There’s nothing like that refreshing taste of pure, clean water. Unfortunately, manufacturing and chemical plants violate health regulations and dump dangerous waste in our drinking water more often than you’d think. Does the drinking water in your household have a metallic taste? If this is the case, your water is likely high in minerals that raise your water’s pH. Fortunately, there are ways to lower pH in your drinking water.
What is pH in Drinking Water?
Most people have heard of pH balance, but what is it? Essentially, pH is a measurement of acidity. It uses the pH numeric scale, ranging from 0 to 14, to indicate how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The lower numbers on the scale are more acidic, while the higher numbers are more alkaline. For example, processed foods like cheese, milk, bread, and alcohol are acidic. In contrast, natural foods like leafy greens, almonds, and avocado are alkaline.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), drinking water should measure between 6.5pH to 8.5pH. But if your water has a pH below 7, it could have contaminants in it. Well water, in particular, is susceptible to mineral pollutants like lead, copper, or zinc. You may be able to detect these contaminants, as they can give your water a metallic taste.
High pH water, meanwhile, can cause a film to form on dishes and piping. In addition, your water will have a slight baking soda taste.
Why is pH Important in Drinking Water?
If the pH of your drinking water isn’t balanced, it can wreak havoc on your metabolism and throw your hormones out of balance. Drinking water that is too low in pH (too acidic) can make your immune system less efficient, even causing skin problems and weight gain. In the other direction, water that is too high in pH (too alkaline) can make it difficult for your body to properly metabolize nutrients from the food you eat.
Drinking water with a high pH typically has too many minerals in it. This can lead to scale building up within your faucets and showerheads, but it doesn’t stop there. Scale-buildup is also liable to ruin your water heater and any other water-using appliances you might have. Perhaps you’ve even noticed such buildup in your kettle or coffee maker. To make matters worse, water with a high pH can clog your pipes with minerals and decrease the water pressure in your household.
How to Lower the pH in Your Drinking Water
Think your water doesn’t have a pH problem? You may want to double-check because 90% of the households in America are in areas prone to hard water. Luckily, there are a few simple ways to lower the pH of your drinking water.
Use a Water Softener
A water softener can help lower the amount of pH-raising calcium and magnesium in your drinking water. It does so through a process called ion exchange. During ion exchange, those pipe-clogging and appliance-destroying minerals are exchanged for harmless sodium and potassium ions.
The best benefit of using a water softener is that it saves you money on repairing pipes and appliances in the long run. Since using a water softener prevents scale buildup, you also won’t need to account for the cost of increased water pressure within your household. You’ll even save big on soaps and detergents because soft water helps cleaning products penetrate more easily, increasing their efficiency. Soft water also leads to brighter clothes, cleaner hair, and healthier skin.
Contrary to what some people think, there are no adverse health effects of drinking soft water. The taste of softened water is different from hard water, and it’s a matter of preference. Many people prefer softened water because they consider it to have a smoother taste.
If you’re interested in lowering the pH of your drinking water using a water softener, there are several options. For targeted filtration, there are detachable filters you can put on your faucet. Or, for the peace of mind that comes with soft water throughout your entire house, you can always contact a professional to install a water softener for your whole home.
Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
There are many different types of water filtration systems to choose from, but reverse osmosis water filtration systems are the prime choice to lower the pH of your drinking water. Reverse osmosis water filtration works by pushing the unfiltered water through a semi-permeable membrane. Water flows through, but harmful salts and bacteria cannot penetrate, getting caught and trapped in the filter. So the drinking water that comes out of your faucet is nice and clean with a lower pH.
Reverse osmosis water filtration systems eliminate nasty pesticides, lead, and detergents so that you can reap all the benefits that pure tap water has to offer.
- Chemical-Free. The reverse osmosis distillation process removes a vast majority of the chemicals in your drinking water. Not only is this good for your health, but it’s also environmentally friendly.
- Inexpensive and eco-friendly. Say goodbye to bottled water! You’ll never need to buy bottled water again because reverse osmosis is the same filtration method that water bottle companies use. Get that crystal-clear water quality straight from your tap, and cut down on your plastic use at the same time.
- A lower pH. Filters remove salt and minerals from your water, decreasing the pH of your drinking water.
- Odorless and colorless. Pure water from reverse osmosis filtration means no more strange smells or weird colors in your drinking water.
Ready to enjoy filtered water throughout your entire house? Puronics has the best reverse osmosis water filtration systems available.
The Science of Water
With these simple tips, you don’t need to struggle with high pH drinking water anymore. Instead, you can easily balance your household’s drinking water for good with the help of our professionals at the Science of Water. We’ll match you with the perfect water filtration system to fit your needs so that you can get the satisfaction of clean, safe drinking water. We’ll even test your water for free!
If you’re interested in taking one of our free water tests or learning more about our services, contact us today at (352) 745-7070 or (904) 580-0000.
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