Where to look on water supplier website to find water information (GH/KH etc.)?

[FriendlyGeek]

Morning

I see a lot of threads on here and elsewhere regarding water GH and KH levels, but this is something that we have never tested. We use the API liquid kit and just use the PH test in there, however I'm curious now about the GH & KH numbers.
I've been on the website of our water supplier, but I'm struggling to find this specific information if anyone could point me in the right direction please?
For info we are in the North West UK

 

[MattW]

United utilities uses hardness Clark.

I don’t think UU uses GH/KH on their quality charts.

 

[FriendlyGeek]

Thank you

I did see that page but I have no idea what any of that means? If they don't use GH/KH then how do I find this out?

 

[Essjay]

They do give both GH and KH.

Hardness degrees Clark is GH. It's just in a different unit. There are half a dozen units for GH, it's far worse than cm/inches for confusing us.
Once you have that hardness Clark number, head over to the calculator on the forum

Calculator

In the Converter section, hardness is the last in the table, type the Clark number in the Clark box and look at the numbers which appear in the GH box (that's your hardness as dH) and the mg/l CaCO3 box (that's your hardness in ppm) Some fish profiles give hardness as dH, others give it as ppm which is why you need both.

The table in Matt's post, on top of that table are the words 'summary' and 'full'. If you switch to 'full' the first entry is 'alkalinity as CaCO3'. That's KH. Water companies just use a different name. Make a note of the number in the 'average' column, it's your KH in ppm.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hello. You can look up thecountyoffice.com for local water information.

10

 

[Essjay]

Hello. You can look up thecountyoffice.com for local water information.

It's different in other countries.

In the UK, you need to look on the website of the company named on your water bill. These companies can cover a small area, or a large area including many towns and cities.

 

[Myrkk]

For Scottish Water you go to

Water Quality Search - Scottish Water

Water Quality Search

www.scottishwater.co.uk

I would assume that each country has a similar page

 

[Essjay]

I found this image here

Contact details for your water company - Ofwat

Water companies’ contact details The map below shows which water company supplies each area of England and Wales. Water supply and sewerage licensees are not tied to specific parts of the country. Find their contact […]

www.ofwat.gov.uk

It covers England and Wales and shows how large an area some water companies cover. Is all Scotland covered by just Scottish Water or are there other companies as well?

 

[Myrkk]

It’s just Scottish Water

 

[MattW]

It’s just Scottish Water

*German water after that result (only JK )

 

[Archerfish]

Hi @FriendlyGeek!
I always get the best results by calling, or visiting the water company. Look for the person who actually draws the water from the source and is responsible for treating the water. Often, that person has a chemistry background and can provide a wealth of information. I called and met with a guy once who was so excited that someone had interest in his job and was also keeping and breeding delicate aquatic species. He gave me his personal number. It was wonderful. Do your homework before calling to know exactly what data you are looking for. I have had success doing this in other than just the USA. Give them a call. You might have to do some 'detective work' to find the right person but I assure you it is worth the effort.

 

[10 Tanks]

It's different in other countries.

In the UK, you need to look on the website of the company named on your water bill. These companies can cover a small area, or a large area including many towns and cities.

Hello. My bad, Essjay. I failed to consider your point prior to my post.

10

 

[Essjay]

That's the problem with a forum with members from all over the world - we tend to forget things are different in different places. I do that.

 

[GaryE]

In my region of Canada, I could get an quarterly report from each local relay station in the system, showing detailed water analyses. It was great, as the city has two sources, one a deep hardwater well system, and the other a soft, acidic water lake system. I could check block by block, and I confess, when I was house hunting, the ability to avoid RO water was a consideration with neighbourhoods.
I have a large set up, and tap water I can use is crucial to keeping that going.
Then there was a problem with the well system that caused lawsuits, and the city decided to make getting info really difficult. Now, I can phone, and as someone else noted above, the people at the plant are pleased by someone caring about their jobs. They're very helpful.

 

[FriendlyGeek]

Thank you everyone for your posts.
I haven't had chance to look at this properly yet - all of the different units really confused me and there's "life stuff" going on at the moment which means that my mind is not operating at it's best right now and I just cannot get my head around it We've done fine for all these years without knowing this information, so this is not the end of the world, I was just curious.

But I wanted to say thank you to you all for taking the time to reply - I will come back to this when my mind is fit to absorb the information