Question in hard and soft water

[GeOff]

i am confuse on what is soft and hard water, how do u differentiate or measure them???

also what is GH???


Thanks in advance..................... :D

[GunmetalBlue]

Hi Geoff, I'm not very good with water parameters, so please bear with me. Also, any corrections/additions by anyone, welcome. :)

GH is the measure of calcium and magnesium in the water. So theoretically, pure water has 0 or very low GH and is considered "soft" water. On the other hand, some of our tap water (depends on the area where you live) has high GH; that is considered "hard" water. Again, theoretically speaking, soft water *typically has low pH. Conversely, hard water *typically has high pH.

Now what becomes confusing is that there is also a measurement called total akalinity (KH). It determines the buffering capacity of water and its ability to maintain a stable pH. If your KH is too low, it may lead to a pH "crash" (pH drops too far). If your KH is too high, typically, your pH will be high too, and would make it more difficult to lower.

The way GH and KH are measured is by using a test kit, just like how there are test kits to measure pH.

-GB