06/01/2026
From a Margaritaville client:
Last week, A Superior Mechanical went to my home in Phase 6BC on Parrot Place, and I had them do a whole-home Free Water Assessment. Here are their findings:
The water was found to be fairly “hard” (6.8 out of 10). This isn’t extreme, but softer water would feel much better. Basically, hard water feels less like a smooth flow and more "grippy" or friction heavy. It reacts with soap to form a stubborn, invisible film or scum rather than a rich, foamy lather. After washing, this residue leaves your skin feeling dry, tight, or chalky, and your hair feeling brittle and weighed down.
The water’s pH level was 5.8; the ideal pH level for drinking water is between 7.0 and 8.5. This range is recommended because it minimizes plumbing corrosion, prevents leaching of heavy metals into your supply, and tastes best. Water lower than 6.5 is considered acidic and corrosive to your home’s pipes.
The water’s alkalinity was found to be 0 (zero!). The ideal alkalinity for drinking water is between 40 and 160 mg per liter to prevent acidic corrosion and excessive mineral scaling. Zero alkalinity threatens your home’s plumbing (because the water is aggressive, it will "eat" through copper or iron plumbing), appliances (destroys metal components in water heaters, coffee makers, dishwashers), and health (tooth enamel erosion).
Margaritaville Residents – do you find a “black ring” at the water line in your toilets? Do you find black bacteria forming at the end of your water faucets? When checked, the iron level in my home’s water was higher than ideal, at 1.5 PPM (parts per million). Healthwise, any level of iron is safe, as iron is an essential nutrient. But above 1.0 PPM, staining of plumbing is highly likely and "iron bacteria" may start to grow, causing foul-smelling slime in pipes and a metallic taste in the drinking water.
The TDS (total dissolved solids) came in at 81 PPM. This is within the recommended guidelines of 50 to 150 PPM (0 to 50 PPM is considered “pure water”). TDS measures everything dissolved in your water including calcium, magnesium, sodium, and trace minerals. Here in the Florida Panhandle, we commonly see Chlorine, Aluminum, Barium, Radium, and Nitrate. Blue-Green Algae and Cyanotoxins are found in water in the warmer months, which can produce toxins in the body affecting the liver and nervous system.
The solution? We are installing an AO Smith whole home reverse osmosis and water softening system this week! Clean, pure drinking water that tastes and smells good. Silkier skin, squeaky clean hair, better lather with less soap, shampoo or detergent needed. Health for our appliances and pipes.
If this was in my water, it’s probably in yours too, but they’re offering a free water assessment by calling their office and just getting on the calendar: 850-258-3225.
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