pH Correction System for Metal Poisoning

Metal Poisoning from Soft Water Supplies

While “soft water” sounds ideal because its suds easily and tastes pleasant, it can be deceptively dangerous. In most cities the water comes from reservoirs filled by rain and river runoff. Also, rainwater and bore water can be soft water. This water is naturally low in calcium and magnesium, making it “aggressive.”

How Soft Water Attacks Your Plumbing

Water is a “living” medium that constantly seeks balance. If it lacks a mineral base, it will actively dissolve the metals it touches to compensate.

Copper Pipes: Copper is a soft metal. Aggressive water dissolves the inner walls, turning porcelain fixtures blue or green and giving water a bitter metallic taste.
Galvanised Pipes: Soft water eats away the inner lining, turning the water brown and leaching high levels of zinc into your drinking supply.
Old Iron Pipes: These dissolve readily, leading to elevated iron levels and rusty-coloured water.
Brass & Alloy Fittings: These are often stripped of their metals, primarily releasing zinc into the water stream.

Key Indicator: Aggressive water typically has a low mineral count and a pH between 5.5 and 7.3.

The Saturation Index (SI)

In water treatment, we use a specific calculation to predict how water will behave. This is known as the Saturation Index.

To find the SI, we measure four factors:
1. Calcium Content
2. Alkalinity
3. pH Level
4. Water Temperature

Understanding the Results:

Aggressive: The water is “hungry” and will corrode your pipes and leach metals.
Scale-Forming: The water has too many minerals and will block your pipes with white crust.
In Balance: The water is stable and safe.

The “Sweet Spot”: For water to be perfectly balanced—meaning it won’t attack your pipes or cause scale build-up—the SI result must be between -0.5 and +0.5 at 25°C.

Stopping the Metals Problem

Calcite Filter

This can be generally achieved by passing the water supply on demand use, through a vessel filled with the calcium chip or ground calcium. The water hardens up, the calcium level climbs, the alkalinity elevates and the pH goes higher and the problem ceases.

This filter will produce alkaline water as well.

Blue-green stains or a metallic taste? Need alkaline water?

Email your water analysis (or ask us to test on site) and we will recommend the right system, sized for your flow and pressure.