirement to ensure the animals of a healthy life. This is even more true when farming fish. Water in the Amazon basin is very soft (1 dH or less) while Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika are used to hardnesses of 28 dH. Source: Wikipedia
