Acidic Water (Low pH)

On private water systems, one of the most common causes of corrosion is from low pH (acidic - less than 7.0 pH) waters. Signs of acid water are corrosion of fixtures, blue staining (from copper pipes) or rust staining (from iron pipes).

Often these waters can be of high quality and are low in buffering calcium minerals, but are high in dissolved carbon-dioxide gas, which can cause the low pH or acidity. Treatment is accomplished by neutralizing the water with the use of an automatic neutralizer. These water filter tanks are filled with a blend of calcium and magnesium carbonates made from naturally occurring minerals, which dissolve into the water, making it less corrosive. Periodically, (once or twice a year for a typical residential application) more mineral is added to the filter tank.

In some cases, instead of dissolved carbon dioxide causing the low pH or acidity, the acidity is caused by mineral acids, either natural or from mining or other industrial wastes. Often the pH is very low, less than 5.0. Treating this type of water requires injection of soda ash or sodium hydroxide with a metering pump, and generally, the neutralizing type mineral filters described above will not work well on this type of water.

If you suspect your water may suffer from this problem you should purchase a water test pack. You can also fill out our online query form and we'll get back to you very shortly.