pH
and ORP alteration is a highly variable and depends
primarily on three factors:
1. The source water and its natural mineral content –
water varies widely in this respect
2. The voltage applied to the water during electrolysis
3. The flow rate through the ionizer’s water cell
These variables have a dramatic effect on pH and ORP.
An ionizer works primarily on the mineral content in the
water. It is the dissolved mineral content (referred to
as TDS) which creates the pathway for the “ionization”
(or more correctly electrolysis) to occur.
Water without mineral content or TDS,
like reverse osmosis or distilled water, will not
conduct the current and therefore can not be “ionized”.
This first variable is the most crucial to performance.
Tap waters vary widely in the dissolved mineral content.
The higher the mineral content (“harder” water), the
higher the levels of pH and ORP alteration an ionizer
can achieve; the lower the mineral content (“softer
water”), the lower levels the of pH and ORP alteration.
The importance of this variable can not be emphasized
enough.
The heart of an ionizer is the water cell which contains
the electrodes. The electrodes are what deliver the
current and creates the “ionization”. We control the
voltage conducted through the electrodes and then to the
water by selecting the different "Alkaline" settings on
an ionizer. The higher the Alkaline setting (or
voltage), the more alteration you will achieve in pH and
ORP. Effective conductivity is the primary determinant –
not electrode size - of effective delivery of the
current or voltage into the water needed to create
electrolysis. Do not be fooled by the claim some
manufacturers make that larger electrodes will
necessarily deliver better performance. Generally the
larger electrodes have poorer conductivity – so they
have to be larger.
The flow rate through the machine determines how long
the water is actually in contact with the electrodes
receiving the voltage and the effects of electrolysis.
If your flow is fast (say you could fill a quart or
liter in 15 seconds) then the water is not processing
very long and not receiving much alteration. Conversely,
with a slow the flow rate (say the same quart or liter
took 60 seconds) the water is in the chamber in contact
with the electrodes longer and will receive more
alteration. You can always achieve higher pH and ORP
readings with reduced flow rates. So controlling the
flow is an important variable in performance.
On most ionizers you can only adjust the flow rate by
using your faucet or tap. If your faucet is all the way
"on", the water will process very fast through the
machine. If your faucet is just barely "on", this
reduces the flow and the water will process for much
longer. With a fast flow rate you may only achieve
slight alteration in pH and ORP, slow it down and you
will get higher pH and better ORP. Simply put, speed it
up, you get a less alteration; slow it down and you'll
get more.
To illustrate this whole principle lets look at two very
different tap waters and their effect on performance.
Remember the crucial variable is the dissolved mineral
content or TDS (total dissolved solids) which is
measured in parts per million. This creates the pathway
for the ionization to occur. In California the tap water
tests at 385 - 501ppm of total dissolved solids. The tap
water in Seattle, Washington tests at approximately 40 –
47ppm. You could test water from an ionizer in Carlsbad
at a given setting and flow rate and you would get a
certain result. You could test the exact same ionizer in
Seattle without altering the setting or flow rate and
you would get dramatically different results. Is it the
ionizer? No. It is the water as the main variable in
performance. There is much less pathway in Seattle’s
water. To further illustrate variability, you could
alter the voltage or flow rates through the ionizer in
either Carlsbad or Seattle and you would get different
results again.
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