BRITA Total and Carbonate Hardness Test Kit – your tap water in numbers
Water into the test tube, a few drops of indicator solution, a short swirl – and the colour flips. What used to be a guess about your tap water is now a number: this is how hard it really is, this is how much limescale it carries into your machine.
The kit works with a drop method. You add the indicator solution drop by drop until the colour changes, and read the hardness value from it – once for total hardness, once for carbonate hardness. Both tests come in this one set, listed at BRITA under order number 710403.
Why carbonate hardness decides which filter you need
BRITA states it in its own product documents: before commissioning any BRITA water filter system, the local carbonate hardness has to be determined. It indicates the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium ions in the water that is assigned to bicarbonate – exactly the share that later settles as limescale in the boiler, the lines and the brew group. If you know the value, you choose cartridge and bypass setting to match instead of guessing.
Total hardness and carbonate hardness – two values, two jobs
Total hardness covers all dissolved calcium and magnesium ions. It is the value that plays along in the taste: minerals carry aromas, too many lay themselves over them. Carbonate hardness is the part of it bound to bicarbonate – the limescale share. For taste you look at total hardness, for filter choice and scale protection at carbonate hardness. This set gives you both values.
When measuring pays off
Before you buy a water filter or fit a new cartridge, because only the hardness value tells you which filter solution suits your water. After installation, to see whether the filter is actually working. And from time to time later on, because filter performance runs out eventually – a second test shows whether the cartridge still delivers.
At a glance
| Function |
Test kit for determining total hardness and carbonate hardness in tap water |
| Measuring principle |
Drop method with indicator solution, read off via the colour change |
| Scope |
Total hardness test and carbonate hardness test together in one set |
| Included per test |
Test tube, indicator solution, instructions for use |
| Use |
Tap water – before commissioning a water filter system and to check the filter |
| BRITA order number |
710403 |
| Brand |
BRITA (BRITA SE, Taunusstein, Germany) |
Who it is for
For everyone running an espresso machine with a filter – whether a tank machine with Aqua Gusto in the water tank or a plumbed-in machine with PURITY C on the inlet. For cafés and offices that have to prove the filter is still working. And for everyone who has moved house and wants to know what comes out of the new tap, before the machine shows them six months later as a layer of scale.
Tip from our café
Two things that have saved us time behind the bar in Bern: measure at the tap you actually use, and let the water run briefly first – water that has been standing in the building's pipes distorts the picture. And convert the units while you are at it: Swiss water suppliers usually state hardness in French degrees, BRITA works in German ones. One German degree of hardness corresponds to roughly 1.8 French ones. That is our everyday experience, not a lab specification.
What goes with it
To match your reading you will find the filter solutions in our BRITA collection: the Aqua Gusto for the water tank, the PURITY C iQ for the plumbed-in machine. If you also want to see the mineral content, the Apax Lab TDS Meter adds the PPM value to the hardness measurement. If the limescale is already there, take a look at machine and grinder cleaning and the descaler for E61 and BZ groups. More tools for the bar are in the Barista Tools.
And because the water is only half the bill: you will find our beans from the roastery in Zürich Oerlikon in the coffee beans collection. On soft, filtered water we are particularly fond of Bright Cassis, while Cozy Chocolate and Nutty Delight stay round even with somewhat more mineral-rich water.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between total hardness and carbonate hardness?
Total hardness covers all dissolved calcium and magnesium ions. Carbonate hardness is the part of it bound to bicarbonate – the share that precipitates as limescale when heated. For choosing a filter, carbonate hardness is the decisive value; for taste it is total hardness.
Isn't the figure from my water utility enough?
As a rough guide, yes. In our experience it is still worth measuring yourself, because utilities publish average values for a whole zone and the water varies with the source and the season. The test at your own tap takes two minutes and is the basis on which you choose the filter.
Do I need the test if I already have a BRITA filter?
Especially then. BRITA requires the carbonate hardness for commissioning any filter system, and with the same test you later check whether the cartridge still performs: measure once before the filter, once after it.
Does the kit measure the same thing as a TDS meter?
No. A TDS meter measures conductivity and converts it into PPM, so the total mineral content. This kit specifically determines total and carbonate hardness via a drop test. The two values complement each other, but they do not replace each other.
In which unit do I get the result?
BRITA works with German degrees of hardness. Swiss water suppliers often state hardness in French degrees – one German degree corresponds to roughly 1.8 French ones, should you want to compare your reading with your municipality's figure.
How quickly is the test kit available?
Orderable directly online, delivery throughout Switzerland and to Liechtenstein in 2–4 working days. Click & Collect in Bern (Gerberngasse 44) and Zürich Oerlikon possible.
