Slippery Water

[greenthumbs36]

Howdy y'all

We have acidic water and had our plumber put in a "corosex pH neutralizer" to stop the pipes getting eaten out.

I guess we're safe from corrosion now, but why is the water so slimy ?

I asked my plumber and he said that's just the way it is.

Is there anyhting we can do to make it less slimy ?

Thanks for your help

[greg-cws]

pH neutralizers are usually built using calcite & corosex.
I'd be surprised if yours is corosex only.

Low pH water feels rough, even when softened.
Low pH water is usually caused by carbonic acid.
Corosex is neutralizing the pH of the water by addidng magnesium carbonates to the water. Calcium & magnesium carbonates are what makes water "hard".

Increasing the pH of the water will make it slicker. If you soften it to remove the added hardness minerals, added sodium from softening will make you feel even slicker due to the sodium-soap chemical reaction.

What are your untreated hardness & pH levels ?
Wht is your pH after treatment ?
What other equipment do you have installed ?

[greenthumbs36]

thanks for the info. My plumber said my water pH is 6 and a half points and he didnt test after the new filter but he said if the water is slimy it's working good. I dont know my hardness levels before but after the softener everything suds up really well, so I'm sure its soft.

We have a fleck softner and are planning to purify our drinking water (see my other post)

can we make it less slimy ?

[dfm]

This is great information to know.
I recently added some Corosex to my calcite and was very surprised to find my water feeling more slippery. It takes a little getting used to, but now I kinda like it. I was wondering if an increase in pH might be the reason the water felt slicker. Interesting! Thanks Greg! dfm


pH neutralizers are usually built using calcite & corosex.
I'd be surprised if yours is corosex only.

Low pH water feels rough, even when softened.
Low pH water is usually caused by carbonic acid.
Corosex is neutralizing the pH of the water by addidng magnesium carbonates to the water. Calcium & magnesium carbonates are what makes water "hard".

Increasing the pH of the water will make it slicker. If you soften it to remove the added hardness minerals, added sodium from softening will make you feel even slicker due to the sodium-soap chemical reaction.

What are your untreated hardness & pH levels ?
Wht is your pH after treatment ?
What other equipment do you have installed ?

[greg-cws]

Greenthumbs36, your slickness is indeed an indicator that it's "working good", but you can do a few things to ease the sliminess burden:-

1. Switch from sodium to potassium chloride salt, which will cause less of
a "slimy reaction" with your soap.
2. Get a pH test kit and then have your plumber install a "bleeder valve"
across the pH neutralizer piping to provide a way to "bleed" low pH water
into the house. As long as your pH is above 7.5, your corrosion should
generally be under control.

Did you confirm if your system was calcite/corosex or just corosex ?

[greg-cws]

dfm, have you compared influent and effluent pH levels ?



This is great information to know.
I recently added some Corosex to my calcite and was very surprised to find my water feeling more slippery. It takes a little getting used to, but now I kinda like it. I was wondering if an increase in pH might be the reason the water felt slicker. Interesting! Thanks Greg! dfm

[dfm]

Hi Greg,
My pH in is about 6.3, after calcite it was 6.8, and after calcite/corosex it is around 8. Actually I may be maxing out my pH test kit. Would it be worth getting a wide-range test kit to see how high it is? thanks dfm

[greg-cws]

I wonder if you're too high on your pH...

Do you have any Hach 5-in-1 strips ?

[dfm]

I do have some Hach 5in-1 strips. dfm


I wonder if you're too high on your pH...

Do you have any Hach 5-in-1 strips ?

[greg-cws]

What's the total alk. reading on the strips ?

[dfm]

Hey Greg,
I just tested with a strip and it looks like Total Alkalinity ppm (CaCO3) is 180 to 240.
I noticed just a few minutes ago that only 245 gallons are left before regeneration of the water softener.
Normally my Total Alkalinity is closer to 120.
My water hardness was reading 120 and normally it looks close to zero.
Maybe I need to tweak the softener regen settings?
The pH was purple as can be, 8.4+?
dfm out


What's the total alk. reading on the strips ?

[greg-cws]

That pH neutralizer is raising your hardness level (Ca & Mg).

Bypass the softener & test your hardness level to see how much it has increased.

Then reprogram the 6600 accordingly.

[dfm]

Mwaa ha ha, okay I don't know why I am laughing like Dracula, Halloween is over, but I was just reading about how Corosex adds a mineral to you water and I was thinking to myself that it sounds as if I was adding hardness to my water and then promptly attempting to remove it with my softener! I suppose it is a balancing act. Very interesting, I'll report back with this data. Take care, dfm


That pH neutralizer is raising your hardness level (Ca & Mg).

Bypass the softener & test your hardness level to see how much it has increased.

Then reprogram the 6600 accordingly.