Alkaline Water
Around pH 9.5, refilled by the gallon in Clairemont.
Alkaline water at Clairemont Water Store
Clairemont Water Store refills alkaline water at approximately pH 9.5 for $2.50 a gallon at 3077 Clairemont Dr #105, San Diego, CA 92117. Alkaline is priced separately from our purified water, which is 75¢ a gallon. The alkaline water starts as San Diego city water and is purified through nine stages, from a 25-micron sediment filter down through reverse osmosis to wide-spectrum UV-C, before passing through Water Revolution alkaline saturation chambers. It is made by saturation, not by electrolysis, so it is not what is usually sold as “ionized” water. Alkaline is dispensed at the indoor water bar only, open daily from 10 AM to 2 PM and 3 PM to 7 PM — the 24-hour outdoor machine dispenses purified water, not alkaline. Bring any clean bottle or jug from 20 oz up to 5 gallons.
How ours is made
Alkaline water is water with a pH above neutral. The number is easy to state and tells you almost nothing on its own — what matters is what the water was before it was made alkaline, because raising the pH of poorly purified water just gives you alkaline poorly purified water.
Ours starts as San Diego municipal water, which reaches us somewhere between 600 and 1500 ppm of total dissolved solids depending on the day and the source. It then goes through all nine stages of our purification train — three graded sediment filters, an activated charcoal bed, reverse osmosis through sub-micron membranes, continuously ozonated sealed storage, palm-husk carbon, a final 1-micron filter, and a wide-spectrum UV-C chamber at the faucet. It comes out at 3–5 ppm, and we never let it exceed 10 ppm. That is more than 99.1% of dissolved solids removed.
Only then does the water bar's alkaline line pass through Water Revolution alkaline saturation chambers, which bring it to approximately pH 9.5. So the alkalinity is added to water that is already about as clean as we can make it, rather than to tap water. The full nine-stage purification process is documented here.
“Ionized” and “alkaline” are not the same word
People often search for ionized water and mean alkaline water, and plenty of shops are happy to let the two blur together. We would rather be exact: ionized water is made by electrolysis, splitting water across charged plates. Ours is made by saturation. Both end up alkaline; they are not the same process, and we are not going to call ours something it isn't. If electrolysis is specifically what you want, we are not your stop — and we would rather tell you that now than after you have driven here.
What it costs
Alkaline water is $2.50 a gallon at the indoor water bar, at that rate whatever size you fill — a 3-gallon is $7.50 and a 5-gallon jug is $12.50. It is priced separately from our purified water, which is 75¢ a gallon; the saturation chambers are a stage beyond the nine that make the purified water, and the price reflects that rather than being folded into one flat rate for everything on the wall.
Alkaline takes no discounts and cannot be bought on a plan. Our prepay plans, which run from 70¢ down to 60¢ a gallon, are sold as gallons of purified water, and a plan balance cannot be drawn against an alkaline fill — so if alkaline is what you mostly come in for, a plan will not save you anything. Plan balances are also indoor-only, never at the 24-hour outdoor water vending machine, which takes coins and cash and dispenses purified water.
Common questions
How much is alkaline water per gallon?
$2.50 a gallon at the indoor water bar, whatever size container you bring — so a 5-gallon jug is $12.50 and a 3-gallon is $7.50. Alkaline is priced separately from our purified water, which is 75¢ a gallon; the two are different products and we do not charge one flat rate for both.
Can I use a prepay plan for alkaline water?
No. Prepay plans are sold as gallons of purified water, and alkaline takes no discounts and cannot be drawn against a plan balance. If alkaline is what you mainly fill, a plan will not save you anything — worth knowing before you buy one.
What is the pH of your alkaline water?
Approximately pH 9.5.
Is this ionized water?
No, and we would rather say so than blur it. Ionized water is produced by electrolysis, which splits water across charged plates. Ours is made by passing fully purified water through Water Revolution alkaline saturation chambers. The result is alkaline water at around pH 9.5; the method is saturation, not electrolysis. If electrolysis specifically is what you are after, we are not the right stop.
Can I get alkaline water from the outdoor vending machine?
No. The 24-hour outdoor machine dispenses purified water only. Alkaline is available at the indoor water bar during store hours.
Do I need to bring my own container?
You can bring any clean bottle or jug from 20 oz up to a 5-gallon jug, or buy a reusable one here. Most regulars keep a 5-gallon jug in the car.
Do you deliver alkaline water?
No — we are a walk-in refill station. You fill your own container at the store, which is why our water costs a fraction of delivered bottled water.
Come fill a jug
3077 Clairemont Dr #105, San Diego, CA 92117 — just north of Sprouts in the same parking lot.
(619) 275-2782