 pH Correction - Some useful Information
Private water supplies in a large area of south west Wales are acidic in eraction and are fairly soft in character.
Interpretation of pH Value
The pH of water is a measure of the hydrogen ion activity (acid base equilibrium). PH 7 is neutral, a figure above pH 7 is said to be lakaline.
The majority of spring water in this area is in the range from 5.8 to 6.5 which is quite acidic.
There is a wide range of tolerance on the standards applied by the EC Drinking Water Directive - 5.5 to 9.0 and in most cases the water will pass the required test for pH.
After the pH figure on the Public Analysts Report is a Langelier Index Figure. The more 'minus' this figure is the more corrosive the ware will ve, i.e. lower than 1.5 will definitely cause significant damage to copper pipework and soldered joints.
As a general guide, all waters less than pH 6.2 could be doing some sort of damage to metal fittings and pipework and in particular copper cylinders and hot water immersion type heaters.
The proplem ...
- Water is constantly eating away at copper pipework within the house or even beneath the solid floor
- Hot water cylinders become pitted and leak and reqire renewal
- It can produce metal condamination in water supplies - elevated copper levels & mabye lead
- It can produce a greeny/blue stain on white bathroom surfaces and some people with blonde/white hair will turn green.
What are the remidies?
- The most permanent remidy is to install a pH correction unit in line into the water supply system. This will increase the pH level naturally using a limestone derivative.
- Run the taps for a few minutes to purge the standing water in the pipes
- Replace copper fittings with plastic
- Remove all lead pipes from system
PH units are easy to install and need to be topped up periodically with limestone media. There is no need for an elcectric supply.
The units are quite large however and need to be sited where they can be accessed for re-filling. The typical domestic unit size is approx. 10 inches wide and 50 inches tall.
For further information and pricing please contact us on 01994 448310 - ask for Haydn, Stuart, Eleri or Sylvia, or just complete our website enquiry form, clearly stating the type of your enquiry. | 
