Is soft water better to reduce limescale?

As you probably know all too well, limescale can be a real pain. It’s that unsightly chalky build-up that forms in your kettle; that nasty soap scum that crusts and stains your taps, showerheads and shower screens.

While many won’t pay full attention to the effects of limescale build-up in their day-to-day lives, it can end up costing you a lot of money in new appliances and repairs to your household heating system.

But how do you effectively reduce the build-up of limescale? Does soft water cause limescale? Or does hard water cause it? In this blog, we’ll be covering what causes it, why it is so important to reduce, and how your water hardness might be the problem.

What actually creates limescale?

Firstly, it’s helpful to establish what causes water to create limescale in the first place. Rainwater is naturally soft, but the issues arise when the rain percolates down through the earth and comes into contact with chalk and/or lime bedrock.

When this happens, the natural acidity of the water dissolves the chalk – releasing hard water minerals like magnesium and calcium. When these minerals group and solidify, they create limescale.

The chalk and limestone regions in the South and East of England surrender more minerals to water than the granite regions in the North and West, meaning these areas have much harder water. This also means that the Southern and Eastern regions are more prone to limescale build-up unless it is properly mitigated.

Why do you need to get on top of it?

Put simply, hard water and limescale have an increased chance of damaging your appliances.

Here’s a sobering thought: the average UK home collects around 70kg of limescale a year. This is the weight of an average adult! Throughout the course of a year, this large amount of limescale clogs up high-usage appliances like dishwashers, kettles, and washing machines. As a result, they’ll be less efficient both functionally and from an energy perspective and they may end up damaged.

Similarly, it will also clog your boiler and pipes. In fact, limescale in your boiler is likely the main reason why you might see an increase in your heating bills. Just 1/16th of an inch of limescale around your boiler’s heating elements can increase your fuel costs by up to 15%.

So, how can you remove limescale? The most common solution is to turn to household cleaning products. These will indeed remove limescale, but only for a while. The problem is that these are temporary fixes and don’t address the long-term issue at the source — hard water itself.

Does soft water cause limescale?

No. In fact, it does quite the opposite. Softened water removes the minerals that harden the water and dissolves limescale build-up, preventing it from recurring in the future. Therefore, having a water softener fitted is the only guaranteed way to combat limescale build-up.

Water softeners work by using a process called ion exchange to swap the hard minerals, such as magnesium ions, for harmless sodium ions. Best of all, the most efficient ones use very little electricity so they’re very economical and low maintenance. Water softeners allow your household appliances, boilers and pipework to be returned to their original state — finally putting an end to their limescale onslaught.

The lifestyle benefits of using a water softener are plentiful, plus, your wallet will thank you for it! If you’re fed up with paying more for your energy bills, having limescale build-up in your appliances, or even want healthier skin and smoother fabrics, consider getting a high-quality water softener fitted.