Just had a well installed and we had the water tested.
It came out with no bacteria, but they mentioned that it had a high PH. Is that something a water softener system can take care of?
Is there a need for a water softener if the PH is high, but the iron content is not?
If the PH is high in our water will this have any negative health or plumbing fixture effects?
Thanks
A small and dated house lends its foundation to a stylish new home with more than twice the space.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
High pH means alkaline -- the opposite of acid. Usually this implies the water will be hard, but not always. High pH is generally less harmful to plumbing than low pH, but only within limits. Neither by itself has serious health implications, but seriously out-of-whack pH can cause other chemicals (heavy metals, etc) to leach out of rock and plumbing and create a health hazard.
A softener will not significantly change the pH of the water, and may not function if the pH is too far from "normal" (7.0). If you have alkaline water you may need to add acid. For acid water one generally uses a calcite/limestone tank.
A water softener is also not intended to remove significant amounts of iron. One will up to a certain point, but too much iron will actually "poison" the softener.
pH, iron, and hardness are three different things. The standard water softener really only addresses hardness.