Water pH and hardness can be measured using testing strips.
Power of hydrogen, or pH, is a measure of the level of water acidity. A pH of 7 indicates that the water is neither acidic nor basic. The lower the number below 7, the more acidic water is. For health and safety it is important that the water acidity remains around 7. The hardness of water depends mainly on its calcium content. The higher amounts of calcium in water can produce buildups in water lines and even damage appliances that use water. Testing water for pH and hardness can be done using special testing strips.
Instructions
Measuring pH
1. Pour water to be tested in a clean glass.
2. Dip the pH testing strip in water for the amount of time recommended by the strip manufacturer, which is generally less than a minute.
3. Remove the strip from water. The color of the strip's head may have changed.
4. Compare the color of the strip's head with the color chart that came with it. The number indicated beside the color that matches the most with the strip's color represents the pH of water.
Measuring Water Hardness
5. Pour water to be tested in a glass.
6. Dip the water hardness testing strip in the water for the amount of time recommended by the strip manufacturer. This time is generally less than 30 seconds.
7. Take the strip out of water and compare the color of its head with the color chart that came with the strip. The number indicated beside the color that matches closest to the color of the strip's head determines the hardness of the water.
Tags: color strip, color strip head, strip head, strip water, that water, amount time, amount time recommended
