Limescale and hard water

[alanbjames]

I have a couple of questions in regards to what the title of the thread is about.

First off my kettle which is not a cheap kettle its a Breville and cost £50, I observed what looked to be dots of mould on the bottom but on research found its actually limescale. I have tried descaler which gets rid of it until once again I use tap water and the problem doesn't exist if I use bottled water. I have contacted Welsh water who apparently took a test from the local supply and found everything to be O.K. but I'm nervous to use the tap water.

Also due to the harshness of the water My drinking glasses seem to look very misty even though I know they are clean, is there a way I can solve this issue to.

Thanks for your input guys.

P.S.
Sorry to everyone I've not been about a month ago I was 30 minutes away from Respatory failure, if I hadn't have been found when I did by a nurse I would no longer be here.

[spiderplant]

It's completely normal. Minerals dissolved in the water come out of solution when you boil it. The amount of minerals in the water varies a lot across the country - generally the south-east has the most because the rainwater filters through chalk. I wouldn't have thought Swansea had that much. I assume your water comes from the Welsh hills. But whatever the amount, it's harmless. Possibly even good for you.

Misty glasses are most likely caused by putting them in the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent is very harsh. You can't solve it once it has happened, but handwashing glasses will prevent it.

ps. Glad you are back. Hope you are doing Ok.

[peanut]

Glad you're still here, sounds like real close call there.

You're lucky you're not in the East Anglian area. Even with a Brita filter we have to descale our kettle every 2-3 weeks. But it is safe to drink, but I wouldn't or couldn't unless it goes through the Brita filter first due to the taste.

To descale a kettle, just use a cheap bottle of lemon juice, cover the bottom of the kettle bring to boil and leave for 5 mins. Rinse, boil water once and you're good to go. A lot better and cheaper than descaling liquid/products.

[alanbjames]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

It's completely normal. Minerals dissolved in the water come out of solution when you boil it. The amount of minerals in the water varies a lot across the country - generally the south-east has the most because the rainwater filters through chalk. I wouldn't have thought Swansea had that much. I assume your water comes from the Welsh hills. But whatever the amount, it's harmless. Possibly even good for you.

Misty glasses are most likely caused by putting them in the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent is very harsh. You can't solve it once it has happened, but handwashing glasses will prevent it.

ps. Glad you are back. Hope you are doing Ok.

Misty glasses in this case has nothing to do with a dish washer I don't have one.

---------- Post added at 12:42 ---------- Previous post was at 12:41 ----------

Originally Posted by peanut

Glad you're still here, sounds like real close call there.

You're lucky you're not in the East Anglian area. Even with a Brita filter we have to descale our kettle every 2-3 weeks. But it is safe to drink, but I wouldn't or couldn't unless it goes through the Brita filter first due to the taste.

To descale a kettle, just use a cheap bottle of lemon juice, cover the bottom of the kettle bring to boil and leave for 5 mins. Rinse, boil water once and you're good to go. A lot better and cheaper than descaling liquid/products.

I bought a descaler product for 79p.

[heero_yuy]

We're in a very hard water area and limescale is a fact of life. Try soaking your glasses in vinegar* for an hour or two. This will dissolve residual lime.

I have to do this for the glasses that we keep bedside water in.

*We keep left over non-sweetened vinegar from pickled onions and gherkins etc in a plastic container. Very useful for ridding kettles etc of limescale.

Originally Posted by alanbjames

I have a couple of questions in regards to what the title of the thread is about.

First off my kettle which is not a cheap kettle its a Breville and cost £50, I observed what looked to be dots of mould on the bottom but on research found its actually limescale. I have tried descaler which gets rid of it until once again I use tap water and the problem doesn't exist if I use bottled water. I have contacted Welsh water who apparently took a test from the local supply and found everything to be O.K. but I'm nervous to use the tap water.

Also due to the harshness of the water My drinking glasses seem to look very misty even though I know they are clean, is there a way I can solve this issue to.

Thanks for your input guys.

P.S.
Sorry to everyone I've not been about a month ago I was 30 minutes away from Respatory failure, if I hadn't have been found when I did by a nurse I would no longer be here.

The most detailed water hardness map of England & Wales that I’ve managed to find, puts Swansea in a “moderately soft” area, so you will pick up a little scale in your kettle over time but unless you’re boiling the thing constantly this should be a tiny amount that accumulates slowly. I appreciate that any blemish on the otherwise flawless stainless steel insides of your kettle won’t look good (presumably at £50 it has a concealed element), but it’s really nothing to worry about and not worth trying to clear away until there’s a significant coating.

The misting on your glasses is more likely to be the result of using too much concentrated washing up liquid in your bowl and/or not rinsing them after washing. I’d be surprised if there’s enough lime in your water to affect them directly.

[Halcyon]

The UK is known for it's hard water.

I've faced this when wanting to keep certain types of tropical fish that require softer water.


The limescale is normal and won't cause you any problems.


The only minor thing it can lead to is taking slightly longer to heat water.


You can purchase water softners if you really want to soften your water.

Originally Posted by Halcyon

The UK is known for it's hard water.

I've faced this when wanting to keep certain types of tropical fish that require softer water.


The limescale is normal and won't cause you any problems.


The only minor thing it can lead to is taking slightly longer to heat water.


You can purchase water softners if you really want to soften your water.

Ummm, certain parts of England are known for hard water

The further north and west you go on this island, the softer it gets. Most of Wales is soft, almost the entirety of Scotland is soft, north west England and Cornwall is soft.

I live in Hampshire just below a very chalky Portsdown Hill.All our water is filtered through said hill.After 60+ years of living with hard water I have no issues.In fact I actually have thinning bones so I'm happy to be getting free calcium in my drinking water(tastes fabulous).My kettle and other domestic products requiring water just need to be treated once in a while.

[GrimUpNorth]

Yorkshire Water has a page on their website where you can look up info about your water, I'd expect your local company would have something similar.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by GrimUpNorth

Yorkshire Water has a page on their website where you can look up info about your water, I'd expect your local company would have something similar.

It believe there's a legal requirement to make a full chemical analysis available if you ask. I used to get them from North West Water/United Utilities just out of interest.

[Taf]

Welsh water has a good system

https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/help-adv...-water-quality

One side of the city is moderately soft, the other is moderately hard.

[Matthew]

Fact of life, live in a very hard water area here, just get used to it.

The only difference I notice when going say up to the Lake District is in the shower or shaving seems to make a difference, taste wise ok in tea you notice it but living in a hard water area you can drink most things!

As for the glasses I wash all mine in the dishwasher and they still look like new after 10 years!

[tweetiepooh]

You can get a water softener at home. Some use hard water for drinking but the volumes of minerals really don't make much nutritional difference (could be different if you do need to keep sodium down). Ours is great, not as good as soft water in the mains, but less soap, no scale, no needing to clean out traps in shower.