What is water hardness, what types are there and how to eliminate it?

Water hardness is usually caused by the large amount of minerals in the soil and surface waters. Two minerals that cause water hardness are calcium and magnesium. If one or both minerals are present in high concentrations in drinking water, then the water is considered “hard”. These minerals come from sedimentary rocks. There are a couple of different sedimentary rocks like limestone. Sometimes this rock dissolves in our river system and causes an increase in water hardness. Some of the results of hard water include: difficulty in making foam for washing and large accumulation of minerals on faucets, pipes, and other plumbing installations. Water containing low concentrations of calcium or magnesium is called “soft” water.