What is TDS when it comes to testing the purity of your drinking water? How do you regulate the TDS levels at home? We explain how...

Water plays an important role in keeping you hydrated and helping your organs function smoothly. However, there are several factors that you need to check in your drinking water, most importantly, its TDS level. The purity of water that you drink is very closely associated with its TDS level. The water you drink needs a suitable amount of minerals to avoid any health problems. Excess amounts of minerals in water can overload your body and make you unhealthy.

What is TDS?

TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids. A water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. However, several salts are present in water such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluorides, carbonates, sulfates, and many others.

There are also heavy metal impurities such as arsenic, lead, and mercury in the groundwater and other water bodies such as rivers, streams, and wetlands. However, these components are harmful to health. Moreover, excessive consumption of salt consumption is detrimental to health. Therefore, to remove these pollutants, you need to regulate the TDS level in your water source.

Necessity of TDS

Clean water does not have any flavor. It is essential to impart the appropriate flavor and nutritional benefits such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, you can ensure the preservation of the TDS levels. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the ideal TDS for drinking water needs to be below 300mg/L whereas the maximum permissible limit is 600 mg/L. The lack of clean drinking water, which is one of the major problems in India, is one of the main reasons people drink water with high TDS levels.

However, people suffering from kidney problems need to drink water with a TDS level of 100 mg/L. The reason is that a TDS level of 100 is beneficial for them. Water with very low levels of TDS is not appropriate for consumption as a result of its bitter taste and absence of minerals necessary for our health.

What are the side effects of a high TDS level in water?

Though it is not very harmful to drink water with high TDS levels, there are some reasons it is undesirable to drink high TDS water. Some of the reasons are:

• A high level of TDS in drinking water makes it bitter, salty, and metallic. The water also has unpleasant odors.
• Water with a high TDS level doesn’t quench your thirst.
• High TDS level in water also interferes with the taste of food and beverages. Some of the salts present in water such as nitrates, sodium, barium, calcium, and fluoride lead to several health problems.

What are the side effects of low TDS water?

Some of the reasons to avoid drinking low TDS water are:

• Low TDS or demineralized water leads to loss of minerals from body tissues leading to harmful side effects.
• Low TDS level may affect the functioning of some of the vital organs of your body.
• Water with low TDS level lacks potassium and sodium.
• Low TDS in water also leads to muscular cramps, headaches, tiredness, and weakness.
• Drinking water with low TDS level can also lead to water intoxication.

How to eliminate excess TDS levels?

There are actually three methods you can use to eliminate the excess TDS in water:

1. Distillation

It involves boiling water and allowing it to cool down. The resultant water is safe for human consumption as it is bereft of TDS and has all the essential salts in it.

This is by far the easiest and cost-effective method to remove TDS.

2. Reverse Osmosis

Distillation process usually needs a lot of time, especially if you’ve more water consumption at your home.

That is where the Reverse Osmosis (RO) process comes into place. Most water purifiers in the market use the RO technology to kills the contaminants in the water and make it acceptable for drinking.

3. De-Ionization

The process works by passing the water through 2 electrodes, namely positive and negative.The ion-selective membranes separate the positive from the negative and the resultant water is just pure drinking water.However, it is recommended to use the deionization process only after the RO treatment as it helps in removing the non-ionic organic contaminants.

Final Word:

Almost every water source comes with certain TDS levels and we should ensure to check whether the water is acceptable or unsafe before drinking. The best way to do so is to use a TDS meter and then use an RO purifier to eliminate the contaminants, if any, from the water.

One of the most effective ways to regulate the water TDS level is by installing a water purifier. RO purification process is one of the best ways to control the TDS of drinking water. However, before installing a water purifier, it is necessary to get the water quality tested to know the actual TDS level in your water source. RO filtration processes remove all dissolved solids present in water, including harmful minerals such as salts and lead. However, at times, it may also remove essential mineral from water which is the reason why you need a water purifier with a TDS Controller.