Acid Water and PEX Tubing

Dear Clean Water Man:

As a follow up to a previous answer you gave to another writer, I was wondering about the need for neutral water in homes plumbed in PEX. Isn't PEX impervious to acidic water? My water is acidic and I don't want to pay to have it fixed since my home is plumbed in PEX.

Frugal, New Milford, CT

Dear Frugal:

Yes, PEX is impervious to acidic water. No, that does not mean you won't need to address acidic water.

While the majority of your plumbing is PEX, your water heater, fixtures, and appliances are still being attacked by acidity. There is an investment in those items far more significant than what a neutralizer will cost you. Even "Glass Lined" water heaters have some metalic areas that will contact the acidic water and be eaten away.

It is time to be truly frugal and fix the acidity before it dammages your expensive fixtures and appliances.

Water problem in Connecticut? Call Ted Mullen, The Clean Water Man, at 203-417-9601.