TDS Question

[BHenderson79]

Out of curiosity, I tested the TDS reading for my Brita drinking water filter and compared it to the unfiltered tap water. The tap water is around 100ppm and the Brita was actually higher at 110ppm. I replaced the Brita cartridge and it went UP to 145! I have no clue how the Brita works, but does anyone have insight as to why the heck the Brita is reading higher TDS than the tap water?

 

[sasquatch]

probably residual dust from the filter media. I checked my nearly empty ro/di container last night it was 10, filled it up and today its 2, must be bacteria or something?

 

[AQTCJAK]

I agree is is the dust from the filter

 

[BHenderson79]

Like carbon dust from the newly installed Brita unit? I ran it for a couple minutes to try to clear out the carbon (because the water's always gray when you first put on a new brita cartridge). I suppose I'll test it again in a couple days after it's had some time to break in.

 

[AQTCJAK]

even on an RO/DI system the frst 5+ gallons the TDS is higher than after

 

[BHenderson79]

That's very good to know! But is there any logical reason why the old Brita cartridge also would've been reading a higher TDS than the tap?

 

[sasquatch]

um, lets assume that purified drinking water by these units is um tenuous at best, they are designed to trap certain things nobody said what they release is harmful

 

[Boomer]

TDS reading for my Brita drinking water filter

Food for thought


Lets pretend it is not the dust at all. What is in the filter, carbon correct ? Chlorine or Chloramine, which are molecules, have not charge, thus no TDS. The carbon converts, by chemical reaction, the Chlorine to chloride, Cl-, which has a charge, so the TDS goes up.

The Chloramine is broken down into Chlorine and Ammonia. That Chlorine also gets converted to chloride and the Ammonia, NH3, gets converted Ammonium, N4 +. Both are charged ions so the TDS goes up

 

[sasquatch]

Thank you Mr Wizard! so the question remains... is it a usable device for a reef tanks water?

 

[Boomer]

No, not really but we can say it is better than tap water. Me, for 35 years, I just used Lake Superior tap water and some dechlor then later only Amquel