Good morning, I’m the creator of Alkaline Water Machine Source, Pete. Today, I’m going to show you how to raise the pH of well water without making any major modifications inside your home.
Through my long hours of conducting alkaline water research, I’ve discovered the best methods to safely raise pH in well water.
The obstacles most people with well water face are hard water (high TDS) and heavy metal content due to groundwater movement.
How will you raise the pH of your well water without adding more minerals? In this guide, I provide the perfect solution for you and more.
What is pH and why is it important?
If you already know everything there is to know about pH, skip to the next section by using the jump link in the table of contents above or scrolling down.
One of the main reasons I started this site is to help you understand why the pH level of drinking water is important and that most people have been drinking slightly acidic water for most, if not all, of their lives.
The good thing about well water is it usually has a neutral pH because of its naturally high mineral content.
The helpful video below shows a gentleman testing the pH of his well water:
I agree with everything he says, especially that well water is healthier to drink than most unfiltered municipal water.
It’s also important to note that conventional water filters, including Brita and PUR, can actually make your tap water more acidic.
Here’s a quick science lesson:
The term pH stands for “power of hydrogen” in most scientific circles, but the “p” in pH is debatable.
“Power” means the “quantity of hydrogen.”
Substances with the lowest pH are more acidic, and substances with the highest pH are more alkaline.
Since you want alkaline water on tap in your home, it’s best to stay in a safe alkaline pH range of 8.0 to 9.5.
The Best Method for Raising the pH of Well Water
The preferred method for safely boosting the pH of well water is to install a reverse osmosis system with remineralization.
The reason behind this is that a reverse osmosis system purifies your water and significantly lowers the TDS before adding alkaline minerals back to your filtered water.
And, since well water is typically hard, this is a better method than adding more minerals to your water.
The two systems below are currently our two favorite RO systems with remineralization for well water. The first system is a tankless RO system with a remineralization stage. The second is a traditional under-sink system with remineralization and UV sterilization:
#1) Frizzlife PD600
#2) Express Water Alkaline UV
Additional benefits of RO systems for well water:
- Removal of over 99.9% of all common water contaminants
- Systems with UV filters eliminate any harmful bacteria that might be in your well water. Since municipal water gets treated with chlorine, and most people don’t treat their well water with chlorine, there’s a higher chance of bacterial problems. UV filters are the perfect solution.
- Significant TDS reduction to give you more room to work with when it does come time to raise your pH with remineralization
- Most systems are affordable and produce bottled-water quality water
- There are tons of options and the ability to customize your system
Why You Shouldn’t Use a Standard RO System
If you want to raise the pH of your well water the right way, it’s best to avoid using an RO system without remineralization.
The problem with plain RO water is that it has close to zero minerals in it, which leads to a slightly acidic pH.
How to Modify Your Current RO System to Boost pH
Do you already own an under-sink reverse osmosis system? If you do, there’s an easy way to modify your existing system.
The solution is to add an inline mineral filter cartridge to your existing system as the final stage.
Several companies manufacture reliable RO remineralization filters and cartridges.
Another option is to invest in a complete APEC RO system with remineralization.
APEC uses premium US food-grade calcium carbonate in its cartridges to safely boost the pH of your RO water before it reaches your glass.
What other options do you have if your well water isn’t hard?
If your well water isn’t hard, you may be able to get away with installing a basic alkaline water filter to boost the pH.
These filters work by adding alkaline minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium to your drinking water to boost pH.
We prefer alkaline water filter pitchers and countertop alkaline water filters as the most affordable options.
Both of these filters will safely boost the pH of your well water for drinking and cooking.
The filters below are currently our two top picks in those categories:
#1) Seychelle pH2O
#2) APEX MR-1050
A third option is to install an alkaline water machine or water ionizer in your home.
Similar to an RO system with remineralization, you get on-demand alkaline water this way.
Although, water ionizers produce alkaline ionized water, which is different from remineralized RO water.
The downsides to choosing a water ionizer are the high upfront cost, and you might be unfamiliar with water ionizers and how they work.
A couple of last-resort options are alkaline water filter bottles and alkaline water drops.
These two options should only be considered if you’re not comfortable with the primary options.
Baking Soda or Lemons to Raise the pH of Well Water?
We don’t recommend using baking soda to raise the pH of your drinking water as a long-term solution.
According to Sciencing.com, the baking soda method raises water pH to a maximum of 8.4.
If you enjoy lemon water, it supposedly has an alkalizing effect after it’s been consumed, since we all know lemons are acidic.
The claim is that lemon water raises pH after it’s been digested.
However, like baking soda, using lemon juice as a long-term solution for raising the pH of well water is unwise.
There are superior options in this guide that give you a steady supply of alkaline water on tap.
The first method to consider is reverse osmosis with remineralization.
After that, consider the alternative alkaline water filter options provided in this guide.
The bottom line is that you should avoid using baking soda or lemon juice as long-term solutions.
Final Tips
In summary, we put together the Dos and Don’ts of safely raising the pH of your well water:
Dos
- Use a RO system with remineralization if have hard well water
- Invest in a pH test kit or meter to ensure you’re getting your desired results
- Consider each of the options in our guide before making your final decision
- Know the difference between alkaline water and ionized water
- Use a TDS meter to ensure your water is in a safe range for drinking and to measure the level of hardness
Don’ts
- Rely on raising the pH of your well water with lemons or baking soda
- Use a reverse osmosis filtration system without remineralization
- If you choose an alkaline water bottle, be sure to filter your water first
- Raise the pH of your water too much (beyond 9.5)
- Overmineralize your drinking water
Cheers!
