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1. What are the minerals that cause hardness?

The hardness of water is determined by the calcium and magnesium carbonates naturally dissolved in it. Across the U.S., there are waters that are very soft (low in carbonates) and waters that are very hard (high in carbonates).

If your water contains substantial amounts of these minerals, water is said to be hard because making lather or suds is hard to do. Very hard water also leaves calcium scale or mineral deposits behind when it is heated up.

For more information about hard water, contact our Water Department at 973-266-8869.

For more information contact the Water Department at 973-266-8869.

2. What does GPG or grains per gallon mean?

Parts per million or grains per gallon are both used to describe the dissolved hardness minerals contained in a water.

One part per million (PPM) is one unit of a substance out of one million units of water. Grains, or grains per gallon (GPG), is a unit of weight. It is 1/7000 of a pound. One GPG, (1gpg) is equal to 17.1 PPM.

3. What is hard water?

Hard water is probably the most common water problem found in the home. According to the Water Quality Association of the United States, hard water is above 1 GPG (grains per gallon).

4. What problems does hard water cause?

Hard water is fine for many uses around a home. To water a garden, wash down a driveway and general outdoor lawn care, most water, as it comes from a well or from a municipal treatment plant, works fine.

But for indoor use such as bathing, showers, doing dishes and washing clothes, shaving, washing china and flatware, and dozens of other uses, hard water is not as efficient or convenient as "soft water."
For more information about hard water, visit our Hard Water Information page.