Test Your Water's pH - DIY Test

Everything you need to know about water pH

Water pH

What is pH ? Simply put, it measures the acidity of water, expressed as its potential of hydrogen. This pH depends on the environment and the composition of the soil the water passes through.

If the pH is low : the water is acidic and therefore corrosive to your pipes and harmful to you, since this water carries fine metal particles stripped from the pipes directly into your stomach.

If the pH is high : the water is alkaline (or basic). It is then harsh on your tissues.

Standards for water pH

There is no WHO standard for drinking water pH.

However, the reference value for a neutral medium is a pH of 7, which is the pH of pure water at 25°C.

pH can range from 1 to 14, but drinking water is recommended to fall between 5.5 and 7, meaning slightly acidic. This is one of the 4 criteria of BEV (Vincent's Bioelectronics), which defines what good drinking water should be.

At a pH of 9 or higher, using the water is not recommended, even for washing.

How pH affects your body

pH has no direct effect on health, but over the long term, high acidity in your body can negatively affect your digestive and intestinal systems. However, it often comes from factors other than drinking water (diet, stress, illnesses…)

This article is based in part on the WHO report “Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality”.

How to easily test your water's pH

We offer 2 methods for testing your water's pH level at home : on its own, or with a photometer.

How do you test pH with the standalone test?

This test strip kit is extremely simple to use. It contains 50 strips.

Take a strip and dip it into the water	After 20 seconds, compare the strip's color with the scale on the back of the container.

The results scale is as follows  2; 3; 4; 5; 7; 6.5; 7; 7.5, 8, 8.5; 9; 9.5 10, 11, 12 pH.

There is also a 3-in-1 test that lets you test your water's pH, monopersulfate and alkalinity levels with a single strip.

How does the water pH test with a photometer work ?

This kit of 100 strips lets you measure your water's pH with one of the following photometers : exact Micro 20 or eXact iDip.

pH testing procedure with the iDip photometer

These strips and reagents let you measure your water's pH with the IDIP photometer. It is very simple to use :

1. Open the app on your mobile phone and turn on the photometer.

2. Add water to the tester's designated cell

3. Place the strip in the water for 20 seconds

4. View the result directly on the photometer. The result is automatically saved to your phone.

This water testing system is fast, reliable, modern, expandable and comprehensive. It is THE most accessible system.

pH testing procedure with the eXact Micro 20 photometer

	Remove a strip from the container before starting the test. Leave it in a dry, easily accessible place, and close the container immediately.
	Turn on the photometer by pressing the ON/ZERO button. The screen will display all indicators, then the selected menu, then the most recent results.
	Press the SELECT button repeatedly to choose the group : the freshwater pH test is in group 1, and the saltwater or pool water pH test is in group 4. Then press the MENU button repeatedly to select the test parameter : PH. (You will find all this information in a table in the user manual supplied with the device)
	Rinse the test cell at least 3 times with the water you are going to test (to reduce the risk of cross-contamination from your previous test). Finally, completely fill the small cell with the water to be tested.
	Press the ON/ZERO button. The cursor will move across the screen before it displays 0.00PM. This indicates that the sample is ready to be tested.
	Dip the appropriate strip into the small cell, and immediately press the READ button. This will start a 20-second countdown. During the countdown, gently move the strip back and forth (about 1 back-and-forth motion per second). As soon as the "1" disappears from the screen, remove the strip.
	The cursor will move across the screen while the photometer prepares the test results. Record the value displayed for the parameter. This value is automatically saved in the MENU, and if you use the exact iDip app, the results will be saved in its "RESULTS" section. After the test, rinse the cell and clean it with the small brush.

Note : for this test, the water's total alkalinity level must be at least 20ppm. If your water temperature is above 35°C, remove the strip when the screen displays "10".