Dear People,
I have a challenge with my water system and would like your input, especially
from the chemistry-minded folk of this list.
In November I moved my home and office 6 miles to an even more remote country
location. The house's water supply is fed by a well. The water's pH tests at
around 6.2, much too acidic to drink (it should be at least a neutral 7.0).
As with my prior location, the water purification setup at my new locale
consists of two countertop water treatment units. The first is a simple filter
with coconut shell, to remove the particulate matter -- and save wear and tear
on the second water unit. The second water unit is a Singer Ionizer Plus, which
electrolizes the water and sends the acid and alkaline fluids to separate
chambers. You drink the alkaline water and use the acidic water externally (the
skin is acidic and really benefits from the acid water). At my new location, the
electrolyzed water initially tested from about 7.2 to 8.6, depending on the low
or high settings of the Singer electrolysis system. The alkaline water tasted
sweet and felt smooth.
However, then we needed to replace the cartridge in Unit #1. The company that
makes the first unit redesigned the cartridge and now we're having water
problems. The mouth on both ends of the cartridge is much narrower than before.
Presumably, this has lowered the pressure of the water flowing into the Singer.
So now, even with the Singer unit on the highest setting, the water's pH doesn't
get much higher than 6.6.
The manufacturer of Unit #1 (the one that changed the cartridge) doesn't want to
talk to us because we're not a large account. But someone at the Singer
dealership did talk to us. We were told that well water is tricky to test for
pH, because often there's carbonic acid (dissolved carbon dioxide) in the water.
The remedy, the company rep continued, is to let the water sit overnight so the
carbon dioxide can dissipate -- and THEN test the water the next morning.
So I followed their advice. I electrolyzed the water at the second setting and
the highest setting, let the two containers of water sit overnight, and then
retested the pH the next morning. There was no difference between the night
before and the next morning. The highest pH was still about 6.6.
Here are the mysteries:
1) Why would changing the water pressure (narrowing the mouth of the cartridge
on Machine #1) create a difference in pH?
2) Why didn't the carbon dioxide escape from the open water?
3) If the carbon dioxide didn't escape from the open water, it's possible that
the acidic readings weren't the result of carbonic acid. If not, what was
creating the acid?
All this leads to yet another issue:
Obviously, we're going to filter our water to get rid of sediment and chemicals.
But drinking acidic water is out of the question. What can we put into the water
to raise the pH?
I experimented with putting 50% concentrated pharmaceutical grade potassium
hydroxide into the acidic water. I had to use at least four drops to get the
water to an acceptably alkaline level (it only gets to about 7.2)..But now there
is an unpleasant taste to the water.
I really liked using the Singer when the results were working. Alkaline water is
wonderfully sweet and has great energy. But any water electrolysis unit produces
results that are only as good as the water that feeds it.
My only other option is to make distilled water, and add minerals to it for
drinking. Technically, distilled water has a pH of 7.0 because it doesn't
contain minerals. However, in reality this rarely is the case, because as soon
as distilled water is exposed to the air it violently reacts with carbon dioxide
and becomes acidic. For instance, I once tested the pH of distilled water that
was freshly made with a friend's distiller, and the pH was only 6.2.
Nevertheless, I ordered a distiller and expect it next week. I don't know what
pH this unit will create. Hopefully, the pH will be closer to 7.0 than not. Even
if the pH is 6.8, it's exponentially *much* better than even 6.6 -- and I'll be
able to add *less* potassium hydroxide to get it to the pH I want.
However, I don't know the ramifications of drinking potassium hydroxide on a
regular basis. I figure that if the water tastes bad, that's an indicator that
something is wrong.
So your intelligent suggestions are welcome. (All you Sherlock Holmes chemists,
put on your thinking caps!
I hope I have been clear in explaining the situation. Thanks in advance for your
help.
Nenah
Nenah Sylver, PhD
author, The Handbook of Rife Frequency Healing
and The Holistic Handbook of Sauna Therapy
http://www.nenahsylver.com
Holistic health products, supplements and services
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