Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated: Jan 4, 2023
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Our water contains several different impurities, calcium being one.
Generally, calcium is the mineral that contributes to water hardness, and it mostly comes from groundwater. Though low calcium levels might not harden water noticeably, a range of 100 to 500 ppm will.
People often consider using a whole house water filter to remove calcium from water, but does it work?
That’s precisely what we’ll discuss in the guide below. Read on!
Key Takeaways
Whole house water filters typically use a multi-stage filtration process to eliminate water contaminants and improve your water’s taste and smell.
Note that a regular whole house water filter is not designed to remove calcium from water however!
Some filtration systems have a small-enough micron rating, so they might catch larger calcium flakes, but that’s about it.
What actually works to remove calcium from water, though, is a water softener. Of course, water softeners are not the same as water filters (more in the sections below).
Calcium naturally occurs in water, dissolving from rocks, including apatite, fluorite, limestone, marble, calcite, gypsum, and dolomite.
Overall, the primary source of calcium is rocks, particularly gypsum and limestone.
Before discussing how to measure calcium in water, it is imperative to know what water hardness is in the first place.
Water is described as soft, moderately hard, or hard depending on the amount of calcium carbonate present.
Typically, calcium concentrations in water are measured in gpg (grains per gallon) or mg/L (milligram per liter) or ppm (parts per million). The first is the industry standard.
If you want to convert mg/L or ppm to gpg, you’d need to divide it by 17.12. Like so:
1 ppm = 1mg/L and 1 gpg ≈ 17.12 ppm = 17.12 mg/L
Here’s how you can measure the calcium concentration in your water.
Though you can measure calcium levels yourself, we highly recommend sending a water sample to an independent lab. Yes, the procedure will require money and time, but a lab professional conducts tests complying to strict industry standards. Besides, the reports are accurate, which is perhaps all you need.
Let’s get this straight; calcium is not life-threatening. However, excess calcium in your water supply can lead to a few problems.
As stated earlier, calcium in water can stain bathtubs, kitchen faucets, and sinks. Besides, it may cause skin dryness.
Nonetheless, there are no adverse effects of calcium ingestion through drinking water on health. Instead, health experts consider it beneficial. For instance, studies show that sufficient calcium intake can reduce bone loss and fractures, and increase bone mass growth in patients with osteoporosis.
If you have an excess amount of calcium in your water supply and it’s staining your house appliances, it’s better to get rid of it.
Remember, a regular filter system may catch larger calcium particles but does not explicitly work for that purpose. Instead, what works to eliminate calcium from your water is a water softener.
Treating hard water using a water softener significantly reduces calcium levels. This prevents your kitchen and bathroom surfaces from stains.
Note that a water softener should not be confused with a filtration system that purifies water. Instead, it eliminates hardness minerals (including calcium) but does nothing more.
Water softeners use an ion-exchange process to replace calcium and magnesium with potassium or sodium, softening your water.
Here’s a full overview of the benefits of salt-based water softener systems:
Reverse osmosis systems are famous for removing almost all contaminants and impurities from water. This includes minerals and salts. In other words, a reverse osmosis system can be used to make hard water soft.
But, RO systems are usually installed at a single-point-of-use only instead of filtering water for the whole house. So they won’t help you protect your plumbing system, unless you install a whole house reverse osmosis system.
If you have any thoughts about the question, does a whole house water filter remove calcium, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
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