But over winter: the pH sits at just under 6, rising to 6.5 by mid-summer. All the appliances (kettle, espresso machine, dish washer and clothes washer) have used this water for 25+ years with no bad effect.
In fact - the bloke who came to fix the washing machine remarked how un-crudified it was after 7 years use.
Now, 5.37 is pretty acidic - pH is a log scale. If you were concerned about it being excessive, you could basically do what I've done: store it in a tank with something in said tank to adjust the pH. I'm basically thinking along the lines of a poly tank with some suitable rock/cement things in it
That'd work, I'm pretty sure. Your test shows there is scope for more dissolved calcium, which is what you'd end up with if you chuck a besser block in a tank of that water...Acid water will tend to rip the zinc out of brass, BTW. So if you have a brass boiler, this could be an issue. My espresso machines have brass boilers - and I have to say I'm not overly concerned. I would hope they've used de-zincification resistant brass.
Overall, I have to say I think I much prefer to have soft acidic water to the usual South Australian alkaline water that has enough dissolved solids to completely block a shower rose before you've actually finished your shower...
/Kevin

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