# Any pH experts out there?



## trippingpara (Apr 4, 2008)

I have several tanks in the bar area of my basement that have been very stable at 8.0 pH. All water changes are done via a sink in the bar. I just set up a tank in my home office upstairs. All water changes are done via the kitchen sink. My new tank upstairs has been set up for about a month now and consistently reads 8.8 pH. I thought the higher reading was from my DIY rockwall is still curing. I then tested my tap water just to see the difference. My tap water from the kitchen sink is 8.6 pH! The tap water from the bar sink is 8.0 pH. Both sinks are from recent renovations done about a year apart and both draw from city water lines. Why the difference? And how in the world do I lower pH that high?

If my bar sink was any closer, I would just do water changes from there but it is down a flight of stairs and on the opposite side of my house, a good 200+ ft run.


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## TONY5177 (Sep 9, 2007)

I really don't see how that is possible, all the water comes from the same place. All houses in the area should have the same ph. Does one of the two sinks go through a filter of some sort? 
Water softner? Are pipes to the two sinks made of a different material (although I am not really sure that would matter)? If there is a filter or something is it possible that the plumbing was done incorrectly and one of the 2 sinks is not tied into that unit. Was the water test kit used on both sinks exactly the same from the same package?


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

Does one faucet have an aerator and the other not? Maybe one had soap residue on the tap.

Remove any attachments from the faucets then take a sample from each and let them sit for several hours then do the pH test. Give the CO2 a chance to outgas equally.


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## trippingpara (Apr 4, 2008)

TONY5177 said:


> Does one of the two sinks go through a filter of some sort? Water softner? Are pipes to the two sinks made of a different material (although I am not really sure that would matter)?


There are no filters on those two sinks. I have a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink but that does not go to the main faucet, only to a small tap. The plumbing is the same on both sinks.



Donfish said:


> Does one faucet have an aerator and the other not? Maybe one had soap residue on the tap.
> 
> Remove any attachments from the faucets then take a sample from each and let them sit for several hours then do the pH test. Give the CO2 a chance to outgas equally.


The kitchen sink does have an aerator on it while the bar sink does not. However, I always take the aerator off when I do water changes (and when I took the sample) so it shouldn't matter. I will take another sample from each and let it sit for a few hours and then retest.


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## trippingpara (Apr 4, 2008)

I just checked my samples. The sample from the bar sink is still reading at 8.0 The kitchen sink is now reading at 7.4! What the...?


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## JeffreyL (May 31, 2006)

One thought. How old is your test kit? And what kind? Strips can be erratic at best, and even the best liquid reagents can go bad about a year after being opened.

As for the dropping pH, that should be due to a change in CO2 level. That is why we are told to check pH after tap water sits for a few hours. For example, my water has a pH of 9+ out of the tap, and 7 about 8 hours later.

Still, both sinks should deliver the same readings. Even leaving the aerator on will affect the pH only temporaily.

HTH

Jeff


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## trippingpara (Apr 4, 2008)

JeffreyL said:


> One thought. How old is your test kit? And what kind? Strips can be erratic at best, and even the best liquid reagents can go bad about a year after being opened.
> 
> As for the dropping pH, that should be due to a change in CO2 level. That is why we are told to check pH after tap water sits for a few hours. For example, my water has a pH of 9+ out of the tap, and 7 about 8 hours later.
> 
> ...


My test kit is about 1 month old, if even that. I understand the drop in pH due to the change in CO2 but I am still at a loss as to why the difference between sinks?!


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