Testing for hard water

[mike_s]

How do I do this? I'm gas safe registered, 7 years experience, fully qualified in plumbing and gas to level 3 and installed tons of boilers yet I've never been told anything about this.

It states in Benchmark and certain installation manuals that a scale reducer must be fitted to combi boilers where the hard water is more that 200 ppm. I assume this is measuring lime scale? How do I do this? We do not have a major limescale problem in the vast majoritory of houses around here.

 

[bobb]

I have just been looking my self for a hard water test kit, you can get them on amzon or any where that sales water softeners. You can gets drops you put in the water, the more drops it takes to change the colour of the water the harder the water is. I think its one drop per10 ppm.
Hope thats a help. Bench marks are good but cost me a fourtune in trying to keep up with tools and equipment.

Bobb

 

[mike_s]

haha yes I've been endevouring to complete all of the Bnechmark recently so theres no questions to me from the manufacturers if they have to come out under the warranty period.

Looks like I need a hard water test kit then, any reccomendations?

 

[easyt]

Can't the local water company supply the details?

 

[mike_s]

I don't know. Surely there must be a simple method for heating engineers?

 

[easyt]

If I go on my utility suppliers web site I can enter post code and get test results. I am in Welsh Water Area

 

[mike_s]

just been on united utilities website and got this number to ring tomorrow 0845 746 2200 open from 8am-8pm if anybody else is interested. Will speak to boiler manufacturers also. I'm sure we don't have a major problem around here in the north west. United utilities state that most of the water around here is soft or very soft. Now I've heard that Worcester boilers shouldn't be fitted to soft water? It just sounds like another excuse for their warranties like the ph they state.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i think it's softened water Worcester boilers don't like not soft.

 

[mike_s]

Yep just re-read this and realised, I got mixed up between soft and softened.

 

[moogwai]

Get a tds meter.....simple and quick way to test. Just turn it on and dip it in! Must get one that tests for ppm......loads on flea bay.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[mike_s]

cheers will check out the best tds. Do these measure ph too?

 

[moogwai]

No mate, need a separate meter for that.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[kay-jay]

be wary of what united utilities will tell you!

i've contacted them in the past about this (regarding what treatment i need for perfect beer brewing water)

they will give you a analytical breakdown of what is in the water. this will be accurate and is the only part of the report you should trust but only after it has been confirmed that it is postcode specific and not a geographical average that covers something like a quarter of the country.
if like me you live in the NW they also state that we are a soft water area. *******s to that. any local plumber will tell you, in fact any fool with a kettle and a bit of common sense will tell you that we are temp hard!

KJ

 

[mike_s]

yep I thought we can't be all soft water as we do get some limescale and some people think they must have very hard water! I wonder how accurate they are for the area of a small town that we mostly work in. I'll speak to them and get a tds meter. May get fernox or kamco or one from WATER TESTING INSTRUMENTS - HM Digital

 

[moogwai]

yep I thought we can't be all soft water as we do get some limescale and some people think they must have very hard water! I wonder how accurate they are for the area of a small town that we mostly work in. I'll speak to them and get a tds meter. May get fernox or kamco or one from WATER TESTING INSTRUMENTS - HM Digital

i have the hm tds and ph meters.....vey good.

 

[AWheating]

got my tds meter of ebay for about £30 including postage from usa. alot cheaper then it costs to buy from the uk. I always record the ppm on the benchmark now, shows any manufactures engineer you have checked and not invalidated there warranty as they all expect you to protect the boiler if you have a reading above 200ppm.

 

[mike_s]

cheers sounds good, will get one and do the same, adds to your credibility too. Still not sure which to get but will look into it

 

[AWheating]

NEW! TDS Meter HANNA 98301 Water Tester Hydro Aquarium | eBay UK

This is the one i have (cant remember if this is the same seller) and i cant fault it. Make sure if you buy one it has a low resolution and measures to 1ppm, many of them for sale measure to 10ppm and even 100ppm which is to high for what you need.