Hard water is a problem for most residents of the United Kingdom. Hard water is water that contains a high level of dissolved minerals and ions, the most troublesome of which are calcium and magnesium. Water is made hard when rain water falls on land that contains high levels of minerals. The water picks up the minerals as it seeps through the ground and into the water table. Water that falls on ground that is made up mostly of hard rock or peaty soil is less likely to pick up minerals or other elements and will stay "soft."

Hard water is definitely less desirable than soft water. This is because the minerals that are dissolved in hard water often collect in the piping systems of homes and buildings as well as on the insides of machines and other household appliances. This build up of minerals makes it harder for the machines to work properly.

Cleaning with hard water is also incredibly difficult as the minerals contained in hard water prevent soaps and cleaning materials from lathering correctly. When you use hard water regularly, your machines have to work harder which means they use more electricity, causing your utility bill to spike or be abnormally high. If too much scale builds up in the plumbing, you will need to replace your pipes which is also expensive.

A large portion of the UK population has found that the installation of a water softener is the best way to combat the effects of hard water. A water softener is a machine that filters your home's water as it flows from the ground water or well supply and into your home. It has special filters built into it that help it "strain out" most of the minerals that are found in hard water.

Some water softener companies build machines that will filter out a variety of other materials as well as hard water minerals. Soft water is much easier to use for household activities and it is safer for the pipes in your house.

Hard water is dangerous both for the home and for the body, though that danger largely depends upon which minerals are prevalent in the water supply for your local area. Magnesium and Calcium ions are the most dangerous minerals as they can have disastrous effects on a person's health if too much of either is absorbed.

Most plumbing leaks are caused by mineral scale that has been building up in a home's plumbing system without being checked. The repair costs for this can be quite expensive so it is important to check your hard water build up regularly!

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumber Weston Super Mare, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.