If you have limescale buildup on your faucets or shower heads, you already know that your incoming water is harder than it should be. Actually, the buildup alone should be reason enough to do something about it, but knowing the exact hardness may help convince you even more.
However, before we have a look at the water hardness maps, you should know the way we measure the level of hardness.
This is generally done in grains per gallon, which tells us how many grains of calcium carbonate we find in a gallon of water.
Here is a breakdown of the classification.
Now, before we go any further, you should know that the following maps are nothing more than an indication. The best way to really know the hardness of your water is by actually measuring it. You can check this page for a short review on water test kits.
The next thing you should know is there are several hardness maps in circulation on the internet, and they sometimes show different classifications per region. I have tried to find out why it is they differ so much, but I couldn’t find the reason (if anyone knows, please let me know!). So I figured I might as well show you the two most common maps. Here they are.
