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Re: High pH in processed water
>I can't say for sure about Austin, but I did take a brief spin
>through "The Water Encyclopedia" and found that almost all of the US
>cities they list with a finished water pH greater than 9.5 use either
>lime softening or lime/soda softening. The point to those processes
>is to force pH so high by adding lime and/or soda ash that Ca and Mg
>carbonates are precipitated. The precipitate is then settled out.
>The process will also remove a number of heavy metals. It also pulls
>out every scrap of CO2; your reareation drops the pH by bringing it
>back to more normal CO2 concentrations.
>
>I wouldn't be surprised if your water utility is trying to reaerate
>the water before it goes into the pipes, and just not quite getting
>the job done.
Thanks, Roger.
All surface and ground water in central Texas is very hard, so I'm
sure our water utility uses this method to soften the water. I
recently did some plumbing work on 15-year old pipes--there was very
little scale, so the method works. However, my friends in the country
have horrendous scale problems using well water.
If my tap water has a high pH simply because of low [CO2], then I
could bring the pH down by injecting CO2, which I already do, in my
aquarium. This means I could use a Python to change my water directly
from the tap; there might be a small pH spike, but it would quickly
equilibrate. If I change no more than 10-15% at a time, there
shouldn't be a problem with chlorine, either.
I am tired of hauling 100 pounds of water from the back yard every
week, just to do a water change (but you should see my biceps!). I
already have a Python, but I have always used it for draining, never
for filling. It's time for a change.
Kind regards,
Mark