The water supply in Otterbourne is pretty hard

If you live in Otterbourne, the chances are you experience hard water on a daily basis. This is because of the chalky soil prevalent throughout this part of Hampshire. The chalk contains calcium and magnesium minerals, which help to create hard water. Rainfall is naturally soft but it doesn’t stay that way once it gets into the soil.

If you suffer from overly dry skin, this can be made worse by exposure to hard water, as it aggravates conditions like eczema and dermatitis. Maintaining shiny, vibrant hair is also a challenge if it is continually being washed in hard water. Keep washing your laundry in hard water and it will soon go all stiff and starchy and lose its colour.

Hard water is also the primary cause of limescale – those nasty white deposits that collect anywhere hard water is present – in kitchens, bathrooms and household appliances. All the time you use hard water, it’s impossible to get rid of.

Perhaps worst of all is what hard water does to central heating systems. Limescale clings to pipework and builds up in water tanks, depleting boiler energy efficiency and water storage capacity. You end up with unnecessarily high fuel bills plus an impaired boiler, which could need replacing way before its time.

Having a water softener installed is the simple, long-term solution to all these hard water woes, offering permanent and cost-effective lifestyle benefits. Softened water is superb for everyday washing, cleaning and cooking – adored by skin and hair.

Otterbourne’s water hardness measurement is very high – at around 268 parts per million (ppm). Any reading over 200ppm is considered hard. Having an efficient Scott Jenkins water softener fitted will reduce that reading to almost zero.

Otterbourne – an Overview

Annual rainfall: 30.23 inch or 767.84mm. Otterbourne is a village in Hampshire, on the Otter Bourne stream, located around four miles south of Winchester and eight miles north of Southampton.

Its population stood at 1539 at the 2011 census. The village has a school, post office, village shop and three pubs.

The Otterbourne Brass band competes in the 1st Section of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.

Famous people from Otterbourne include former Surrey and England cricketer Chris Tremlett and the novelist Charlotte Mary Yonge.