Chidham residents are used to having hard water

Unless you’ve got a water softener fitted, living in Chidham means putting up with hard water. It’s what flows through your taps. The water is hard is due to the chalky bedrock which dominates much of Sussex. Although rainwater is naturally soft, as soon as it reaches the bedrock, which is full of hard water-creating calcium and magnesium minerals, the water becomes much harder.

Hard water isn’t ideal for numerous reasons. It washes the life out of skin and hair, reducing their natural softness and vibrancy. Dry skin conditions, especially eczema and dermatitis, are also aggravated by hard water. With softened water on tap, you’ll immediately notice the benefits. The softer the water, the better it is for our skin and hair. Also, laundry is softer to the touch, not ending up all stiff and starchy as it does when constantly exposed to hard water.

Equally as damaging is limescale, which is caused by hard water, accumulating on wet surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms. A water softener will instantly remove limescale, preventing it from collecting around taps, on baths, sinks, shower screens and household appliances (kettles, dishwashers etc). Limescale is also a massive headache for central heating systems; it blocks up pipework and water tanks. A system constantly battling limescale will use huge amounts of unnecessary – and expensive – energy, simply to keep producing the correct amount of heat and hot water for your property. Soft water means reduced energy bills and a healthy, long-lasting boiler.

The water hardness level for Chidham hovers around 270 parts per million (ppm). That’s seriously bad, given any reading over 200 ppm is considered hard. The best way to combat this is to have an efficient, cost-effective Scott Jenkins Water Softener installed.

Chidham – an Overview

Annual rainfall: 22.79inch or 578.87mm.

Chidham and Hambrook is a civil parish located approximately five miles west of Chichester, south of the A27 road, near Bosham. The parish population at the 2011 census was 1356.