Holmie_D_Klown
Premium Member
The TDS reading of tap water over here is 250. Just want to know if that is considered high/low/moderate compared to other places
TDS question
- Thread starter Holmie_D_Klown
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collective21
New member
Mine is 106
Both of you have moderately hard water by most standards. Here in the Mid-west we have very hard water with TDS running in the 450-500 range. In general, water is not considered "soft" with a TDS above 50. Some areas in New England may have water that low as the water mainly contacts granite and shale.
Holmie_D_Klown
Premium Member
If Jersey is 106, then 250 must be really high! No offense to Jersey btw
Right on Ed--The limestone aquifers in the Midwest produce real hard water. The first municiple lime softening plant built in the U.S. was near Oberlin, Ohio around the turn of last century. Even in my area the treated water is not much softer that fine, un-sofened, New Jersey tap. 
collective21
New member
Did I say 106 I meant to say 1006 
mystikdragon7
New member
I have a TDS reading of 25-30 for my tap water.
Pandora
Premium Member
In the DC area, ours is in the 250's range (mine is just around that, I live right over the border).
I'm pretty sure collective is kidding??? That would be more like cement. Bad as Jersey can be as the butt of all jokes (heard em all, I'm from there), it's really not that polluted compared to many suburban centers; at least there's a BIG difference between some Trenton or Camden slum and Cherry Hill...
I'm pretty sure collective is kidding??? That would be more like cement.
Bad as Jersey can be as the butt of all jokes (heard em all, I'm from there), it's really not that polluted compared to many suburban centers; at least there's a BIG difference between some Trenton or Camden slum and Cherry Hill...Abysswater
New member
tested mine last night and it was 182ppm.
collective21
New member
I was kidding. I'm from Medford which is by Cherry Hill.
mystikdragon7
New member
Yes I do still purify my water. I have had my RO unit for just over six months and I have not had to replace anything yet. It still works at 100% and puts out 0 tds.
Pandora
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6602085#post6602085 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
Right on Ed--The limestone aquifers in the Midwest produce real hard water. The first municiple lime softening plant built in the U.S. was near Oberlin, Ohio around the turn of last century. Even in my area the treated water is not much softer that fine, un-sofened, New Jersey tap.
I guess that goes to prove that high TDS alone doesn't mean it's ALL bad... limestone is made of calcium carbonate (is there anything else from the sediment that could be harmful?). After all, the T stands for Total... and who knows, someone with a TDS of 50 in some other area could be getting it mostly from chloramarines and heavy metal leeching...
Ah, my young Padawan. You are right that TDS is an empirical parameter. It tells you not what you have but only how much. Be mindful that a reading of 50 ppm could be just calcium bicarbonate or it could be mercuric nitrate. Even using the Force, dificult it is to tell. :strooper:
One of the myths about hard groundwater is that rain picks up carbon dioxide as it falls and, as it enters the ground, dissolves limestone from the bedrock. The amount of carbon dioxide is not that great in freshly fallen rainwater. That is why water in lakes and rivers is usually not all that hard. When rain falls on soil the process changes. The activity of soil bacteria as they degrade organic matter produces very large amounts of CO<sub>2</sub>. This is what acidifies the rain water as it passes lower and lower into the soil. Now when it hits limestone or dolomite it dissolves it and the resulting water becomes hard.
We spend a great deal of money on all sorts of gadgets for our tank. It always is a mystery to me that we won't spend some money on the tanks main ingredient, water, when we first start into the hobby. Mystic has taken the right approach. Even with water that is considered soft for washing cloths and dishes, Mystic still uses a RO system for the tank. This is a Jedi trait to take such care of the tank's crucial environment.
One of the myths about hard groundwater is that rain picks up carbon dioxide as it falls and, as it enters the ground, dissolves limestone from the bedrock. The amount of carbon dioxide is not that great in freshly fallen rainwater. That is why water in lakes and rivers is usually not all that hard. When rain falls on soil the process changes. The activity of soil bacteria as they degrade organic matter produces very large amounts of CO<sub>2</sub>. This is what acidifies the rain water as it passes lower and lower into the soil. Now when it hits limestone or dolomite it dissolves it and the resulting water becomes hard.
We spend a great deal of money on all sorts of gadgets for our tank. It always is a mystery to me that we won't spend some money on the tanks main ingredient, water, when we first start into the hobby. Mystic has taken the right approach. Even with water that is considered soft for washing cloths and dishes, Mystic still uses a RO system for the tank. This is a Jedi trait to take such care of the tank's crucial environment.
