What is the pH of tapwater?
Published June 24, 2011 | 
Perez Asks:
What is the actual pH of tap water? I would like to know the range of tap water.
Hello Perez
That depends very much on your source. I work for a small municipality that treats groundwater and it’s generally around 7.2 – 7.4. Most municipalities will adjust it up if it’s under 7 and down if it’s above 8.
A pH of 7 is considered ‘neutral’, below 7 is acidic and above 8 is basic. The reason it’s adjusted up if necessary is that below 7 the water can corrode pipes and valves in the distribution system. Above 8, the disinfectant used is much less effective at keeping the system free of harmful bacteria.
I hope this helps.
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pH Balance – What is it?
Published October 20, 2008 | 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.
pH of your body is very important to your health, so it is worth bringing up. I am not an expert on health, so I would encourage you to view this post here at this site.
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