What is pH?

pH means potential hydrogen and tells you if your water is neutral, acidic or alkaline.

The scale is logarithmic, so pH 7 is neutral, pH 6.0 is 10x more acidic than neutral, pH 5 is 100x more acidic the neutral, pH 4 is 1000x more acidic than neutral and so on.

Have a look at your some common products at different pH levels

pH levels of below 7.0 is acidic and can cause corrosion problems.

pH levels of above 7.0 are alkaline. Levels above 9.0 can affect taste and make water feel slippery.

The NZ drinking water standards give guideline value of 7.0-8.5 to prevent corrosion and taste problems.

What does low pH do?

Low pH water is corrosive, this is exacerbated where water is heated. This often shows as blue/green staining on whiteware from copper dissolving from the hot water system. However other metals like steel and brass can also be affected.

This is a concern because it can increase metals in water above safe levels if left unchecked, as well as damaging expensive chattels.

How can I fix low pH?

A neutralising filter, when used correctly can correct your pH to within the recommended values given by the drinking water standards.

What does high pH do?

High pH is less dangerous, but it can affect taste and make water feel slippery to touch.

How can I fix high pH?

Correcting high pH, means using an acid dosing system. These work best with an inline pH meter to protect against accidental overdose.

This is not often done for household situations as most people are nervous about having chemicals on-site and may not want to spend time maintaining the system. In that case, dilution with rainwater is an option.  It is much more commonly used in commercial situations.