Understanding Denver Area Water pH Levels
The pH levels in your Denver water tell you how acidic or alkaline (basic) water is. All water has a pH, so the most important takeaway when considering your pH is understanding what the acceptable, healthy range for water is. Completely pure water, for example, has a neutral pH of 7, however this is fairly uncommon in unfiltered water. Bottled waters, by comparison, often have a pH near 6.5 or lower.
What pH Should My Drinking Water Be
Both naturally-occurring and treatment factors influence any given water supply’s pH, so depending on where you live, and where you get your water, it will have a different pH. For typical municipal water, pH levels usually fall between 6.5 and 8.5 and they’re commonly found near the neutral level 7. This range is considered safe for consumption by the EPA. Similarly, the EPA does not recommend consuming water with either highly acidic pH levels, or highly alkaline pH levels, as both can have adverse health effects.
Does pH Change the Taste of Water?
Water’s pH is closely associated with the mineral content of the water. For example, hard water is water that contains a higher concentration of dissolved minerals like calcium, iron, or magnesium. This mineral content generally contributes to hard water being more alkaline in pH value than softer water. Many people can detect flavor differences between hard and soft water, so in this case, the alkaline, hard water could be noticed as a mineral, bitter, or metallic aftertaste in the water, depending on the concentrations. More acidic water, by contrast, can taste sour and have a more slippery feel.
Water pH and Health: Alkaline Water Trends
New trends in water come around somewhat regularly, and one of the most recent touts the benefits of drinking alkaline water – water with a higher-than-normal pH, 7 or above. There have been many health claims and while there is limited evidence to suggest alkaline water can help in very specific situations — like helping pro-athletes hydrate more efficiently — a majority of the research recommends avoiding water with any pH abnormalities (outside or approaching the bounds of the acceptable range). In a nutshell, our bodies have their own pH levels which are tightly regulated by other systems, so it’s best to drink plenty of water that falls somewhere in the range of safe pH levels, like tap water, filtered water, or standard bottled water.
Water pH and its Impact at Home
Where you’ll want to pay attention to water pH and its impact on your home is, again, generally related to the mineral content of your water more often than the actual pH. Water’s mineral content is generally responsible for causing corrosion in pipes, fixtures, and appliances, among other issues water can cause at home. Acidic water can also be more corrosive by nature, which can contribute to leaching metals from pipes or leaving an unpleasant, sour taste in tap water.
Treating Acidic Water at Home (Water with Low pH)
There are several effective ways to restore a neutral pH in your home’s water supply if you find it’s outside an acceptable or desirable range. How you do it, and the most efficient way, will depend on your specific water problems:
Hate the taste of your acidic water? A point-of-use filter like our Reverse Osmosis Filtration systems can provide great-tasting, neutral pH water you’re after, right from your kitchen sink. Point-of-use systems are effective and affordable methods to getting better tasting water if you don’t notice water problems anywhere else in the house.
Experiencing issues with your plumbing or major appliances? It’s probably time to consider a whole-home water filter that specializes in addressing problems caused by pH imbalances, like the Culligan High Efficiency Series Whole House Filter. These filters stop hard water and restore a neutral pH to water right where it enters your house, so you get the benefits of filtered water at every tap.
Not sure if you have high or low pH, or where to start to learn more about your home’s pH? Your local Culligan Man can help —schedule a free in-home water test today to get started!
Works Consulted:
https://www.healthline.com/health/ph-of-drinking-water#drinking-water-ph-level-chart
https://www.thedailystar.net/health/what-should-be-the-ph-value-drinking-water-138382
https://www.eskawater.com/the-importance-of-ph-2/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/well/eat/alkaline-water-health-benefits.html
