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Watch the video to learn how to remove hard water stains and build-up from faucets and shower heads. What is hard water? Hard water refers to water that contains a high amount of minerals.
Limescale is a hard, chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3). It often builds up inside kettles, boilers, and pipework, especially that for hot water. It is also often found as a similar deposit on the inner surfaces of old pipes and other surfaces where hard water has flowed.
A bathtub faucet with built-up calcification from hard water in Southern Arizona. Hard water is water that has a high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, [1] which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates.
Water containing these minerals is known as "hard water". [citation needed] When hard water is heated in a plumbing system, carbon dioxide goes out of solution, and bicarbonates become carbonates, which are much less soluble. The carbonates bind to plumbing surfaces providing seed crystals for further crystal growth, which build up as hard scale.
“Signs of sediment buildup can include rust-colored water at your faucets, leaking or noisy operation at your water heater, or poor performance from your water heater,” says Davis.
The harder the water, the more minerals like magnesium and calcium are in it. This leads to more visible stains and water deposits on the sink, which requires more frequent cleaning.
Limescale build-up inside a pipe reduces both liquid flow and thermal conduction from the pipe, so will reduce thermal efficiency when used as a heat exchanger.. A descaling agent or chemical descaler is a liquid chemical substance used to remove limescale from metal surfaces in contact with hot water, such as in boilers, water heaters, and kettles.
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