A water purifier is an important appliance that every house should have as it ensures your safety from any kind of water-borne disease. And it seems that a lot of people agree with this as the demand for water purifiers is increasing.
But one question that often baffles new buyers is - What is TDS in water purifiers? If you read the product description of any water purifier you will always encounter the term TDS level/ TDS controller.
Thus it is important to understand it correctly as it is one of the factors to consider when buying a water purifier. And, to solve all your queries regarding it, in this article we are going to discuss it in detail.
TDS in water
The term TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. The water that we consume comes from different natural sources like rivers, lakes, and groundwater. So, it is obvious that they will contain some amount of organic substances like minerals, ions, etc. Also, the water passes through different surfaces like the pipes and tanks where fertilizers and chemicals(inorganic substances)are used for the purification purpose. All these substances eventually get dissolved in water. Hence, the TDS level of water is nothing but the concentration of these dissolved organic and inorganic substances present in it.
Why is it important to measure the TDS level of water?
The TDS level of water has an impact on its quality. If the TDS level of the water that you use is high then it can create a problem for you even while doing your daily chores.
For instance, the water with a high level of TDS tastes a bit different as the concentration of dissolved minerals, ions, chemicals, etc present in it is high. This water might taste a little bitter, salty, or even sulfuric. And if you use this water with a high TDS level in your cooking then it might also affect the taste of your food.
The water with high TDS levels is not apt for cleaning your clothes or utensils. This water easily fades the color of your clothes and if the TDS level is too high then it can even tear the clothes within few washes. It is also not suitable for cleaning utensils as it leaves some greyish spots on the utensils after washing.
Water with high TDS levels can be harmful to your health if they contain a high amount of substances like chlorine, fluorides, arsenic, lead, or copper. If water with these substances is consumed for a long period of time then it might lead to serious health issues.
High levels of TDS in water can also affect the durability of your appliances as well as pipelines and taps. The calcium and magnesium present in the water with high TDS levels accumulate in the pipelines. Also, this water can rust your taps and decrease their durability. It also can affect the purification system of the water purifiers. So, it is important to keep checking if all the components of the water purifiers are working properly or not.
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How to measure TDS level of water
Another question that puts a lot of people in dilemma is - How to measure the TDS level of water. But you need not worry about this as there is a simple way by which you can check the TDS level of your water even at home.
TDS meter
TDS meter is the easiest way to measure the TDS level of water. For this, you just need to buy a digital TDS meter. You can easily buy one from a medical store or any other retail store also there numerous options available online. It is quite cheap and costs only a few hundred rupees.
Steps to check the TDS level using a digital TDS meter.
1.Take a glass/beaker full of the sample water.
2.Remove the cap of the meter and switch it on.
3.Dip the meter in the water up to the maximum immersion level which is usually marked on the meter.
4.If there are any bubbles in the water stir the water using the meter. It might take 10–20 seconds for the reading to stabilize so you need to wait.
5.After 10–20 seconds press the hold button and take it out from the water to check the reading.
6.It will display the TDS in ppm(parts per million) which is the standard unit of measuring the TDS level of water.
7. When using a TDS meter do not dip it in water above the maximum immersion level as it is not waterproof. Also, you need to keep the meter away from sunlight.
You can measure the TDS of water using other methods like the PH paper and electrical conductivity meter method but these methods are quite complicated as they involve calculations using formulas.
How to reduce TDS in water
There are different methods used to reduce the TDS level of water. However, Reverse osmosis, Distillation and Deionization are the common ones. Let us see what happens during these processes.
1.Reverse Osmosis
In this method, a semipermeable membrane is used through which the water under high pressure is passed. This semipermeable membrane has infinitesimal pores. These pores are so tiny that they can not allow molecules bigger than 0.0001 microns to pass through them. As a result of this, the water molecules can easily pass through the pores as they are smaller than 0.0001 microns but the other molecules of salt and minerals are left behind as they are larger in size.
2. Distillation
In this process, the water is boiled to a temperature where it gets converted to vapor. This vapor then is condensed as it rises to a cool surface. But the salts present in the water can not vaporize and as a result of this, they stay at the bottom of the boiling water and hence you get purified water.
3. Deionization
Using this method you can get deionized water. The method uses a semipermeable membrane in which there are both negative and positive electrodes. So, as soon as the water passes through the membrane the positive ions get attracted to the negative electrode separating itself from the water.
Among all these methods of reducing the TDS levels of water, the RO method is the most effective one whereas the distillation process is the least effective one and it also consumes a lot of time. Deionization is a good method but before going through this process the water should undergo reverse osmosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.What should be the TDS level of drinking water?
The optimum TDS level of drinking water is between 50–150 ppm. Water with TDS levels ranging between this ppm is best suitable for consumption.
2.Is water with low TDS harmful for health?
If the TDS level of water is too low then it is not considered ideal for consumption as it might not contain any natural nutrients/minerals that are required by the human body.
3.What should be the minimum TDS level of water
The TDS level of the water used for drinking should at least be 50 ppm. If it is less than 50 ppm it is not apt for consumption due to lack of some important nutrients that should be present in water.
Conclusion
Water above a certain level of TDS is not suitable for consumption as it can harm one’s health. According to BIS(Bureau of Indian Standards), the maximum TDS level of water should be 500 ppm and according to WHO(World Health Organization), it should be 300 ppm. Therefore, water above 500 ppm is not suitable for drinking and the TDS level should be reduced.
And that is why installing a water purifier has become a necessity. Moreover, a water purifier with an RO is best suitable and ensures you safest drinking water. Nowadays there are water purifiers available in the market with a built-in TDS controller where you just need to set a level of TDS of the purified water irrespective of the original TDS level of your water. The TDS controller automatically adjusts the TDS level of your water and matches it to the level you have set. So you can choose one of them.
Hope the article helps you understand what is TDS and what is its importance and how you can reduce the TDS level of your water.