What is TDS in drinking water?/What is safe TDS level of drinking water?

 1. What is TDS in drinking water?

Water has the ability to dissolve molecules of various substances either organic or inorganic. The number of dissolved particles in the volume of water is measured in parts per million (ppm) & noted down as the TDS level of water.

Here, TDS stands for total dissolved solids.  The dissolved solids in the water may be anything such as minerals, salts, metals, ions, etc. 

TDS is measured to find out the suitability of particular water for human consumption.

2. What is the safe TDS level for drinking water?

The recommended TDS levels are as follows.

< 50 👉 unacceptable.

50-150 👉 excellent for drinking.

150-250 👉 Good.

250-300 👉 fair.

300-500 👉 fairly acceptable.

500 - 1200 👉 poor.

> 1200 👉 unacceptable.

WHO recommends a TDS level of 300 & Bureau of Indian standards has kept the upper limit of a TDS  at 500.

3. Why do we need to measure the TDS of water?

◆. Taste:

If the TDS of water is below 50, the water may be felt tasteless, whereas a high level of TDS in water makes it salty & acidic. The recommended amount of TDS provides a fresh & sweet taste to the drinking water.

◆. Health:

The drinking water may get flushed with hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, lead, chromium, aluminum, etc. due to the contaminants.

Water also dissolves some beneficial & natural elements such as calcium, potassium, sodium, etc. 

TDS level does not show the presence of particular dissolved material. It only shows the total solids either harmful or beneficial. However, the recommended level of TDS helps to reduce the risk of toxic elements & to maintain our good health.

◆. Scaling:

When the TDS level of water crosses 400, we can categorize it as hard water.

High level of TDS in water makes scaling in the plumbing system & water-consuming appliances. The right amount of TDS removes the hardness of water & enhances the life span of appliances & plumbing materials.

◆. Cleaning:

High TDS in water creates ugly spots on the utensils. They also fade the color of our washed clothes & make them look dull.

◆. Cooking:

The taste of our cooked food may change due to the presence of high levels of dissolved solids in water. 

By keeping the TDS of water at the prescribed level, we can avoid all the above said difficulties.

4. How to check the TDS of water at home?

There are various methods to check the TDS of water at home. The best method is to use a digital TDS meter as you get instant results without doing any calculations.

They are available in the price range of INR 150/- to INR 300/-, which we can utilize for domestic purposes.

5. What is the TDS level of water filtered through various types of purifiers? 

Nowadays, different types of water purifiers are available in the market. Some of them are RO, UF, & UV water purifiers.

Following given are the approximate TDS level of different types of water purifiers

The combination of various types of purifying systems removes dissolved solids, chemicals, & physical impurities from the water making it suitable for drinking purposes.

The combination of the RO +UV/UF  purifier system along with the TDS controller is ideal for water having a high level of TDS.

For more such explanatory articles, click here.

Thank you for going through this article❤. Have a good day 😄.

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