The word pH is a common one in water treatment. So to it is common among households, healthcare professionals and the like. You may be more familiar with acids and bases, as is referred to on either side of the pH scale.
Water treatment plants are careful to not only monitor the pH of the water but sometimes even adjust it. Differing pH’s affect disinfection, filtration, coagulation, and even corrosion and the formation of scale. But what exactly is pH?
It simply refers the the amount of hydrogen ions (H+) or hydroxyl ions (OH-) ions in a particular substance. That’s it, that is all.
pH is measured in a scale from 0 to 14, with anything below 7 being acidic and anything above 7 being basic. Acids are in the lower range of the scale and are caused by an excess of the H+ ion, and bases are in the upper range of the scale and are caused by an excess of the OH- ion.
The pH scale is not linear, it is logarithmic, measured in multiples of ten. From a change of a pH 7 to a pH 6, there are ten times more H+ ions in the water. From a change of pH 7 to pH 5, there are one hundred times more ions in the water, and so on.
Water purveyors aim for a pH the closest to 7 they can manage. This is because a pH of 7 is what we call ‘pH balanced’, with neither an excess of the H+ or OH- ion in the water. Water plants tend to be less concerned with water that is basic than acidic, because acidic water can cause corrosion and damage on distribution systems. The ideal pH range of water is 7, with most municipalities allowing an acceptable range of 6.5 to 8.5 before they implement pH control.
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