The Hards and the Hard Mores
Homer: Now, I'm not one to make trouble, but it seems to me
that everyone who got to keep the old, or *classic* 636 area code lives on the *rich* side of town!
Burns: Dooh, poppycock!
Socialite: Well, I never!
[the man sitting next to her is horrified, and his
monocle falls into his drinking glass]
Homer: And, as usual, we Joe Twelve-Packs get the royal
screw job. Well, I've had it! You rich snobs aren't pushing us
around any more!
- The Simpsons, A Tale of Two Springfields
In all other ways harmoniously homogeneous, Brockley life is bitterly divided by its water.
While the those of you in the south of Brockley (or "Lewisham South" according to Thames Water) enjoy relatively sane levels of hardness in their water, those of us in "Lewisham North" have hardness levels of 318.5 mgl CaCO3 (ppm). Yes - you read that right. 318.5mgl CaCO3 (ppm)! That is one of the highest levels in London, hard water capital of the UK.
BC has grown up all its life in hard water areas. Ordinarily we are contemptuous of soft water, with its funny taste and its scumless shampooing. But Jeebus, "Lewisham North" has water so hard it would break you as soon as look at you. It will calcify your toilet bowl in hours and turn your kettle to chalk dust. We can't help but feel a little resentful of Lewisham South.
27 comments:
I grew up in a soft water area. We used to drink from the tap - not like you southern lot and your Evian.
We'd think nothing of walking 0.3 miles to a pub or 20 minutes to a train station either...
Soft water for soft northerners.
I drink hard water straight out of the tap - don't even bother with a glass mostly.
Explains the state of the kettle, needs descaling every 2 weeks
Nick, you buy water in frilly jars from Broca and the Sunflower Centre and you know it.
I grew up in a soft water area, but I actually prefer the taste of eau de Lewisham North.
However, I do sometimes feel my life is one long battle against limescale, and I don't think it's one I'm winning.
Yet another win for Crofton Park in the battle to be the best borough of Greater Brockley
Us northerners can handle it. Not like those frilly knicker wearing southern pansies.
Thank god it's not just me - I was beginning to think all that limescale was down to poor housekeeping ...
This is *hard*ly newsworthy, is it? ;-)
Links to Thames Water not working - is St Asaph Road in North or South Lewisham?! I have no idea what the hardness level of my water is...
Thanks for this link, Nick. Deptford (or New Cross as they call it) is only 256 but the limescale problem is horrific – there is no such thing as white grouting. As Pip says, it's a lifelong battle.
Legal eagles out there. Whats the likelihood of success if the water supply company was taken to small claims court for cost of descaling/ limescale damage?
Bronwen (stylist in Bohemia) commented on the hard water around here too -- she said it makes dyed hair fade more quickly.
If we ever find where our mains water comes in I'm tempted to fit a water softener.
Hard water tastes better and is better for you!
Oli - My old Aspinall road address was labelled as East Sydenham (!). The hardness level is 240 ish, so I reckon it'll be the same for St Asaph.
My kettle actually blew up yesterday... thinking about it, could that've been because of our lack of de-scaling? It's only about eight months old. Anyone know?
I bought a pressure cooker last week and had to simmer water for 20 mins to break it in. After I poured the water out and the pot dried ran my finger over the inside and it came away covered in the limescale deposit. Thats what's its like here in op norf Lewisham.
Does it mean we're all coated in limescale internally as well?!
according to this US report - hard water is good for you
http://www.water-research.net/hardness.htm
@Arabin&Out I don't descale my kettle as often as I should - once every two or three months, when it actually rattles when I swish the water around. Eight months without descaling MIGHT explain the blow up....
Costcutter sells sachets of Scale Away, which works best out of the descalers I've tried.
Costcutter? Shouldn't we be using artisan organic rock salt or something?
Does this hardness apply to those on the west side of the canal in Brockley?
Anon @12.16, not sure rock salt would work. Single grower, organic vinegar however....
Never mind the hardness, I want flouride in my water.
There used to be a lot of mungs who campaigned against fluoridation of water... what happened to them?
Oaksys are you in some type of time warp?
The canal shut in 1836.
Which is nearly twenty to seven ;0)
Rendered immortal by drinking the hard water of eternal youth!
I was wondering why it was so hard to keep my stainless steel sink free of limescale - haven't had problems anywhere else I've lived!
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