How Can I Tell If My Household Water Is Corrosive?
If you notice metal fixtures or pipes with unusual stains, frequent leaks, or water that tastes metallic, these could be signs of corrosive water affecting your home. However, these symptoms alone do not confirm corrosive water, as other factors like mineral deposits or plumbing issues may cause similar problems.
Testing your water specifically for corrosive characteristics, including levels of dissolved solids and corrosive ions, is necessary to determine whether corrosion is due to source water chemistry.
How Does Chloride Enter Mobile County's Groundwater?
In Mobile County, the groundwater source known as aquifer 122MOCN was sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey between June and August 2011. Chloride was detected in all 26 wells sampled, at concentrations ranging from 2.65 to 229.0 mg/L, with a median of 7.315 mg/L. These wells were sampled at depths between 14 and 68 feet.
Chloride in groundwater typically originates from natural mineral deposits, weathering of rocks, and sometimes from human activities such as road salt application or wastewater. Importantly, none of these samples exceeded any federal threshold, indicating that the chloride levels found are within regulatory expectations for the area.
What Role Do Plumbing Materials and Age Play in Corrosion?
Corrosion is not solely determined by the water supply; the materials and age of household plumbing significantly influence corrosion potential. Older pipes made of certain metals, such as unlined iron or galvanized steel, can react with water chemistry and contribute to leaks or stains.
Even water with modest chloride or dissolved solids can accelerate corrosion if the plumbing system is aged or uses materials prone to chemical reactions with water constituents.
What Changes Occur at the Tap After Using the Treatment?
When treated with the Fleck Corrosive Water Damaging Pipes Filter, the water delivered to your fixtures should cause less deterioration to plumbing and appliances. This treatment acts on the water to reduce its corrosivity, which can manifest as fewer stains, less metal taste, and extended lifespan of pipes and fixtures.
While the treated water chemistry is adjusted, it continues to meet all federal standards and retains the essential quality needed for everyday household use.
How Does the Fleck System Address Corrosion?
The Fleck Corrosive Water Damaging Pipes Filter uses a process designed to neutralize constituents that contribute to water’s corrosive nature. It reduces factors causing pipe degradation by altering water chemistry at the point of entry into your home’s plumbing system.
This intervention prevents the ongoing damage that corrosive water can cause to metal piping, extending the service life of your household plumbing infrastructure.
Why Are Aesthetic Secondary Standards Different from Health-Based Limits?
Federal guidelines distinguish between health-based standards and secondary aesthetic standards. For constituents like chloride, secondary standards exist to address taste, odor, corrosion, and staining issues rather than health risks.
In Mobile County’s aquifer samples, chloride concentrations did not exceed any health-based federal thresholds, meaning they do not pose a known health risk. However, elevated chloride levels can still impact the taste and cause corrosion, which is considered under secondary standards.
Summary
This page explained how signs of corrosive water in a Mobile County household relate to local groundwater chloride levels and plumbing conditions. It also described how the Fleck Corrosive Water Damaging Pipes Filter adjusts water chemistry to reduce corrosion while respecting federal regulations distinguishing health and aesthetic water quality standards.
Where this information comes from
Source: USGS groundwater sampling. Sampled 2011-08-11. These figures describe groundwater sampled in this area. They are not a test of any individual private well - only a test of that well can establish its own water.
On record: U.S. Geological Survey sampling of Chloride in the 122MOCN aquifer (Mobile County): 26 results from 26 wells, median 7.315 mg/L, range 2.65-229.0 mg/L; none above any federal threshold
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