Where water is stored or transported, corrosion is a complex series of water and metal surfaces and materials reactions. Oxidation or reduction reaction is the corrosion process, that returns refined or processed metal to their more stable ore state.

• The potential presence of toxic Metals (lead, copper, etc.)
• Deterioration and damage to the household plumbing
• Aesthetic problems such as: stained laundry, bitter taste, and greenish-blue stains around basins and drains

The primary health concern is the potential for the presence of elevated levels of lead and copper in the water.

The primary source of lead

• The use of lead pipes
• Lead lined tanks
• Use of 50/50 lead/tin solder

The primary source of copper is the leaching of copper from the household piping used to convey the water throughout the home.

Some times, the water is so corrosive that the interior plumbing system needed to be changed and completely replaced with PVC piping. To bad, they did not test the rate and install a neutralize before the piping corroded and caused leaks throughout the home.

Corrosion will occur anywhere a galvanic cell or field can be or has established. To establish the field all that is needed is two dissimilar metals that are connected directly or indirectly by an electrolyte, such as water. This is the same chemical re action that occurs within a battery.

The rate and extent of the corrosion depends on the degree of dissimilarity of the metals and the physical and chemical characteristics of the media, metal, and environment. In water that is soft, corrosion occurs because of the lack of dissolved cations, such as calcium and magnesium in the water. In scale forming water, a precipitate or coating of calcium or magnesium carbonate forms on the inside of the piping. This coating can inhibit the corrosion of the pipe, because it acts as a barrier, but it can also cause the pipe to clog. Water with high levels of sodium (Na+), chloride (Cl-), or other ions will increase the conductivity of the water and promoting corrosion.

Corrosion can also be accelerated by

• Corrosion related bacteria and electrochemical corrosion
• High water temperature
• Low pH (acidic water) and high pH (alkaline water)
• Oxygen and dissolved CO2
• High flow rate within the piping
• High dissolved solids (salts, sulfates, etc.)
• Presence of suspended solids, such as sand, sediment, corrosion by-products, and rust, etc.

If it is necessary to flush or run coldwater in the morning for a few minutes before you drink because the water has a bitter taste, Water is probably corrosive.

If blue-green stains is seen in basins or this same stain along the joints of copper piping, Water is probably corrosive. As corrosive water stands or seats in pipes or tanks it leaches metals from the piping, tanks, well casing or other metal surfaces that water is in contact.