Advanced reading about hardness and alkalinity.
Alkalinity can be defined as a measure of waters capacity to neutralize acids. Alkalinity is caused by weak salts of acids. Technically there are 3 primary forms of alkalinity 1. carbonates, 2. bicarbonates and 3. hydroxides. Alkalinity inter-reacts aggressively with carbon dioxide to cause changes of bicarbonate to carbonate and carbonate back to bicarbonate. However when alkalinity is measured it usually tests for the combined amount of carbonate & bicarbonate.
Other things that contribute to hardness are strontium, ferrous iron, manganous ions and sometimes aluminum and ferric ions in dissolved solution. Hardness is caused primarily by the soil and rock formations. Hardness to the layman is the soap consuming capacity or amount of soap required to form a foam. Limestone formations are a big cause of water hardness. Some of the difficulty of understanding hardness is possibly due to there is a carbonate and non-carbonate hardness or aka temporary hardness.
In waters with lots of calcium, calcium carbonate (lime) is precipitated.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/10/17 01:35 PM.
