pH Values of water Explanied
Remember 4th grade science class? The one where you did that
experiment with litmus, the paper that turned red when you put
it on a lemon and blue in soapy water.
The indicator for acidity or alkalinity, or basic, is known as
the pH value. A pH value of 7 means a substance is neutral. The
lower value indicates acidity, and a higher value is a sign of
alkalinity. To display the range in pH, take a look at these examples:
- Lemon- 2.5
- Coffee-5-6.5
- Milk- 6.2
- Soapy water-7-10
- Beer- 4.5
In addition, many of the foods we eat contain an acidy pH because
of their bacteria killing functions.
pH and Water
So, what does pH mean for water? Basically, the pH value determines
whether water is hard or soft. The pH of pure water is 7. In general,
water with a pH lower than 7 is considered acidic, and with a
pH greater than 7, basic. The normal range for pH in surface water
systems is 6.5 to 8.5 and for groundwater systems 6 to 8.5. Alkalinity
is a measure of the capacity of the water to resist a change in
pH that would tend to make the water more acidic. The measurement
of alkalinity and pH is needed to determine the corrosiveness
of the water. At Planet's Water Industries, incorporated in all of
our water generation equipment is a special reverse osmosis filtration
system along with UV light treatment that yields a narrow pH range
of 6.9-7. When it comes to our machines, that's about as good
as it gets!
In general, water with a low pH (< 6.5) could be acidic, soft,
and corrosive. Therefore, the water could contain metal ions such
as iron, manganese, copper, lead, and zinc…or, on other
words, elevated levels of toxic metals. This can cause premature
damage to metal piping, and have associated aesthetic problems
such as a metallic or sour taste, staining of laundry, and the
characteristic "blue-green" staining of sinks and drains.
More importantly, there are health risks associated with these
toxins. The primary way to treat the problem of low pH water is
with the use of a neutralizer. The neutralizer feeds a solution
into the water to prevent the water from reacting with the household
plumbing or contributing to electrolytic corrosion. A typical
neutralizing chemical is soda ash. Neutralizing with soda ash,
however, increases the sodium content of the water.
Water with a pH > 8.5 could indicate that the water is hard.
Hard water does not pose a health risk, but can cause aesthetic
problems. These problems include an alkali taste to the water
(making that morning coffee taste bitter!), formation of a deposit
on dishes, utensils, and laundry basins, difficulty in getting
soaps and detergents to lather, and formation of insoluble precipitates
on clothing.
According to a Wilkes University study, because of the association
of pH with atmospheric gases and temperature, it is strongly recommended
that water samples be tested as soon as possible. The study says
that the pH value of the water is not a measure of the strength
of the acidic or basic solution, and alone can't provide a full
picture of the characteristics or limitations with the water supply.
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