Re: [AU] Sydney tap-water analysis

[Marcus Fox]

> I figure that this data can serve as a useful starting point for setting
up
> water chemistry.
>
> How do I interpret these?
> Total Hardness CaCO3 mg/L 30 - 34
> Alkalinity CaCO3 mg/L 15 - 20
> pH pH Units 6.5 - 8.5
> I understand the pH part, and mine is high sevens. How about the rest? Is
> that hard, medium, or soft water? Soap lathers well, so it can't be very
> hard.

Sorry, I replied earlier, but didn't answer your question. Basically 1 mg/L
is 1 ppm. The information below is taken from
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html, which you may like to read, along
with all the other pages at http://faq.thekrib.com. Looking at the table, it
would appear that your water is very soft.

Marcus

*********************************

Water hardness follows the following guidelines. The unit dH means "degree
hardness", while ppm means "parts per million", which is roughly equivalent
to mg/L in water. 1 unit dH equals 17.8 ppm CaCO3. Most test kits give the
hardness in units of CaCO3; this means the hardness is equivalent to that
much CaCO3 in water but does not mean it actually came from CaCO3
General Hardness

0 - 4 dH, 0 - 70 ppm : very soft
4 - 8 dH, 70 - 140 ppm : soft
8 - 12 dH, 140 - 210 ppm : medium hard
12 - 18 dH, 210 - 320 ppm : fairly hard
18 - 30 dH, 320 - 530 ppm : hard

[David Martin]

Thanks, Marcus!

Oddly enough, your previous post never appeared; at least as far as my PC
was concerned. However, it did appear in Jim Brown's reply. Lost in
Cyberspace. :-)

I have been told that it is not possible to have water which is both soft
and alkaline. There would seem to be good evidence that it is possible.

I'll take a look at the links.

David




"Marcus Fox" > wrote in
message ...
> > I figure that this data can serve as a useful starting point for setting
> up
> > water chemistry.
> >
> > How do I interpret these?
> > Total Hardness CaCO3 mg/L 30 - 34
> > Alkalinity CaCO3 mg/L 15 - 20
> > pH pH Units 6.5 - 8.5
> > I understand the pH part, and mine is high sevens. How about the rest?
Is
> > that hard, medium, or soft water? Soap lathers well, so it can't be very
> > hard.
>
> Sorry, I replied earlier, but didn't answer your question. Basically 1
mg/L
> is 1 ppm. The information below is taken from
> http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html, which you may like to read, along
> with all the other pages at http://faq.thekrib.com. Looking at the table,
it
> would appear that your water is very soft.
>
> Marcus
>
> *********************************
>
> Water hardness follows the following guidelines. The unit dH means "degree
> hardness", while ppm means "parts per million", which is roughly
equivalent
> to mg/L in water. 1 unit dH equals 17.8 ppm CaCO3. Most test kits give the
> hardness in units of CaCO3; this means the hardness is equivalent to that
> much CaCO3 in water but does not mean it actually came from CaCO3
> General Hardness
>
> 0 - 4 dH, 0 - 70 ppm : very soft
> 4 - 8 dH, 70 - 140 ppm : soft
> 8 - 12 dH, 140 - 210 ppm : medium hard
> 12 - 18 dH, 210 - 320 ppm : fairly hard
> 18 - 30 dH, 320 - 530 ppm : hard
>
>

[Alan Ruben]

Perhaps we are confusing alkalinity with basic. Alkalinity is the measure of
a solution's ability to resist change in pH. Water which is measured "soft"
is typically lacking in carbonate ions. Those carbonates are a chief factor
in adding to a solution's "Alkalinity"

Alkaline is NOT a synonym for Basic. Basic is the opposite of Acidic.

Water could very easily be soft and basic. Add NaOH to pure water and get a
very basic solution. It would however be very soft.

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/data/NUTRIENTS/info/Alk.html

Alan Ruben
www.bostonaquariumsociety.org



"David Martin" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks, Marcus!
>
> Oddly enough, your previous post never appeared; at least as far as my PC
> was concerned. However, it did appear in Jim Brown's reply. Lost in
> Cyberspace. :-)
>
> I have been told that it is not possible to have water which is both soft
> and alkaline. There would seem to be good evidence that it is possible.
>
> I'll take a look at the links.
>
> David
>
>
>
>
> "Marcus Fox" > wrote in
> message ...
> > > I figure that this data can serve as a useful starting point for
setting
> > up
> > > water chemistry.
> > >
> > > How do I interpret these?
> > > Total Hardness CaCO3 mg/L 30 - 34
> > > Alkalinity CaCO3 mg/L 15 - 20
> > > pH pH Units 6.5 - 8.5
> > > I understand the pH part, and mine is high sevens. How about the rest?
> Is
> > > that hard, medium, or soft water? Soap lathers well, so it can't be
very
> > > hard.
> >
> > Sorry, I replied earlier, but didn't answer your question. Basically 1
> mg/L
> > is 1 ppm. The information below is taken from
> > http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html, which you may like to read,
along
> > with all the other pages at http://faq.thekrib.com. Looking at the
table,
> it
> > would appear that your water is very soft.
> >
> > Marcus
> >
> > *********************************
> >
> > Water hardness follows the following guidelines. The unit dH means
"degree
> > hardness", while ppm means "parts per million", which is roughly
> equivalent
> > to mg/L in water. 1 unit dH equals 17.8 ppm CaCO3. Most test kits give
the
> > hardness in units of CaCO3; this means the hardness is equivalent to
that
> > much CaCO3 in water but does not mean it actually came from CaCO3
> > General Hardness
> >
> > 0 - 4 dH, 0 - 70 ppm : very soft
> > 4 - 8 dH, 70 - 140 ppm : soft
> > 8 - 12 dH, 140 - 210 ppm : medium hard
> > 12 - 18 dH, 210 - 320 ppm : fairly hard
> > 18 - 30 dH, 320 - 530 ppm : hard
> >
> >
>
>

[Ruth Ivimey-Cook]

In article >,
says...
> Perhaps we are confusing alkalinity with basic. Alkalinity is the measure of
> a solution's ability to resist change in pH. Water which is measured "soft"
> is typically lacking in carbonate ions. Those carbonates are a chief factor
> in adding to a solution's "Alkalinity"
>
> Alkaline is NOT a synonym for Basic. Basic is the opposite of Acidic.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Water could very easily be soft and basic. Add NaOH to pure water and get a
> very basic solution. It would however be very soft.


Well, that is the reverse of what I was taught in Chemistry, and rather
different from the definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: al·ka·line
Pronunciation: 'al-k&-l&n, -"lIn
Function: adjective
Date: 1677
: of, relating to, containing, or having the properties of an alkali or
alkali metal : BASIC; especially of a solution : having a pH of more than 7


and the Chemical meanings of BASIC:
Main Entry: 1ba·sic
Pronunciation: 'bA-sik also -zik
Function: adjective
Date: 1842
3 a : of, relating to, containing, or having the character of a chemical base
b : having an alkaline reaction
4 : containing relatively little silica <basic rocks>


whereas HARD, as in water, is:
Main Entry: 1hard
Pronunciation: 'härd
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heard; akin to Old High German
hart hard, Greek kratos strength
Date: before 12th century
2 b : characterized by the presence of salts (as of calcium or magnesium)
that prevent lathering with soap <hard water>