Treatment Options For Acidic Water

Acidic water can destroy your plumbing and contaminate your water with harmful heavy metals. Read on to learn more about acidic water and the best water treatment solution to balance your water’s pH.

Acidic Water 101

Water becomes corrosive or acidic when it has a pH value of 6.5 or less. Many private wells have acidic water because rainfall in the United States tends to be acidic. As a result, untreated groundwater is often acidic.

If you have acidic water running through your plumbing, you can expect significant repairs in the future unless you install a water treatment solution. Acidic water can:

• Dissolve pipe’s interior lining resulting in heavy metal contamination.
• Strip copper  off faucets and other metal bathroom fixtures.
• Create pinholes in plumbing that allow water to escape and cause flooding or damage nearby walls, ceilings, or flooring.
• Damage your water heater and other water-based appliances

Repairing your home’s plumbing can cost at much as 20% of your home’s value. In contrast, installing a water treatment solution to balance the water’s pH can be significantly less expensive than plum

Dangers of Drinking Acidic Water

Drinking acidic water can be dangerous because it is often saturated with heavy metals. Ingesting water with heavy metals can have many negative health impacts.

• High levels of zinc and copper can cause very unpleasant gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
• Long-term exposure to copper-heavy water can cause gallstones, kidney stones, neurological damage, and kidney or liver failure.
• Any amount of lead can be dangerous, especially for children. Lead exposure can impair children’s memory and their physical and cognitive development. Adults exposed to lead can develop high blood pressure, strokes, nervous system, and kidney disease or cancer.

Treatment Solutions for Acidic Water

The best water treatment solution to combat acidic water depends on your water’s pH level.

• Calcite – If your water’s pH is around 6, calcite is the perfect solution. Calcite is popular because it is self-correcting, meaning that it will neutralize the water without the risk of overcorrection. The downside is that it can only raise the pH by 1.
• Magnesium oxide (FLOMAG and Corosex) – If your water’s pH level needs more of a boost, try mixing magnesium oxide and calcite. You can use either 80% calcite and 20% magnesium or 90% calcite and 10% magnesium oxide. The downside of this solution is that you can overcorrect the water.
• Soda ash – If your water’s pH level is around 4, you need the toughest solution: soda ash, which is the last resort since it requires a high-maintenance chemical injection system.

You don’t have to battle acidic water on your own. The water treatment experts at Tri-Florida Water Treatment are dedicated to serving Floridians like you. We offer a free in-home water analysis to assess your home’s water quality. Using that information, we will work with you to build the best water treatment solution for you. So give us a call today to set up a free visit!