Acidic or Low pH

Acidic or low pH water (pH below 7) can often cause corrosion of copper plumbing, tapware and hot water cylinders. This is  a very common probelm in New Zealand and is usually noticed due to a metallic taste when drinking the water, blue/green stains on sinks and plugholes, or leaking pipework and hot water cylinders (corrosion). The presence of copper in water (blue/green staining) is often caused by acidic water dissolving copper pipework and fittings, rather than copper being naturally present in the water supply, but an acidic water test will determine this.

The simplest way to correct the low pH is to pass the water through a neutralising filter with specially formulated media called CalciRite, which slowly dissolves in the water raising the pH. This media is available in a granular form and is placed inside a manual or automatic backwash filter housing. When approximately 1/4 of the original media has dissolved slowly into the water, the unit is topped up with media as required. This period for topping up will vary depending on use and acidity level of the water.

The CalciRite media only dissolves in acidic water, so should the pH increase naturally, the media will not dissolve and there is no risk of the pH being raised too high.  It is important to note that the Calcirite media does not act like a sediment or carbon filter. If these are necessary for the improvement of water quality, such as dirt or taste, the use of CalciRite will not satisfy any of these requirements. Ask us for the correct solutions if you have these problems.

The sizing of the neutralising filter depends on the initial pH of the water and water usage, and are available with manual or automatic backwash valves.  Some models do not require backwashing.

Please contact us for types and sizes to suit your requirements
(Phone 0800 746 744 Tollfree NZ).