Total Hardness stands as one of the most widely used tests performed in the United States since private well owners and municipal water customers alike have a need to test the hardness of their water from time-to-time.

• Manufacturer's Part Number:  480008
  
  
• Number of Tests:  Each Bottle Contains 50 Tests
  
  
• Detection Range in Parts per Million:  0, 40, 80, 120, 180, 250, 425, 1000 ppm (mg/L)
  
  
• Detection Range in Grains per Gallon:  0, 2, 5, 7, 11, 15, 25, 58 gpg
  
  

What do Total Hardness test strips detect?  As a general rule they detect dissolved calcium and magnesium in a water sample.  Both chemicals can form hard-to-remove deposits on plumbing fixtures and, in extreme cases, can clog up piping in a home, office or other dwelling.

This product uses no harmful chemicals, requires no drop counting or lengthy mixing procedures, and does not require the person performing testing to have any sort of advanced technical expertise.

For more information on the effects of hardness (dissolved calcium & magnesium) in water and/or how to soften, treat or otherwise condition hard water, please check out the articles in Water Testing Blog's Hardness Archives and Water Softener Archives.

Popular articles in those archives include:

• Water Softener That Does Not Use Salt?
  
  
• Is Soft Water Salty?
  
  
• Converting Grains per Gallon (GPG) to Parts per Million (ppm)
  
  
• What Should You Test if You Have City/Municipal Water?
  
  

If after testing your water for hardness you determine that you need (or would like) to purchase a water softener, we suggest taking a look at the products offered by Filter Water, a leading online retailer of traditional 'salt-based' water softeners as well as the more modern and environmentally friendly 'salt-free' water softeners.