Water Softening
Rain which falls on hard rocks, remains soft, while rain which falls on chalk or limestone rocks dissolves and collects these minerals and is termed "hard" water. Many part of England and Wales have a "hard" water supply which, although perfectly healthy to drink, does cause many household appliances to have a shortened life through "furring up" of pipes and the scaling of elements and corresponding loss of efficiency.
One method of treatment is an ion-exchange water softener.
