Tds Meter

May 2nd, 2008 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Tds Meter

Reverse osmosis Water systems: Why Remove the Healthy Minerals?

Reverse osmosis water systems use technology that is also known as ultra-filtration. This water treatment method was developed in the late fifties with funding from the U.S. Government, in a push to make sea water into drinking water. To do this, the membrane must be able to reject inorganic dissolved solids and only let the pure water through.

Many science and medical applications need this level of purification. But, using a reverse osmosis water system to remove the healthy minerals from your home water supply is really not needed or even a good idea.

Let's look at what is included in reverse osmosis water systems, available for use in individual households. Most are described as having three, four or five “stages”.

Before the water even gets to the reverse osmosis filter it goes through at least two pretreatment filters. The first is usually a polypropylene sediment filter that removes larger particles like dust and rust. The second and third are some type of carbon filters that get rid of chlorine, bad tastes and odors. The pretreatment removes most of the contaminants that would foul the membrane.

Then comes the reverse osmosis membrane. This is where the ultra-filtration take place. The water is forced through holes as small as 0.0001 microns in size. And the contaminants left behind are flushed down the drain. Then the water is held in a pressurized tank until it is needed. The final stage is another carbon filter to removes any residual tastes and odors from the tank as the water goes to the dispenser. This last filter is not always included.

If you invest in a reverse osmosis water system, you will want to monitor its performance to ensure that it is working correctly. This is done with a meter that tests for the level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).

Total dissolved solids (TDS) is the term used to describe the inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter present in solution in water. Things like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, carbonate,and chloride. These are what the RO membrane is designed to remove.

The EPA has a secondary water standard for TDS set to an acceptable limit of 500 mg/L. A primary standard is based on health issues and the secondary standards are for things like taste, odor, and corrosiveness.

The National Academy of Sciences concluded, "An optimum conditioning of drinking water could reduce the amount of cardiovascular disease mortality....Higher levels of TDS results in less heart disease.” Proper levels of hardness and TDS are two of the beneficial properties in drinking water constituting a healthy drinking water and are what give it its flavor. When the level of TDS is very low, such as that produced by a reverse osmosis water system, the water is flat tasting.

Besides removing the healthy minerals, reverse osmosis water systems have other drawbacks. One is the amount of water that is wasted. Depending on the system, it could take from 3 to 9 gallons of water to make only one gallon of purified water. Another issue is how slow the systems can be. It will usually take 3 to 4 hours to produce one gallon. That is why there is a holding tank.

Now that you know these facts consider an excellent water filtration system that leaves in the healthy minerals. Find out more at my website.

About the Author

Renee Smallwood has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. To learn more about what you can do to ensure you are getting the best water to maintain a healthy lifestyle, visit her blog at http://waterqualitysolutions.blogspot.com/