Test Total Water Hardness.
Total Water Hardness is one of the most common water quality tests. It is composed mainly of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Good test for a first time science fair project and this test combines nicely with most other water tests. Water testing only takes a few minutes per sample.
100 Total Water Hardness Testing
Each water sample is tested for Total Water Hardness.
Total Water Hardness test scale
# 100 Total Water Hardness
Colorimetric test strips. (1 test per strip)
Water Hardness is composed of mostly calcium and magnesium. The water hardness comes from naturally occurring minerals in the local and regional geology being dissolved by water.
Hardness is a key water parameter and its control is important to assure proper water quality. Low Hardness (Soft water) can
contribute to corrosive water. High Hardness (Hard water above 400) can lead to clarity and scaling problems. Water softeners are used to reduce Total Hardness of water.
Testing for hardness in tap water is very common and is very quick and easy with these test strips. The Color Comparator Chart for this test allows you to read Total Hardness in mg/L or ppm.
This test reports calcium hardness concentrations in water at
0, 40, 80, 120, 180, 250, 425, 1000 mg/L or ppm.
Results are obtained from this test in about 5 seconds.
Background Information
Total Hardness (TH) is a measure of the total amount of calcium and magnesium that has naturally leached into the water during its journey through the watershed. In the U.S. water hardness is most often reported as milligrams per liter (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm) as calcium carbonate (CaC03).
It is difficult to produce soap suds in water with high levels of calcium and magnesium ions, hence the term “hardness”.
In addition to reducing the effectiveness of soaps and detergents, hard water may cause an insoluble scale to form on fixtures and on the inside of pipes. Scale formation depends on several factors, one of which is pH.
The EPA does not regulate the levels of hardness in the water supply. There are, however, generally recognized levels that describe the amount of hardness in a water sample:
| Hardness as Calclum carbonate (ppm) | Classification |
|---|---|
| 0-60 | Soft |
| 61-120 | Moderately Hard |
| 121-180 | Hard |
| >180 | Very Hard |
QuickCheck science fair water test kits allow the student scientist to perform semiquantitative tests on water samples at home, school or outdoors. These Science Fair test kits include clean, sterile water sample bags and test strip instructions and color concentration comparator that make each kit very convenient and simple to use.
Background information on this test # 100 TOTAL WATER HARDNESS is available as a PDF download.
Be sure to ask “Do you need duplicate or triplicate testing of water samples for your school science study?”
Test Total Water Hardness.
Total Water Hardness is one of the most common water quality tests. It is composed mainly of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Good test for a first time science fair project and this test combines nicely with most other water tests. Water testing only takes a few minutes per sample.
100 Total Water Hardness Testing
Each water sample is tested for Total Water Hardness.
Find more school related water information at: www.sciencefairwater.com Water Basics 101 (a web work in progress).
