Why do you need a water hardness test kit? We will answer that question shortly, but first let’s cover the basics about water hardness, issues, and causes.
Hard water can be an inconvenient condition to live with on a daily basis. One thing hard water does is it creates mineral buildup in your pipes, fixtures, and appliances.
Another problem comes from the fact that soap does not react properly with hard water — your soap won’t lather and it will leave behind a tough-to-remove layer of soap scum on surfaces.
The soap residue can also remain on your skin because it’s tough to remove it completely with hard water, and this can cause irritation and skin conditions.
If you want to test your water to see where your water supply falls on a hardness scale, you can use an inexpensive water hardness test kit.
The results will allow you to develop a game plan to treat your water, since if it’s very hard water it can be more difficult to treat.
Hard water is caused my calcium and magnesium particles. These mineral particles come from rocks, originally, and they make their way into wells and water supplies.
Water softeners can improve your water, but first it’s helpful to know what degree of hardness you’re going to need to remedy.
Harder water will require you to add salt more often to your softener, and your level of hardness will also be a factor in which water softener system is right for you.
Here are some good options for test kits that you can get for not much money.
Water Hardness Effects
Here’s a chart to let you see some of the effects hard water can have in your home.
Measurements listed in ppm (parts per million).
Hardness below 80 ppm: soft water, soap will easily form suds
Hardness above 80 ppm: at this level, detergents that contain softening agents will lose effectiveness
Hardness above 120 ppm: this level of hardness means you’ll have some scaling inside appliances and pipes
Hardness above 250 ppm: dishes will come out filmy from dishwasher at this level of hardness
Water Hardness Test Kits
Water hardness tests kits are easy to use and will help you improve your water quality.
Water Hardness Test Strips,Upgraded 100ct,0-425 mg/L, HoneForest Hard Water Test Kit
This pack contains 100 test strips that are easy to read by matching colors to determine the amount of hardness.
[amazon box=”B07B8ZMRDC” ]
JNW Direct Water Total Hardness Test Strips, 150 Strip MEGA Pack
[amazon box=”B07B31M49N” ]
This kit contains 150 test strips, which should last you a long time if you like to test your hardness level from time to time. You might do this if you suspect that your water softener has stopped working.
Total Water Hardness Test Strips. Each Strip Best and Reliable for Home Testing Pool, Spa, Aquarium, Drinking Water, Well
[amazon box=”B07Q84ZR7Y” ]
Like the others, these easy-to-read strips give you a color-coded result that you simply match to the chart that they provide. This pack contains 100 strips.
Bulk Water Hardness Test Strips – 15 Second Results Reading from 0ppm to 500ppm
[amazon box=”B06XXSMZF6″ ]
These strips have five colors that correspond to different hardness levels. The package contains 35 test strips and as you can see by the product title, these take 15 seconds from the time you dip the strip in water to the time your result is ready.
Essieny Drinking Water Test Strips Upgrade 14 in 1, Best at Home Testing Kit for Accurate Water Quality Testing, Improved Low Level Sensitivity, 100PCS
[amazon box=”B07XDRV474″ ]
These test strips cover much more than hardness, so if you have other concerns you can gather a lot of information with these. This product will test hardness, alkalinity, and lead, copper, iron, mercury, chromium, bromine, nitrate, fluoride, and sulfite levels. The package comes with 60 strips.
Final Thoughts
Water hardness levels should be checked if you’re about to purchase a softener system; this will help you determine which softener will be best for you based on your degree of water hardness.
In addition, you should also test to see how your softener is working so you know when it’s time to add salt. These test strips are easy to use and for not much money you can have a supply that can easily last you through several months of testing needs.