testing tap water

[sunofthebeach]

I tested my tap water with my Taylor 2005 test kit.

I got a PH of 8. Plain tap water usually has a PH of 7.

Is there any reason my pool test kit would give me inaccurate numbers using tap water?

is my tap water just 8 PH?

[chem geek]

My tap water is 7.7. It is not unusual for tap water to be from 7.5 to 8.0 in pH. This helps to prevent corrosion. You may be thinking of distilled or de-ionized water that is pH neutral at 7.0 but most tap water is slightly alkaline. Tap water also typically has some Total Alkalinity (TA) and Calcium Hardness (CH). Mine has 80 ppm TA and 50 ppm CH.

If you have a report from your local water quality management district, it probably gives the pH of your water, as well as TA and total hardness (and possibly calcium).

Richard