What's the problem?
Hard Water is water that has a high mineral content - primarily of calcium and magnesium. While this doesn't pose any health risk to humans, when hard water evaporates it leaves these minerals behind - and limescale forms. This is especially true inside copper tanks, pipes and fittings - where limescale attaches itself more easily and tends to gather.
Limescale build up can block pipework, cause the water from your kettle to taste chalky, and clogs up the inside of your water-based appliances like washing machines and dishwashers - making them less effective than you'd like. While these issues can cause significant problems, one of the biggest threats to a home is actually a lot simpler than that.
Limescale also builds up on conventional brass stopcocks, getting into the joints of the tap and making it difficult, even in some cases impossible, to open and close the valve if you need to. It also corrodes the valve's interior - meaning that eventually your stopcock may in fact fail to stop water at all in the longer term, and will then need replacing. If a pipe in a ceiling has burst, being unable to turn your water off could cause irreparable damage to a property - with significant cost both financially and emotionally.
Insurers recommend turning your water off if you are vacating a property for a period of time - however if you decide to go on holiday and find that you're unable to easily turn the water off, you're far more likely to just leave it on. In doing so it could be weeks before you're able to return, and this could quite simply mean that a small leak that you hadn't noticed before you left, or that started while you were away, would be allowed to fester and cause rot in the areas surrounding that pipework. In some cases this has been known to make properties uninhabitable! It is vitally important that you should be able to turn off the water when you need to.
How do I know if I have hard water?
You have a few options in this respect; we've provided a postcode checker below, or you can usually find out from your local water authority.
The simplest and perhaps most obvious option however is simply to look inside your kettle! As the water boils away, hard water will leave a layer of limescale in the bottom of your kettle; which not only makes your kettle less efficient, but also makes your hot drink taste chalky!
The Solution
Water Softeners can provide significant protection for your appliances in the home - but they can only be installed inside the house, after your stopcock for the property. This means that while water softeners remain an excellent solution in hard water areas to make your appliances work better and last longer, they still won't help with the potential damage from a seized valve.
The Surestop Stopcock is an easy to use valve designed to operate as your property's main stopcock. Because the valve's interior is made of glass-filled nylon its smooth surface prevents build-up of limescale; and as it isn't made of metal it can't rust! The quick and effective switch on the Surestop Valve means there isn't a stiff tap to turn, and the remote switch ensures that turning off your water is as quick and easy to do as switching off a light.
This alongside a water softener would provide excellent protection for your home - if there's ever an escape of water, you know that you'll be able to turn the water off with a quick click - and save yourself the time and effort that could cost more than you'd expect! In the meantime, a water softener can keep your appliances running smoothly, and ensure that they'll last for a lifetime!