Water is actually a chemical compound comprising of two gases which are hydrogen and oxygen (H20). Water is formed when hydrogen gas is combust. The one real important property of water is its power to dissolve. It dissolves numerous gases and solids to make solutions. The most pure natural water is rainwater. It is made up of dissolved gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide, however this does not affect its potability (suitability for drinking). Water can be said to have different degrees of hardness or softness. Crystal Palace Plumbers know about hard and soft water.Hard Water.Hard water is so named if it will not form a lather with soap. This type of water is created when it has fallen on ground that contains calcium carbonates or sulphates (chalk, limestone and gypsum), which it dissolves into solution.Soft Water.Soft water is so named when it is easy to produce a lather with soap. This is because there are no dissolved salts like calcium carbonates and calcium sulphates. Soft water can cause corrosion in plumbing pipework as it is quite acidic. Water Hardness.Hard water is not welcome in domestic systems as it can produce limescale in pipes, heating equipment and sanitary appliances. Hard water also needs the use of much more soap and detergent for washing, because the hardness makes it far more difficult to get a lather. Water hardness is either temporary or permanent. A Crystal Palace Plumber can test for hard water.1). Permanent hardness happens because of ions of nitrates and sulphates. It is difficult to form a lather and cannot be boiled away. 2). Temporary hardness happens of the amount of carbonate ions in the water.This type of hardness can be boiled away, resulting in the carbonate being precipitated out in the form of limescale. This hard scale builds inside boilers and circulating pipework, this restricts the flow of water, and reduces the efficiency of domestic appliances and causes damage and ulimately the failure of a system.