Water quality and your appliances

Different manufacturers of household appliances may refer to water hardness in their instruction manuals. Hardness is an indicator of the ability to get a lather using soap, which is affected by calcium and magnesium salts. Hard water is difficult to lather.

In Australia, water hardness is measured as the concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in units of milligrams per Litre (mg/L).

Canberra’s water is defined as soft, containing approximately 38 mg/L (or 0.38 mmol/L) as CaCO₃ *. 

*based on 2015-16 data.