Help and Advice

Q

How do I know if I have limescale?

A

The hardness of the water in your home is dependent on where you live and who supplies your water. Minerals in the water cling to surfaces including metal, ceramic and glass, heating elements in water-using appliances and household plumbing. The result is unsightly white deposits in your kettle, stains and scale on sinks, toilet bowls, around the base of taps, nasty brown gunk spitting out of your iron and reduced efficiency of appliances and showers.

Q

Can limescale damage my appliances?

A

Yes it can. Scale builds up in layers around heating elements providing a barrier between the element and the water. This means that more energy is required to heat the water. Over time the extra heat damages the element, shortening its life and resulting in the appliance breaking down.

Q

Does limescale reduce the efficiency of my appliances?

A

Yes it does. Scale builds up in layers around heating elements providing a barrier between the element and the water. This means that more energy is required to heat the water, reducing the efficiency of the appliance and making it more costly to run.

It's worth considering that just 1.5mm of scale on an element results in 15% more energy being required to heat the surrounding water. This could mean 15% more on your fuel bill.

Q

Will Oust damage my appliance?

A

No. Severely scaled appliances may need a second treatment and in some cases the build-up of limescale can cause damage to the lining of your appliance. The removal of the limescale may reveal this damage. The damage will not have been caused by the action of Oust.

Some good news...

Maybe you should consider yourself lucky if you have hard water. It's an excellent source of calcium and definitely not a heath hazard, In fact, the National Research Council sates that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount towards total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. Research even suggests there may be a link between hard water and lower cardiovascular disease mortality.

HARD FACTS

Limescale spreads like a disease. It fills kettles with nasty sediment; turns showers into dribbles and hot water tanks take ages to warm up.

The efficiency of appliances such as kettles, cappuccino machines and steam sterilisers are also adversely affected.

Scale builds up in layers around heating elements so more energy is required when heating water. The result is a reduction in efficiency and an increase in running costs.

Limescale also builds up on washing machine drums so even more mineral deposits are present in the wash. This reduces the effectiveness of detergents.

Steam irons that are filled with hard water can spit nasty brown 'gunk' onto freshly washed clothes.

Garments that are washed in hard water often look dingy and feel itchy. Continuous laundering in hard water can be damaging to fibres and shorten the life of clothes.

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