Alkalizing/Remineralizing Reverse Osmosis Water?

Question

Alkalizing/Remineralizing Reverse Osmosis water ?

I am using a RO water filter right now. It takes out all the beneficial minerals in the water and turns the pH of the water to 4.5-5 which is quite acidic.

I have seen some filters that attach to RO units which release beneficial minerals into the water again which helps bring the pH back to around 7.0.

Does anyone know good filters, or other methods to help me increase the RO waters pH back to a neutral 7.0?

Answer 1

First, do you know for sure that the pH of YOUR water is that low?  Here is something to consider:



    

pH VALUES OF WATER EXPLAINED

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.

If you are concerned with the pH of your drinking water, you should avoid guess work and get your water tested with an accurate pH tester meter (avoid those $10 paper testing strips, very inaccurate with pH readings). If you see that your pH is indeed below 7 with a good amount, you can consider putting a pH increaser filter as a final stage of your reverse osmosis system and correct acid water problem easily.

The new equilibrium will always result in a lowering of permeate pH if there is CO2 gas present in the feed water.

Usually, the pH drop is largest for waters with high amounts of alkalinity or HCO3.

When there is very little CO2, HCO3, or CO3, there is very little pH drop observed in the permeate.

Therefore it is not true that reverse osmosis filters will always reduce the pH level of water to a noticeable amount. The pH difference after the RO depends on the composition of your input water source; depends on whether you have large amounts of gases such as CO2  in your local water supply.

As for mineral replacement, just take a multi-vitamin/mineral tablet every day and you're all set.