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Did
you know?
Reverse osmosis is the finest water filtration method known. This process will
allow the removal of particles as small as ions from a solution. It is used
to purify water and remove salts and other impurities in order to improve the
color, taste or properties of the fluid. R.O. uses a membrane that is semi-permeable,
allowing the fluid that is being purified to pass through it, while rejecting
other ions and contaminants from passing.
This technology uses a process
known as crossflow to allow the r.o. membrane to continually clean itself. This
is the reason of why an r.o. element can last many years before clogging or
need replacement. This
water purification process requires a driving force to push the fluid through
the membrane, and the most common force is household water pressure or pressure
from a booster pump. The higher the pressure, the larger the driving force and
efficiency.
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pH VALUES OF WATER EXPLAINED
Remember
4th grade science class? Yeah, the one where you did that
experiment with litmus, the paper that turned red when you put it on a
lemon and blue in soapy water.
The
indicator for acidity or alkalinity, or basic, is known as the pH value.
A pH value of 7 means a substance is neutral. The lower value indicates
acidity, and a higher value is a sign of alkalinity. To display the range
in pH, take a look at these examples:
- Lemon- 2.5
- Coffee-5-6.5
- Milk- 6.2
- Soapy water-7-10
- Beer- 4.5
In
addition, many of the foods we eat contain an acidy pH because of their
bacteria killing functions.
pH and Water
So, what
does pH mean for water? Basically, the pH value determines whether water
is hard or soft. The pH of pure water is 7. In general, water with a
pH lower than 7 is considered acidic, and with a pH greater than 7, basic.
The normal range for pH in surface water systems is 6.5 to 8.5 and for
groundwater systems 6 to 8.5. Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity
of the water to resist a change in pH that would tend to make the water
more acidic. The measurement of alkalinity and pH is needed to determine
the corrosiveness of the water.
In general,
water with a low pH (< 6.5) could be acidic, soft, and corrosive. Therefore,
the water could contain metal ions such as iron, manganese, copper, lead,
and zinc...or, on other words, elevated levels of toxic metals. This can
cause premature damage to metal piping, and have associated aesthetic
problems such as a metallic or sour taste, staining of laundry, and the
characteristic "blue-green"
staining of sinks and drains. More importantly, there are health
risks associated with these toxins. The primary way to treat the problem
of low pH water is with the use of a neutralizer. The neutralizer feeds
a solution into the water to prevent the water from reacting with the
household plumbing or contributing to electrolytic corrosion. A typical neutralizing
chemical is soda ash. Neutralizing with soda ash, however, increases the
sodium content of the water.
Water
with a pH > 8.5 could indicate that the water is hard. Hard water does
not pose a health risk, but can cause aesthetic problems. These problems
include an alkali taste to the water (making that morning coffee taste
bitter!), formation of a deposit on dishes, utensils, and laundry basins,
difficulty in getting soaps and detergents to lather, and formation of
insoluble precipitates on clothing.
According
to a Wilkes University study, because of the association of pH with atmospheric
gases and temperature, it is strongly recommended that water samples be
tested as soon as possible. The study says that the pH value of the water
is not a measure of the strength of the acidic or basic solution, and
alone cannot provide a full picture of the characteristics or limitations
with the water supply.
Healthy and Convenient!
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