How to detect and remedy water hardness at home

Water hardness can cause a number of problems in the home: limescale deposits, clogged pipes, less efficient household appliances, dry skin and hair. Understanding water hardness is therefore essential for choosing the right water treatment. Thanks to effective solutions such as our water filtration, purification and softening systems, HydroSolution helps to improve the quality of tap water, while optimizing your daily comfort and protecting your domestic installations.

Knowing the hardness of the water in your home is essential for choosing the right water treatment system.

To find out if you have hard water in your home, a few clues may help:

You have limescale build-up in your pipes
You have low pressure in your taps
You have stains on your clothes and discoloration after washing
You have soap stains on your glasses and dishes
You have soap deposits on your shower glass
You have dry skin and hair after a shower
You have limescale deposits on your taps throughout the house

In the table below, you’ll find a census of water hardness in some Quebec cities. It’s important to know the water quality of your municipality, and they share their results annually.

Water hardness is measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or grains per gallon (gpg).

Water hardness scale

Census table of the water hardness of cities in Quebec

City name	Hardness (mg/L)
Asbestos	65
Ayers Cliff	92
Aylmer	35 – 40
Baie-St-Paul	54
Beaconsfield	60 – 70
Beauharnois	130
Beauport	50 – 60
Beaupré	245
Boucherville	120
Buckingham	35 – 40
Cap-de-la-Madeleine	18
Chambly	55
Chicoutimi	34
Dorval	15.8 – 22.3
Drummondville	60 – 120
East Angus	30 – 36
Farnham	50
Grand-Mère	50
Hudson	227
Hull	35 – 40
Iberville	62
Joliette	20 – 45
Jonquière	31
Kénogami	17
Lachine	109 – 124
Lachute	40
Lauzon	80 – 110
Laval	28 – 47
Lévis	80 – 110
Longueuil	120
Laterrière	130
Louiseville	23
Magog	52.5 – 72.3
Montebello	19
Montmagny	20
Montreal	109 – 124
Morin Heights	150 – 200
Murray Ray	130
Nicolet	100 – 120
Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot	27
Ormstown	365
Pincourt	27
Quebec City	50 – 60
Richmond	58,6
Rimouski	172 – 200
Rouyn	80
Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce	25
Shaneville	181
Shawinigan	50
Sherbrooke	43.3 – 51.9
Shipshaw	160
Sorel	60
St-Hyacinthe	52
St-Jean sur Richelieu	65
St-Jérôme	60
St-Lambert	120
Ste-Agathe-des-Monts	26
Ste-Adèle	77 & 184
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue	109 – 124
Ste-Scholastique	345
Ste-Thérèse	218
Stanstead	125
Vaudreuil	27
Thetford Mines	52
Trois-Rivières	25
Val d’Or	170
Valleyfield (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield)	132
Victoriaville	100 – 120
Ville St-Laurent	116
Waterloo	209

*This list is subject to change without notice. If data from your city is missing, please get in touch with your municipality.

In conclusion, understanding water hardness is crucial to adopting the appropriate measures to improve water quality in your home. HydroSolution offers several water treatment options adapted to reduce hardness and protect your domestic installations. For example, a water softener and chlorine filter is perfect for softening your water while filtering out contaminants. It is installed directly on your main piping, usually near the hot water tank or in a mechanical room. The system is electronic, fully programmable, with self-diagnostic and self-cleaning functions.

For more information on our products, visit our section on water purification and filtration systems, fill in the questionnaire and find the system that’s right for you. You can also order your free water test to check your water quality!

Request a free quote online or call us at 1 877 353-0077.