Does your water taste sour, tangy, or have a metallic aftertaste? Do you have rings in your toilets or blue corrosion on your faucets? This could be a sign of “Low pH” or Acidic water. Not only is acidic water unpleasant to drink, but it can also have negative impacts on your health and damage your plumbing system.
At Just Better Home Services, we understand the frustration of dealing with "nasty" water. No one wants to deal with discolored, foul-smelling, or corrosive water. As experienced plumbing experts, we've encountered a wide range of water quality issues and are here to help. In this article, we cover the signs, causes, risks, and effective solutions for acidic water.
In This Article:
What is Acidic Water?
Acidic water is water with a pH lower than 7.0. The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, with 7.0 being neutral. A lower pH indicates a higher concentration of hydrogen ions, making the water acidic.
Hard water is not the same as acidic water, though it can cause similar problems. Hard water contains high concentrations of dissolved minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium ions. This leads to issues like scale buildup in pipes and appliances, and can affect the taste and feel of the water.
Causes of Acidic Water
There are several factors that can contribute to acidic water:
Natural Causes: Rainwater itself is naturally slightly acidic due to the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As rainwater travels through the soil, it can further increase in acidity by interacting with naturally occurring acids in the soil and rock formations. These acids can originate from the decomposition of organic matter, such as plant roots and leaves, contributing to the acidity of the water supply in certain regions.
Pollution: Acid rain results from the release of pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. These pollutants react with water vapor to form sulfuric and nitric acid. This acidic precipitation then falls to the ground, impacting water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and streams, lowering their pH levels.
Industrial Waste: Industrial and agricultural activities can significantly contribute to water acidity. Agricultural runoff, containing fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste, can introduce excess nutrients and pollutants into waterways. These pollutants can disrupt the natural balance of the ecosystem, leading to increased acidity levels.
Plumbing Corrosion: Already corroded pipes can worsen with acidic water, particularly those made of metals like copper and lead. When acidic water comes into contact with these metals, a chemical reaction occurs, gradually eroding the pipe walls. This corrosion can lead to pinhole leaks, reduced water pressure, and even complete pipe failure.
How to Tell if You Have Acidic Water
While you might not immediately notice a strong taste, there are a few signs that could indicate you're dealing with acidic water:
Metallic Taste: This is a common symptom of acidic water, often described as a slightly "off" or metallic flavor.
Sour Taste: Some people find that acidic water has a subtle sourness, similar to vinegar.
Plumbing Problems: Acidic water can corrode pipes (especially copper and lead), leading to:
Discolored water: You might notice a greenish or bluish tint to your water.
Low water pressure: Corrosion can clog pipes, reducing water flow.
Leaks and drips: Corroded pipes are more prone to leaks.
Unpleasant odor: Corroded pipes can release unpleasant odors into the water.
Fixture Damage: Deteriorated and leaking fixtures can be a sign of corrosion, as valve seats will lose their sealing ability due to worn internal metal components.
Skin and Hair Issues: Some people find that acidic water can dry out their skin and hair, leaving them feeling itchy or brittle.
Water Testing: These are just some of the potential signs of acidic water. The most accurate way to determine if your water is acidic is to have it tested. You can purchase a home water test kit or contact a professional water testing company.
Negative Impacts of Acidic Water
Plumbing Problems
Acidic water can cause a multitude of plumbing problems, including:
Corrosion: Acidic water accelerates the corrosion of metal pipes, especially copper and galvanized steel. This leads to:
Pinhole leaks: Tiny holes develop in the pipes, causing drips, stains, and potential water damage.
Reduced water pressure: Corrosion can narrow the interior of pipes, restricting water flow.
Pipe failure: In severe cases, corrosion can weaken pipes to the point of failure, leading to leaks and flooding.
Decreased Fixture Life Expectancy: Fixtures will deteriorate and valve seats will lose their sealing ability due to worn internal metal components, leading to leaks and issues.
Leaching of metals: As pipes corrode, they release metal particles into the water supply. This can contaminate your drinking water with lead, copper, and other potentially harmful metals.
Staining: Acidic water can cause unsightly stains on fixtures, sinks, and laundry due to the presence of dissolved metals. When acidic water corrodes metal pipes, particularly copper, it releases copper ions into the water supply. These copper ions can react with other substances in the water, such as soap or oxygen, to form blue-green compounds that adhere to surfaces. This discoloration can be difficult to remove and can make fixtures look unsightly. Additionally, these dissolved metals can stain laundry, leaving behind unsightly marks that are difficult to remove.
Health Implications
Lead Exposure. Are lead pipes still used? According to the EPA, there are about 9.2 million lead service lines in the United States. If the water supply is delivered through lead pipes, acidic water can accelerate the leaching of lead into the drinking water. Lead exposure poses serious health risks, particularly for children, including developmental delays amongst other problems.
Irritation to Skin, Eyes, and Lungs. Prolonged exposure to acidic water can cause skin irritation, including redness, itching, and dryness. Eye and lung irritation may also occur.
Tooth Enamel Erosion. Tooth enamel is susceptible to erosion by acids. When you consume acidic water, the acids can soften and dissolve the enamel, making teeth more vulnerable to cavities and sensitivity.
Bone Weakening: While the direct impact of acidic water on bone health may be less immediate than tooth erosion, long-term exposure to acidic conditions can potentially contribute to bone weakness. This is because acidic environments can interfere with the body's ability to absorb and utilize essential minerals like calcium and magnesium, which are crucial for strong bone health.
Mitigating the Effects of Acidic Water
There are several ways to address acidic water problems:
Neutralization Filters
Neutralization filters utilize a specialized media, typically limestone or calcite (calcium carbonate), to effectively raise the pH level of acidic water.
As the water passes through the filter bed, the acidic water reacts with the calcite media, causing it to dissolve and release calcium and bicarbonate ions into the water. These ions increase the water's pH, neutralizing the acidity and bringing it closer to a neutral level (pH 7).
Things to Consider:
Increased Water Hardness: As the filter media dissolves to neutralize the acidity, it releases calcium ions into the water. This can increase the water's hardness.
Pressure Drop: Neutralization filters can slightly reduce water pressure due to the resistance of the filter media to water flow.
Maintenance Requirements: These filters require regular maintenance, such as backwashing to remove accumulated debris. The calcite media gradually dissolves as it neutralizes the acidic water, requiring periodic replenishment or replacement to maintain effective filtration, depending on factors like water flow rate and acidity levels.
Potential for Over-Neutralization: In some cases, the filter may over-neutralize the water, leading to an excessively high pH, which can also have negative impacts on plumbing systems and water quality.
Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are a popular choice for improving the quality of drinking water. These systems utilize water pressure to force tap water through a specialized semipermeable membrane. This membrane allows water molecules to pass through while effectively blocking larger molecules, such as contaminants like chlorine, lead, arsenic, and other dissolved solids. The filtered water is then collected, while the remaining water containing the contaminants is typically drained away, resulting in purified drinking water.
This process offers a highly effective solution for improving the quality of drinking water by removing a wide range of contaminants, providing cleaner, safer, and better-tasting water for homes.
Considerations:
Water Waste: RO systems, as with most systems, produce wastewater as a byproduct of the filtration process.
Maintenance: Regular filter replacements are required to ensure optimal performance.
Cost: While the initial investment can be higher than other filtration methods, the long-term cost savings can outweigh the initial expense.
pH Neutralizers
pH neutralizers involve the addition of chemicals to the water supply to raise its pH level. These chemicals, typically alkaline substances like sodium carbonate (soda ash) or potassium carbonate, are injected into the water line.
When these alkaline chemicals come into contact with the acidic water, they neutralize the acidity by increasing the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) in the water. This chemical reaction effectively raises the water's pH, bringing it closer to a neutral level of 7.0.
Things to consider:
Accurate Dosing: Precise dosing of the pH neutralizer is crucial to avoid over-neutralization, which can lead to excessively high pH levels and potential problems.
Regular Monitoring: Regular water testing is essential to monitor the pH level and ensure proper neutralization.
Professional Installation and Maintenance: pH neutralization systems often require professional installation and ongoing maintenance to ensure proper operation and prevent potential issues.
Plumbing Improvements
Replace at-risk or corroded pipes. Replacing corroded pipes with more corrosion-resistant materials is a crucial step in mitigating the damage caused by acidic water. Materials like PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) are excellent choices due to their high resistance to corrosion. These materials are not only durable and long-lasting but also less susceptible to the corrosive effects of acidic water.
Stainless steel is another excellent option, offering exceptional corrosion resistance. However, it is generally more expensive than PVC or PEX.
Install a whole-home filtration system. Whole-house filtration systems offer significant advantages over single-faucet filters by treating water entering your home, providing clean water to every tap and appliance. This comprehensive approach not only ensures cleaner drinking water but also protects plumbing and appliances from scale buildup and corrosion. Additionally, whole-house filtration eliminates the inconvenience of switching between filtered and unfiltered water sources, while also contributing to a healthier home environment by reducing exposure to contaminants like chlorine and other chemicals.
How We Can Help
Just Better Home Services offers a range of solutions to address acidic and hard water. These services include installing Water-Right's advanced whole-home filtration systems, and Reverse Osmosis drinking water systems, to address these concerns. As home water quality is crucial for household health and safety, we also provide comprehensive water quality testing to identify contaminants, pH balance, and water hardness, ensuring a safe and healthy water supply for your family!
Contact us today to schedule an appointment and experience the Just Better Home Services difference!
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