Does Brisbane Have Hard Water?

Water is a part of practically every aspect of our lives. From a cup of coffee in the morning to a hot shower at night, water is much more than a basic necessity; it is a foundation of our lifestyle. This makes the quality of your water a significant factor in your quality of life.

Although many of us take it for granted, water is as complex as it is ubiquitous. A vast number of invisible factors and chemical details influence our experience with water, from which chemicals are added to deal with bacteria to how many different organic compounds are present in its original source. Water hardness may not be the most well-known factor, but it is one of the most impactful qualities when it comes to how water affects your home.

Some areas have a reputation for having water that is particularly hard or soft, but what does it mean? How hard is Brisbane water, and what do you need to do about it? In this article, we will expand on some of the most common questions about Brisbane water hardness so you can understand its impact on your home and make informed decisions.

A dark-skinned woman washing a pink bowl in a sink with water coming out of a golden tap.

What is Hard Water?

While “hard” or “soft” may sound like unusual words for describing a liquid, water hardness can have a significant impact on your home and quality of life. Hardness is a measure of how many dissolved minerals are present in your tap water, primarily focusing on calcium and magnesium and expressed as a number of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).

Water that is considered “hard” has more than 60mg of these dissolved minerals per litre of water. Signs of hard water can include limescale spots on your taps and shower screens, a white chalky film building up inside your kettle, and even a slight difference in the softness of your laundry.

The stubbornness and persistence of these mineral deposits make hard water Brisbane residents’ constant challenge. The dissolved minerals in Brisbane tap water are unaffected by the activated carbon cartridges used in common jug filters and benchtop systems. Protecting your taps, fixtures, and appliances from Brisbane water hardness requires a specialised water softening system – or a whole home filtration system with a built-in water softener.

A shower head crusted with mineral deposits, lying on dark teal shower tiles that are peeling and perishing from Brisbane hard water damage.

Is Brisbane Water Hard or Soft?

Brisbane is one of the capital cities in Australia best known for having particularly hard water. Its TDS levels are regularly well over the 60 mg/L threshold, with some areas even crossing into what the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines classify as “elevated hardness” (200mg/L and higher).

The exact qualities of one home’s tap water may be very different to that of another, depending on a variety of factors. The source of your tap water, how it was processed, and how it reached your home can all have significant impacts on the quality and characteristics of what comes out of your tap.

Exact hardness levels may vary, but the vast majority of homes in Brisbane will have water that is classified as either “hard” or “moderately hard” by Seqwater (the body responsible for supplying and maintaining water around Brisbane and south east Queensland).

A shower head crusted with mineral deposits, lying on dark teal shower tiles that are peeling and perishing from Brisbane hard water damage.

Brisbane Hard Water Causes

The primary factor determining Brisbane water hardness is the water source. Brisbane draws its water from a number of different waterways and dams, many of which have elevated levels of calcium and magnesium compounds from the surrounding environment. Because this water is drawn straight from flowing rivers rather than collected from rainfall, it is more susceptible to variances and influences from naturally occurring compounds.

These dissolved minerals are very difficult to remove through filtration, and drinking them has no adverse effects on the health of Brisbane residents, so water treatment facilities dedicated more of their resources to filtering out more serious impurities like bacteria and waterborne pathogens. This means that, although Brisbane water is safe to drink, the issue of water hardness is passed on to the wider population.

The Impact of Brisbane Water Hardness

Hard water may not be harmful to drink, but it can cause a number of frustrating and expensive issues for Brisbane locals. The chalky residue left behind when hard water evaporates is often difficult to clean and can cause permanent damage if left untreated. Glass surfaces like shower screens and glassware can be etched by limescale residue, and calcium deposits in the pores of stone benchtops create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria that can bore through the stone.

Water-using appliances like kettles and coffee machines are also particularly vulnerable to hard water damage. Limescale forms more quickly in higher temperatures, so anything with a heating element will be more susceptible to hard water damage. This includes expensive hot water systems and washing machines.

Heating element from a hot water system crusted over with limescale

Hard water also affects how well your water washes. Products like soap, shampoo, and detergent can’t lather as effectively if water hardness levels are too high. This means that showering in hard water makes hair and skin care  products less effective and efficient, forcing you to use larger amounts of each to achieve the desired results and working through each bottle faster.

Hard water also doesn’t rinse these products out as effectively, often leaving a soapy residue on your skin and hair after your shower. This means you are both increasing the amount of chemicals you are rubbing into your skin AND leaving larger amounts of chemicals to dry out on your body afterwards, stripping away natural oils and increasing chances of damage and irritation.

The same issue arises with laundry detergents. If you are washing your clothes in hard water, laundry liquid and fabric softeners will be less effective, requiring larger amounts just to achieve diminished results and often leaving a soapy residue on the clothes after they’ve dried.

The Solution for Water Hardness Brisbane Residents Can Get Today

While removing dissolved minerals is practically impossible for an ordinary water filter, an Australian company has proved that it can solve the hard water problem with a system that is far from ordinary. The Complete Home Filtration system, available across the greater Brisbane and Gold Coast areas, deals with water hardness before the water can even enter your home.

Softening your water has typically required an expensive, dedicated system that must be plugged into a power supply 24/7 and often adds a salty taste to your water. Our whole home water filtration system instead uses an ion-exchange softening resin that absorbs calcium and magnesium ions from your water and replaces them with harmless sodium. This significantly reduces hard water damage without stripping away your water’s mineral content or adding a salty taste. The system also runs entirely on water pressure, with no electricity or external power required.

Complete Home Filtration’s water filters also remove up to 98.5% of chlorine and its by-products from your tap water, filtering every drop of water in your home through a one-micron activated carbon block, sediment filter, and dedicated KDF-55 mixed media heavy metal filter. Experience the benefits of filtering and softening your water for both your home and your health.

To find out how a Complete Home Filtration system can protect your Brisbane home from hard water damage, send us a message below or call 1300 693 458.