Water Testing

Ken Griffin Plumbing Services provides complimentary water testing to determine pH and hardness levels.

pH
The ratio of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate alkalinity indicates the pH of water using a value scale of 0 and 14.  This value is used to measure the hydrogen-ion activity.  Most well water has a pH value within the range of 6.0 and 8.0 with 7.0 being considered neutral.  If your water is tested and determined to have a pH value below 7.0, your water is considered acidic.  Acidic household water can react with copper pipes and cause pinhole leaks in the pipe and blue staining on toilets, bathtubs, shower bases, or other plumbing fixtures.  It reacts with cast iron pipes and causes rust stains.  Without treatment, acidic water can be contaminated with metals from water pipes, plumbing fixtures and appliances. Your water should be tested and the necessary equipment should be installed based on testing.  Every five years, the neutralizer should be dumped completely and re-bedded to prevent compacting in the tank which reduces flow.

Hardness

Household water is also tested to determine it’s grains per gallon of hardness.  One grain of hardness equals 17.1 mg/l or ppm of hardness.  While hard water typically doesn’t have any health hazards, it can produce dingy, stiff and scratchy clothing and shorten it’s lifespan by 40 percent.  Bathing in hard water will make it hard to get the soap film off of your body and out of your hair.   It causes spotting on glassware and often leaves a film on dishes. Hard water will also coat heating elements in water heaters and dishwashers drastically reducing their efficiency.

Classification	mg/l or ppm	grains/gal
Soft	0-17.1	0-1
Slightly Hard	17.1-60	1-3.5
Moderately Hard	60-120	3.5-7.0
Hard	120-180	7.0-10.5
Very Hard	180 & over	10.5 & over

Top Areas / Zip Codes we service:

Ellicott City, MD: 21042, 21043
Columbia, MD: 21044, 21045, 21046
Clarksville, MD: 21029
Sykesville, MD: 21784
Dayton, MD: 21036
Fulton, MD: 20759
Olney, MD: 20830