Summary of Water Quality Factors

While a system’s set-point for each parameter will differ, properly adjusting these selective parameters can increase efficiency while decreasing maintenance costs. Water quality can be optimized through specific factors such as: conductivity, pH level, boiler condensate, hardness, and alkalinity.

Conductivity relates to a solution’s ability to transmit electric current, and determined by the amount of dissolved salts within the solution. As water is a poor electrical conductor, conductivity readings can indicate mineral concentration.

Lower pH level readings are indication of corrosion while higher pH level readings are indiction of scale formation. With boiler condensate, system sampling provides indication of carryover from boiler water solids. While condensate is normally pure, contamination could mean outside pollutants entering your system process.

Hardness is determined through the level of combined calcium and magnesium concentration. Like pH, abnormal readings within hardness can indicate scaling from calcium deposits.

The last noted factor, though certainly not the final one, is alkalinity, which is the measurement of water’s ability to neutralize acids. Within the process, bicarbonates are representative of measured alkalinity in a system. As stated with pH and hardness, alkalinity can be used to determined the presence of scaling within a system.

Environmental Earthwise uses these parameters and others to assess and provide a method to process control and optimization in order to ensure system stability and sustainability.