Marbella's water: hardness, limescale and what you can do

If you live in Marbella (or anywhere on the Costa del Sol), you'll have noticed three things about the water: the limescale on the shower screen and in the coffee machine, the taste that sometimes puts you off, and the white marks on the taps. It's not your house: it's the area's water. Let's look at why, and what can be done.

What Marbella's water is like

The water reaching most homes in Marbella and its surroundings (San Pedro, Nueva Andalucía, Puerto Banús, Estepona, Ojén, Benahavís…) is drinkable and safe. But in terms of "sensory" quality, it has two defining traits:

• High hardness: lots of dissolved calcium and magnesium. That's the origin of the limescale in pipes, boilers and taps.
• Chlorine and sometimes an earthy taste: especially at times of year when disinfection is reinforced or the water source changes.

In numbers, the TDS usually sits between 300 and 700 ppm (for comparison, low-mineralization bottled water is under 100 ppm).

What it does to your home

• Coffee machines and kettles: scale on heating elements, slower heating, a "burnt" taste.
• Shower and screen: persistent white marks, scale in the shower head.
• Water heater and boiler: lose efficiency, use more energy, break down sooner.
• Washing machine and dishwasher: shorter life, more detergent and softener used.
• Taste when drinking: "heavy" water many people can't get down, so they end up buying bottles.

What it does to your business

In Marbella's service sector, with thousands of bars, restaurants and hotels, the impact multiplies: coffee machines, ice makers, ovens, dishwashers and industrial laundries suffer far more with water this hard. There, reverse osmosis for hospitality stops being optional and becomes pure profitability.

Your options

• Just improve your drinking water: a reverse osmosis system under the sink. It gives you water free of limescale and chlorine for drinking and cooking.
• Protect the whole installation from limescale: a water softener at the main water inlet.
• Both, when the water is very hard: the usual choice in Marbella for homes going all the way. See osmosis vs water softener.

How we start

The first step is always measuring your water. We come to your home or premises, run the free water test and tell you what you need and what it costs. No obligation, no surprises.

In Malaga city? Here's the same story applied to Malaga's water. Same substance, different nuance.