Clean Water Made Easy Podcast

Clean Water Made Easy Podcast


Acid Well Water: The Simple Way to Neutralize Acidic Well Water & End Copper Corrosion Problems

February 06, 2018

Did you know that rainwater is slightly acidic, and in some cases can be very acidic?  This can cause acidic groundwater and might cause your well water to be corrosive to plumbing, fixtures, and appliances.
Common causes for acidic well water are from acid rainfall due to atmospheric carbon dioxide and other airborne pollutants, and in some cases, runoff from mines.
Pure water has a pH of 7.0 (neutral); however, natural, unpolluted rainwater has a pH of about 5.6 (acidic). The acidity of rainwater comes from the natural presence of three substances (Carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide) CO2, NO, and SO2.   (CO2) is present in the greatest concentration and therefore contributes the most to the natural acidity of rainwater. As CO2 levels rise, acid rain might be increasing as well.
Some items I talk about in this episode are the source of acid water, how it is formed, and what you can do about it.
How to Neutralize Acidic Well Water?

* Test your well water first, for at least: pH, alkalinity, hardness, total dissolved solids
* Use a calcite neutralizer to eliminate the acid pH… OR
* Use a blend of calcite and magnesium oxide (Corosex or Flomag brands etc) for very low pH
* Use a backwash type neutralizer OR an upflow neutralizer, depending on your application and water
* Consider a soda ash injection system if your pH is 5 or below, and/or your water is high in calcium

Have a question? Please don’t hesitate to email me at gerrybulfin@cleanwaterstore.com .
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TRANSCRIPT
Episode 13: Acid Well Water: The Simples Way to Neutralize Acidic Well Water & End Copper Corrosion Problems
Hello, hey, thanks so much for tuning in again to the Clean Water Made Easy Podcast. Gerry Bulfin here. As you may know, I’m a Water Treatment Contractor and WQA-Certified Master Water Specialist. I hope you’re having a nice day wherever you’re listening or however you’re listening.
In this series of podcasts, I’ve been giving useful, easy-to-follow tips and information all about well water, well water treatment systems, and how to improve the quality of your well water.
Today’s episode is all about acid well water. Very common. We’ll also talk about acid rain if you’re using rainwater, and spring water, all of which can be acidic in private water systems. One of the most common causes of pipe and fixtures corrosion is from low pH, which means acidic. If it is a pH of less than 7, it is acidic.  pH is just a scale. You can think about it as between 1 and 14;  7 is neutral.
I’m also going to give an overview of the different kinds of systems used to treat low pH.  Actually, it’s very easy to treat, which is fortunate.  I will talk about how copper corrosion occurs from acid water; how to slow down and how to eliminate those blue stains which is very common. The blue stains are from copper corrosion.
Download the Free Guide
We also have a really good guide, a little eBook, 21 pages, called How to Treat Acid Well Water. It has pictures, diagrams, and is very easy to follow. If you don’t want to take a lot of notes when you’re listening to this, and you just want to get the guide, that could be a good way to go. I posted a link in the show notes if you want to get your free copy.
You can get it by going to