The Importance of the pH Levels in Water Filtration

Water and pH

• Ideally, drinking water should be as close to neutral (7 on the pH scale) as is possible. If a water has a low pH reading (0 to 7), the water is considered acidic and is more likely to corrode metal plumbing than non-acidic water. If a water is alkaline (7 to 14), it will take on a foul odor and taste. Achieving perfectly neutral water is not always possible, but water that is either highly acidic or highly alkaline needs to be treated at once in order to be safe to use.

Treating High pH Water

• Water that is highly alkaline can be made more neutral through the addition of neutralizing chemicals such as sulfuric acid. Typically, a chemical feed pump or a neutralizing filter made of granular calcite (marble, calcium carbonate, or lime) or magnesia (magnesium oxide) is integrated into the water system to inject highly acidic materials such as diluted sulfuric acid at regular dosages. Note that if your water requires an iron treatment in addition to alkalinity treatment, you will need to use both the chemical feed pump and the neutralizing filter.

Treating Low pH Water

• Low pH acidic water is more commonly encountered by homeowners than alkaline water. Just like alkaline water, acidic water is treated with a neutralizing filter or a chemical feed pump that doles out neutralizing formulas to balance out the water and bring it closer to the 7 pH ideal. Soda ash (sodium carbonate), caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or potassium can all be used to increase the sodium content of the water, which in turn balances out the water's acidity.

Other Considerations

• All the materials used to treat either acidic or alkaline water are very dangerous, thus the treatment systems here discussed should only be installed and maintained by professionals. If for whatever reason you do need to handle caustic soda, diluted sulfuric acid or any other materials used in these filtration systems, always wear gloves and goggles.