{"id":5617,"date":"2025-03-05T14:29:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T13:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.eu\/?p=5617"},"modified":"2025-08-19T17:33:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T15:33:00","slug":"origin-of-limestone-in-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/2025\/03\/05\/origin-of-limestone-in-water\/","title":{"rendered":"What causes limescale in water?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"5617\" class=\"elementor elementor-5617\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24d508ea e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"24d508ea\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50d375e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"50d375e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Rainwater, originally pure, becomes <strong>limestone<\/strong> when it crosses soils rich in limestone. As it dissolves these minerals, it becomes charged with <strong>calcium ions (Ca\u00b2)<\/strong><strong>\u207a<\/strong><strong>) and magn<\/strong><strong>\u00e9<\/strong><strong>sium (Mg<\/strong><strong>\u00b2<\/strong><strong>\u207a<\/strong><strong>)<\/strong>which determines its <strong>hardness<\/strong>. The limescale content of your water, its hardness, will therefore be determined mainly by the geology of your region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The more of these minerals a water contains, the more it is said to be <strong>\"hard\"<\/strong>the more it tends to leave limescale deposits in pipes and household appliances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1. <strong>How to measure water hardness?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hardness is expressed in <strong>\u00b0f (French degree)<\/strong>corresponding to <strong>10 mg calcium carbonate (CaCO\u2083) per liter water<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Fresh water<\/strong> 0 to 20 \u00b0f<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Hard water<\/strong> 21 to 30 \u00b0f<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Very hard water<\/strong> 31 to 40 \u00b0f<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Extremely hard water<\/strong> : &gt; 40 \u00b0f<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_autre.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"795\" data-id=\"5621\" class=\"wp-image-5621\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_autre.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_autre.png 674w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_autre-254x300.png 254w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_autre-600x708.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/figure>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"607\" data-id=\"5624\" class=\"wp-image-5624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique-768x583.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/carte_belgique-600x455.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/figure>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can easily find the hardness for your town or region by visiting your supplier's website. If you can't find it, or want to check for yourself, you can also use the Aquacycle.eu hardness test.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If your water is <strong>hard to very hard<\/strong>a <strong>softener <\/strong>can be an effective solution for <strong>reduce limescale in water<\/strong> and protect your plumbing, skin and appliances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2. <strong>The undesirable effects of limescale<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Scale formation<\/strong> When heated, water releases calcium and magnesium, which crystallize as <strong>scale deposits<\/strong> in pipes, water heaters, fittings and household appliances.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Reducing energy efficiency<\/strong> A thin layer of limescale in a water heater or boiler can lead to <strong>increase energy consumption<\/strong>because heat exchange is less efficient. Heating is therefore more expensive.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Effects on skin and hair<\/strong> : Hard water <strong>dries skin and hair<\/strong>It limits the effectiveness of soaps and shampoos.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Rough laundry problems<\/strong> Limescale makes clothes rougher after washing and reduces the effectiveness of detergents.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3. <strong>How to combat limescale?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Use a salt water softener <\/strong>It allows you to <strong>reduce limescale<\/strong> by replacing calcium and magnesium ions with sodium.<\/span><\/li>\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Opt for a salt-free eco-friendly softener<\/strong> : Like a <strong>CO\u2082 softener<\/strong>which prevents scale formation without altering the mineral composition of the water.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Limescale is a mineral that occurs naturally in water, but it can also cause problems. <strong>domestic problems<\/strong> forming limescale. To avoid its negative effects, the installation of a <strong>high-end water softener<\/strong> can be an effective solution for taking advantage of a <strong>softer, more pleasant water every day<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A top-of-the-range water softener can be an effective solution for enjoying softer, more pleasant water every day.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_metasync_otto_title":"","_metasync_otto_description":"","_metasync_otto_keywords":"","_metasync_otto_og_title":"","_metasync_otto_og_description":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_title":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_description":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_aioseo_title":"","_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoucisseur"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aquacycle.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}