There are a number of environmental, social and economic considerations to be taken into account when determining whether hard water is bad or not.
The benefits of hard water include:
• Improved taste of water
• Helps reduce heart disease
• Good for the development and maintenance of bones and teeth.
However, the drawbacks are:
• More soap is needed to produce lather so it can become more expensive
• The scum produced by hard water can spoil the appearance of kitchen appliances and bathroom suites
• The efficiency of kettles and heating systems can be reduced if limescale coats the insides of pipes and boilers – this can increase running costs and can cause a breakdown if a blockage occurs.
What causes hard water? Here’s the science:
Rainwater naturally contains carbonic acid, which is formed by the reaction between water and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
When it rains, the water falls over rocks and passes through layers of rock in the ground. Compounds from these rocks then dissolve into the water, and the hardness of the water will depend on which region in the UK this happens, as the rocks vary throughout.
Hard water contains dissolved compounds, usually calcium or magnesium, and carbonic acid in the rainwater reacts with this to produce soluble calcium hydrogencarbonate.
carbonic acid + calcium carbonate = calcium hydrogencarbonate
It’s the presence of calcium ions and magnesium ions in the water that makes it hard. Whilst soft water will readily form lather with soap, it’s more difficult to achieve with hard water, so more soap is needed.
So is hard water bad? Yes and no. It is not unhealthy for you to consume and bath in, but it can cause issues to your plumbing.
To see if your area has hard water click here.
For questions about potential problems to your plumbing caused by hard water in Chelsea call 020 7350 2511 or click here.
A lot can be said about the amount of water one uses when taking a shower. Studies out there say an 8-minute shower can use 62 litres of water, with some power showers using 136 litres for that same 8-minute shower and a typical bath using 80 litres of water. The age-old debate of bath vs shower rages on. But with both water and money seeming to not go as far as it used to, we have come up with a few tips to help you save money and water this summer.
• Installing a water efficient showerhead
Many are available for less than £30 – and the savings on your water and energy bill mean you’ll get that money back in less than a year
• Take a shorter shower
Take a shorter shower – by cutting two minutes off the time you spend under the water you can save about £40 off your combined energy and water bills annually if you’re on a water meter. (And imagine what you could do with the extra 12 hours of time this would save you every year!)
• Turn your water off when brushing
Remember to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth – a running tap wastes over 6 litres per minute.
• Vegetables and fruit
By washing your fruits and veg in a bowl rather than under a running tap, you could cut down on water waste effortlessly. And as an added bonus, you can use the leftover water to feed your houseplants.
These are just a few tips, if you are looking for more ways to save water and money this summer be sure to check out the Waterwise website.
Our boilers are the source of all our hot water and heating in our home. Yet most people don’t think about them until there is an issue. That is why we put together this list of 4 reasons to have your boiler serviced annually.
1: Minor repairs can become major repairs
Major issues with your boilers often develop over time. So having annual boiler service can possibly catch this issues when they are minor and und up saving you money.
2: Save £ on heating costs
When your boiler is serviced, the Gas Safe Registered Engineer that does the service will make sure it is running at its highest efficiency thus making sure you are not wasting any money by heating your home and water.
3: Carbon monoxide is a killer
This is not a scare tactic, having a faulty boiler can cause you to be exposed to carbon monoxide that can kill you. The safety and health of your family is the most important concern when a Gas Safe Registered Engineer comes to your home.
4: It’s the law
If you’re a landlord, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that each of your properties has a current Gas Safety Certificate. Only Gas Safe Register approved engineers are qualified to perform this gas safety check and issue a CP12 Inspection Certificate to prove it.
When having your boiler serviced always check to make sure the company is on the Gas Safe Register and ask the engineer when they arrive to see proof of this. If you are in Fulham and your boiler is due its annual service call 020 7350 2511 or click here to schedule one of our engineers to come out to your home.
Some plumbing changes in your home happen so slowly, you do not even realize anything is different. Taps are a great example of this—one day you realize the tap is difficult to turn, and wonder how it ever got that way. It did not become hard to turn overnight, but fixing a hard-to-turn tap is a quick repair any homeowner can do themselves.
Figuring out why the tap is difficult to turn is the first step. Your valve may be worn out or there could be limescale build up. Either way, the fix is relatively easy. The key is paying attention to the order you take apart the tap, so you can reverse that order when putting back together.
Before taking apart the tap be sure to TURN THE WATER OFF! Once you have taken your tap apart, take a look at the valve, if there is a lot of lime scale or it is worn out, you now have to make a choice. If it is as simple as replacing a washer or cleaning off the lime scale, this is a quick fix. But if it needs to be replaced, take the valve with you to the plumbers merchant, this way you know you are getting the correct part to fix the problem.
Now, if you have replaced the valve or even if you just cleaned it, prior to putting everything back together, you want to make sure everything is greased up. And when reassembling the tap be sure to go in reverse order from when you took it apart to make sure you are not forgetting anything.
Once you have it reassembled, clean up any water around the tap before turning on the water supply, to make leak detection easier. Finally, turn on the water supply, test the tap handle, and check for leaks.
If no leaks are found, congratulations! Now if there are still leaks or the tap handle is not turning easily, feel free to call 020 7350 2511 or click here to have one of our helpful staff see what the issue may be.
With this being the first weekend of the meteorological start of summer and sunny weather predicted for Sunday, we have put together a little list of 6 things to do this weekend in London.
1: Late at Tate
Bring your friends, check out an amazing mix of artworks, have a drink and a bite to eat. It’s free to get in, a great atmosphere with a relaxed immersive mix of sound and visuals, hands-on making activities and intriguing discussion all curated exclusively by 15−25 year olds from Tate Collective London. If you miss this Friday’s (June 3) event, you will have to wait until the first Friday of August to experience it. For more information click here.
2: Hampton Court Maze
The Maze at Hampton Court was designed by George London and Henry Wise and commissioned around 1700 by William III. Originally planted using hornbeam and later replanted using yew, the Hampton Court Maze covers a third of an acre, is trapezoid in shape and is the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze. For tickets and more information click here.
3: London Bridge City Summer Festival
London Bridge City is hosting London’s largest free festival, transforming the iconic riverside location into a summer haven and a hub of not-to-be-missed live entertainment, food and drink all summer long from Tower Bridge to London Bridge. The festival runs from 1 June – 31 October 2016 and is free to enter. For more information click here.
4: Fun Day: The Festival of Fun, Fairytales & Fables
Come as your favorite storybook character and immerse yourself in a land of make believe. Become a knight or meet a unicorn, the shyest of mythical beasts. Join a band of pirates or enjoy one of our many activities including the welcome return of the majestic birds of prey. Come rain or shine share a day of family fun in the beautiful grounds of Strawberry Hill. Free entry, some activities will be charged.
For more information click here.
5: Spitalfields Summer Music Festival
This summer they’re bringing extraordinary music to unexpected places, from museums, cafés and churches to markets, gardens and cemeteries. Join them as the worlds of opera, folk, jazz, early, choral and contemporary collide to create memorable moments in the unique area of Spitalfields. For more information about the festival, click here.
6: Chestertons Polo in the Park
This year promises another terrific instalment of fierce polo, as well as off-field entertainment and world-class hospitality, all located on the historic fields of Hurlingham Park in leafy Fulham. Kicking off another summer sporting and social season in the capital, this event has become one of London’s greatest outdoor occasions. Get close to international polo players, riding some of the world’s best polo ponies, as they thunder across the turf. To find out more about times and activities, click here.
Now this is just a sample of things going on around the capital this weekend. If you know of an event we should be going to, send us a tweet or leave it in the comment section on our Facebook page.
Plumbing is something that every one of us uses and relies on. From our bathrooms to our kitchens, ensuring that all of your plumbing pipes are running smoothly and efficiently is important to your health and happiness. So, here is a list of 9 plumbing tips, tricks and advice every homeowner should know!
1: Repair leaky taps promptly; a leaky tap wastes gallons of water in a short period.
2: Take more showers than baths. You use 15-25 gallons of hot water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.
3: If your drain is blocked you can pour half a box of baking soda and ½ a cup of vinegar down the drain, then wait 30-45 minutes and pour boiling water down the drain.
4: Toilets and sinks require different types of plungers to remove blockages. Make sure you’re using the correct one.
5: Have an older showerhead? You can save up to 7.5 litres of water per minute by replacing it with a newer model.
6: To clean your dishwasher, pour ½ cup of white vinegar into the detergent cup and simply run the empty machine for one full cycle.
7: You can remove that gross tub ring by sprinkling the tub with salt and taking half a piece of grapefruit to use as a scrubber.
8: A leaky toilet can waste enough water to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool in one year. Now just imagine what that is doing to your bill.
9: Disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, hair, coffee grounds, toothpaste, food particles, oil from cooking and mineral build up are the most common causes of clogged drains.
Hopefully this list of plumbing tips, tricks and advice has helped. If you are beyond DIY repair for your plumbing and you live in the Fulham area call 020 7350 2511 or click here.