Water Ionizer Research | pH vs. Alkalinity
When researching water ionizers, many people think that pH and alkalinity is the same thing, but they’re not. pH refers to potential hydrogen – the amount of hydrogen ions the water could potentially donate to a chemical reaction. Alkalinity on the other hand refers to the ability to neutralize acid. When buying a water ionizer, it’s important to understand the difference between pH and alkalinity
Water Ionizers and pH
The pH level of water is a measurement that compares the amount of hydrogen atoms in water to the amount of oxygen atoms. Pure water has a pH of 7 because the number of hydrogen atoms is exactly equal to the number of oxygen atoms. Pure water does not exist in nature, however.
Many people confuse pH and alkalinity, but they’re not the same thing!
Water gains an alkaline pH when there is more hydrogen in it than oxygen. The balance between hydrogen and oxygen in water changes any time you add something to water. Water is made alkaline by the addition of alkaline mineral compounds. Hard water has an alkaline pH because of the calcium carbonates and magnesium carbonates in it.
Alkaline water from a water ionizer has a higher pH than ordinary water because the machine converts the mineral carbonates in water into mineral hydrates. It is the mineral hydrates in alkaline water that give it its beneficial health effects. The more powerful a water ionizer is, the better it will be at turning mineral carbonates into mineral hydrates.
Water Ionizers and Alkalinity
The mineral hydrates in alkaline water also give it higher alkalinity than ordinary water. The stronger the alkalinity of the water, the more acid it can neutralize. If your reason for drinking alkaline water is to neutralize acidity, alkalinity is more important to you than pH.
To make alkaline water with high alkalinity, you need a water ionizer with lots of power. The stronger the ionizer, the more mineral carbonates it can convert into mineral hydrates.
High pH does NOT mean high alkalinity!
You can find hard water in places like Phoenix, AZ that has a pH of 10 or higher. But that water doesn’t have high alkalinity! The mineral carbonates in hard water raise water’s pH, but mineral carbonates are not very good at neutralizing acid. Because of this, it’s possible to have water with a high pH but with low alkalinity. The opposite is also true; you can have moderately alkaline pH water, with high alkalinity.
Alkaline water from a water ionizer has higher alkalinity than regular water because mineral hydrates have a lot more acid-neutralizing capability than mineral carbonates do. So if your goal is to neutralize acidity in the body, look for a water ionizer with lots of power. The more power a water ionizer has, the more electromagnetic force it can produce. More electromagnetic force = more mineral hydrates = more acid neutralized.
Are you confused by something you’ve read or heard about water ionizers? Call our water ionizer experts today at and we’ll help you figure it out.
