People generally consider water’s taste, not its pH value or quality. However, a lower pH level must be considered when drinking water, as it is a key aspect of water quality standards.

Acidic water is water with a pH level of 7 or lower that is not suitable for daily use or drinking purposes. It naturally occurs due to carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation, increased pollution, and other human activities. 

With lower pH levels, acidic water can leach heavy metals, such as lead and zinc, from eroding pipes, posing a severe risk to our health. This low pH level harms human health by infecting the skin, damaging teeth, and even causing trouble to aquatic life. 

Though acidic water is not suitable for drinking, it has some benefits and various causes and effects, which we will discuss here. 

So, without wasting much time, let’s move forward to understand the signs of acidic water. 

Signs Of Acidic Water

What are the signs that tell you that the water you are using is acidic or not? To help you get a better understanding, we have mentioned some signs that will show you the result of your water, whether it’s acidic or not. 

• Bluish-grey stain on your copper pipes.
• Red rust stains on the iron pipes. 
• Acidic water can cause water fixtures and pipes to wear out faster. 
• Acidic water often tastes bitter and metallic. 

Now that we know how to identify acidic water let’s discuss its reasons or causes.

Causes Of Acidic Water

Natural Process

Rainwater is the best example of acidic water caused by natural processes. During the hydrological cycle, water from lakes, oceans, and other sources evaporates. 

During its evaporation, water is separated from bacteria, minerals, and other harmful elements. But when water comes again in the form of rain, carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves in it. 

This makes rainwater acidic, with an average pH of 5.6. When this water touches the earth’s surface and seeps through rocks and sediment, its pH level increases depending on the environmental condition it encounters.     

In addition, if rainwater passes through calcium-rich limestones, it absorbs a high mineral content, making it hard water. However, if the water passes through granite or bedrock, it will remain acidic. 

As rainwater become groundwater it further interacts with dissolving minerals of soil; manganese and iron. These interaction can lower the pH and increase acidity of water.

Increase In The Level Of CO2

Carbon dioxide influences water’s pH. The more carbon dioxide in water, the lower its pH and the more acidic it will be. CO2 also increases with human respiration, pollution, and other human activities, making water more acidic. 

When water is combined with carbon dioxide, it forms carbonic acid(H2CO3). This also goes with seawater as more CO2 is absorbed by it, resulting in more acidic in nature. 

Another reason for increasing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is industrial discharge. This is also a serious consideration as this discharge contains hazardous chemicals that directly move to water bodies around the city and cause acidic water. 

You will not believe it, but this harmful chemical directly harms aquatic life and indirectly moves the chemical into rivers, lakes, or other water bodies, making water more acidic. Also, water can become more acidic with mining activities, multiple industrial production, and agriculture runoff.

Thus, when the pH level is lowered due to CO2, it causes instability in aquatic environments, ocean acidification, and acidic rain. 

Now, let’s dive into the effects of acidic water on our health and the environment.

Effects Of Acidic Water

Acidic water has a high concentration of acid and heavy metals, which makes it harmful for drinking and causes other health concerns.

Heavy Metals Leads To Several Diseases

Water or any other solution with lower pH as heavy metals. These can be lead, copper, nickel, cadmium or zinc. 

Exposure to heavy metal like this can be dangerous, leading to metal poisoning. You will be facing symptoms like 

• Nausea and vomiting 
• Diarrhea 
• Abdominal pain
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Organ damage 
• Suppression of the immune system 

This exposure to metal has been seen in children mostly, as they play around and drink water from any playground. This causes side effects that include developmental delays, respiratory issues, behavioural disorders and heart disease.

Effect Your Teeth And Bone Health

Drinking acidic water affects dental health as it increases the risk of tooth decay. If you regularly drink this water, then it will slowly erode tooth enamel, causing cavities. 

Acidic water absorbs calcium, leading to bone loss over time. Consuming heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic has been linked to adverse side effects on bone health. 

Therefore, if you regularly consume acidic water, it will have harmful effects on your health.

Effect Your Swimming Pools

As a pool owner, you must check water pH regularly. If your pool water is acidic, then it is harmful for you as well as for swimmers. If the pool water is below pH 7.2, then you can experience

• Irritated eyes, mucous membrane of swimmers.
• Damages on your pool plaster finish.
• Chlorine instability. 
• Corroded pumps and mechanical systems.

Also Read More About: Classification Of Different Types Of Pumps

Effect Plumbing Of Your House

Acidic water, often associated with the hardness of water, can be detrimental to your plumbing system, causing more trouble. It is cohesive, which leads to leaching, which means harmful elements from metal pipes start dissolving in water. 

On the one hand, acidic water is harmful to human health and has many effects that need to be addressed. However, it also offers multiple benefits you may need to know about.

Let’s discuss those benefits to understand the properties of acidic water better.

Benefits Of Acidic Water

Treat Skin Infections

Acidic water is complex and has an antimicrobial effect, which acts as an effective agent against atopic dermatitis. 

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with redness and itchy rashes. The acidic water works well with this skin condition and reduces redness. 

Acidic water can prevent the perfect pH balance in our body, which keeps the skin hydrated and protects against skin disorders.

Growing Plants

Spraying plants with acidic water promotes better plant growth and reduces the amount of bug and pest infestation.

Suitable For Hair And Scalp

Acidic water is thought to have benefits for hair health as it produces hair loss and prevents damage. It will be beneficial for you if you select the shampoo or conditioner that has 7 or 6 pH values.

Cleaning Fruits And Vegetables

With acidic water’s antimicrobial properties, it is right to say that you can wash your fruits and vegetables with it. Washing fruits and vegetables removes bacteria and foodborne pathogens so that you can eat healthy food.

Ways To Treat Acidic Water

To use acidic water in a better form and see it in our day-to-day life, it is essential to increase its pH value or make it neutral. There are specific ways through which this can be done, let’s discuss that- 

Calcite

It is the most common treatment for acidic water. It is available as a complete form of acidic neutralizer. It uses calcite to increase the pH of water before it enters your home’s pipes. 

Calcite is a calcium-rich substance made with crushed white marble. Its high alkalinity, which means a high pH level, Calcite, will attach to the entry point of your home’s water. 

It only allows the water to become neutral, which means you don’t have to worry about your water becoming too alkaline.

Soda Ash And Caustic Soda

A chemical injection system is more in demand than an acid neutralizer tank to increase the water’s pH level. This system uses a chemical called soda ash and a peristaltic pump to inject the water with soda ash properly. 

This will then be forwarded to your home to improve the pH level there. If your home water is highly acidic, then it will be best to install a soda ash chemical treatment to make it usable. 

Caustic soda is also best for chemical injection systems as it has a pH level of 14 and is known as the only component that brings a 4 pH level to neutral.

Magnesium Oxide

Magnesium oxide neutralizes carbon dioxide in water, which is one of the best ways to increase its pH level. 

Magnesium oxide is sold under the name of corosex, and when combined with calcite, it can increase the pH level by 1.5 in water. 

For getting a long-lasting result, it is advised to use 10-20% magnesium oxide and 70-80%of calcite. Too much magnesium oxide use can generate side effects that are not suitable for you.

How To Measure Acidity In Water?

Acidity in water is simply used by measuring the pH level of that water using- 

pH Meter

It’s a tool to check the acidity and alkalinity of water.

pH Scale

When the pH scale shows a pH below 7 or 6.5, the water is acidic, and if it is above 7, it is basic.

Litmus Paper

If blue litmus paper turns red, it indicates acidic water. If red litmus paper turns blue, it is basic water.

Titration And Sodium Hydroxide

This tells whether the water is acidic or not. If it shows a pH of 8.3, then water is totally acidic, and if it shows a pH of 3.7, then it is mineral acidic.

Is Acidic Water Suitable For Drinking?

As we mentioned earlier, acidic water is complex and contains heavy metals, which make it unsuitable for drinking. 

If you regularly consume acidic water, then it will lead to several diseases. It is better to treat acidic water through various methods and then use it. 

However, acidic water also offers some benefits, but we still recommend not using it for drinking purposes.

Read More About: Types Of Water