Hardness and scale
White buildup, spotting, and scale are treatment-fit questions. Use the published hardness range as a starting point, then confirm sizing for the home.
Free diagnostic tool
Check your local water hardness
Search by city or Canadian postal code, then see what the local reference value can mean at home.
- No email required
- Consultation appears only after a result
Check Your Water Hardness and What To Do Next
Search once, understand your hardness level, and decide whether the right next step is a water softener, a drinking-water solution, or a guided assessment.
Quick Guidance
- Use postal code when you want the fastest lookup.
- Use province and city when you already know the municipality.
- Use assessment when fit, install, or mixed symptoms are still unclear.
Understanding Water Hardness
Diagnosis Guide| Classification | Grains Per Gallon (gpg) | Parts Per Million (ppm) |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | Less than 3.5 gpg | Less than 60 ppm |
| Moderate | 3.5 to under 7 gpg | 60 to under 120 ppm |
| Hard | 7 to under 10.5 gpg | 120 to under 180 ppm |
| Very Hard | 10.5 gpg or higher | 180 ppm or higher |
Hard water can create limescale in pipes, reduce water-heater efficiency, leave spots on dishes, and make showers, laundry, and cleaning feel harder than they should.
Tool Input
Search Your Location
Choose a municipality, or use postal code to map your location automatically.
OR
Already know your path? Skip the lookup and go straight into assessment, shopping, or the softener guide.
Deeper Reading
Understand chlorine, taste, lead, and municipal water reports.
Use this if your question is more about chlorine, lead, taste, odour, or city water reporting than simple hard-water scale.
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Deeper Reading
Understand chlorine, taste, lead, and municipal water reports.
Use this if your question is more about chlorine, lead, taste, odour, or city water reporting than simple hard-water scale.
Beyond hardness
Separate the water problem before choosing equipment.
A municipal report describes the public system. Conditions inside a property, treatment goals, and installation requirements still determine the right next step.
Taste, odour, or chlorine
These concerns are different from hardness. Carbon filtration or RO may be relevant, depending on whether you want treatment at one tap or throughout the home.
Plumbing or source-water concerns
Discolouration, older plumbing, a private well, or mixed symptoms may need testing or an on-site review before any product is selected.
Not sure which description matches your home?
Share the source water and symptoms. We will help identify the treatment category before you buy.
Verify system-level information in the current municipal or regional drinking-water report. For property-specific concerns, use targeted testing or professional assessment rather than a citywide estimate.
Common Questions
Water Hardness FAQ
Get answers to frequently asked questions about water hardness and what it means for your home.