With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
As you may surmise from the title, acidic water is corrosive, it can damage your plumbing system and can affect your health. Acidic water has a pH value of 6.5 or less, it’s found in nature and rainwater is usually acidic and soft. As water absorbs various minerals, they are dissolved and the pH level may rise to a pH value of 7 (neutral) or higher. At a pH value of 7.5, water is regarded as alkaline (basic) and many bottle mineral waters contain high-levels of rich dissolved mineral content. In this article, we will focus on how acidic water can affect your home and what you can do to fix the problem.
The Causes of Acidic Water
When water is combined with carbon dioxide, which occurs during precipitation, it becomes acidic. Moist air rises from surface water sources, it cools and condenses to create water vapor which we see as clouds. This is water filtration, the hardness is removed, only water molecules remain and this process is replicated during the water distillation process. The water in clouds is acidic and soft and during rain or snowfall, this water returns to the ground where it forms a weak carbonic acid with carbon dioxide (CO2).
The typical pH level is 5.6 at this stage, but the composition of the surface that the water falls on can alter the pH level. The water soaks into the ground and seeps through various strata of sand, soil, and rock, which can change the characteristics of the water. If the water moves through calcium-rich limestone, it will absorb more minerals and become harder. But, if the water seeps through a less porous rock like granite, it will retain its softer and more acidic nature. For this reason, well water supplies in areas with shallow groundwater sources or certain geological features will have acidic water. Other sources of acidic water can induce mine drainage sites or chemical runoffs.
How Does Acidic Water Affect Plumbing Systems?
Acidic water is corrosive and it will dissolve the inner surfaces of pipes and fixtures that it passes through. If you have copper pipes, you may notice blue/green stains on the sinks, tubs, faucets, and drains. This is a sure sign that some major damage is taking place where you cannot see it. But, over time the wall of the pipes will weaken and pinhole leaks will begin to appear which can develop into water leaks that can cause extensive damage. Hidden pipes behind walls are harder to reach, the damage may go unnoticed for a short while and then flooding could occur.
The effects of acidic water on PVC or PEX plumbing pipes is lessened, but there are other ramifications for the home. Water using appliances, such as the water heater, are very vulnerable to corrosion. In fact, heated water tends to make the water even more corrosive which can lead to extensive damage in a very short period of time. This can lead to an unexpected water heater repair bill or even a shorter than expected lifespan.
The final threat to home plumbing systems is leaching, this is the removal of metal ions that are added to the acidic water as it flows through metal pipes. This may increase the concentration of metals, such as manganese, copper, zinc, iron, and even lead to your drinking water. The introduction of heavy metals makes the water toxic and this is especially true if you have copper, iron, and lead pipes. To add insult to injury, leaching will also stain your sinks, tubs, and plumbing fixtures too.
It’s estimated that up to 20% of the home’s value can be the price of a home plumbing system repair. So, if you have acid water problems it’s a good idea to deal with the problem sooner to avoid serious damage and save money.
How Does Acidic Water Affect Our Health?
The aforementioned leaching problem can add toxic heavy metals to drinking water and this is a serious health risk. Exposure to high concentrations of copper and zinc can lead to gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. Drinking or cooking with copper rich water can cause neurological damage, kidney stones, liver failure, and other health issues. But, the most dangerous heavy metal found in some older plumbing systems is lead. Exposure to lead is especially dangerous for infants and younger children because it can stunt their development and cause cognitive impairment. Anyone ingesting lead will be more prone to nervous system diseases, strokes, certain types of cancer, miscarriages, high blood pressure, strokes, and even death.
How Can I Treat Acidic Water?
Acid neutralization can be used to raise the pH level of your incoming water supply to a neutral value. There are a number of methods and the approach that you take will be determined by the acidity of your water, they are calcite, magnesium oxide, soda ash, and caustic soda. The acid neutralizer will expose the incoming acidic water to the media with up flow technology or back-washing.
During back-washing, a half filled tank of calcite and/or magnesium oxide filters the incoming water. The treated water is collected in a distributor basket and then it moves to a riser tube and into the home. Water always chooses the path of least resistance which makes this a reliable option. Each cycle will send approximately 30-40 gallons of water into the drain.
The up flow system keeps the filtration media moving in a mineral tank, but there is no distributor basket. A circular latticed plate with fan-like apertures spirals the water in an upwards direction. No backwashing is required which means you won’t waste 30-40 gallons of water every day.
In Conclusion
An acid neutralizer can increase the hardness of the incoming water as the acidity is removed. This may seem counterproductive because hard water can also damage the plumbing system. But, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when multiple water quality issues are a problem. For this reason, most homeowners use more than one water filtration system to improve the quality of their water. After the acid neutralizer, many people install a water softener to remove hardness and a reverse osmosis filter to remove other contaminants.
If you want to learn more about dealing with acid water and other problems, contact your local water treatment specialist today.