We use water every day for cleaning, washing, cooking, and drinking. It’s known as the ‘universal solvent’ because it can dissolve more substances than any liquid. Over time, since water absorbs any contaminant(s) it comes in contact with, it creates what’s known as total dissolved solids or TDS. Total dissolved solids are defined as small amounts of organic and inorganic matter in water. In basic terms, it’s what’s in your water.
Having different contaminants in your water doesn’t necessarily mean your water is unsafe. It depends on what the contaminants are. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created different standards and regulations for various contaminants in water. They first established primary standards, like lead, arsenic, and nitrates, that require mandatory standards for the health and safety of humans. They also established a secondary set of standards for 15 contaminants, such as fluoride, iron, and TDS, which are not regulated nor pose immediate health risks to humans. Secondary standard contaminants may cause water to appear cloudy, discolored, or even taste/smell terrible.
Getting back to total dissolved solids, they determine drinking water quality and are measured in parts per million. Having your water tested for TDS is a simple process. Your local water professional can test on-site or at their home office. Each time reverse osmosis drinking water filters are changed, it’s best to test your water for TDS.
The EPA recommends 500 ppm or less for drinking water purposes. To give context, most reverse osmosis drinking water systems, especially the Kinetico K5, will produce water at or below 100 ppm. What do TDS numbers mean? When you have a TDS of 100 ppm, it means if there are 1 million particles in your water, 100 particles are dissolved solids (contaminants), and 999,900 are water molecules. Any measurement at or above 1,000 ppm is unsafe for drinking. If your TDS falls above 1,000 ppm, it’s recommended to have your water analytically tested by a certified lab to understand what’s exactly in the water. Once tested and results given, contact your local water professional to recommend a system to provide high-quality drinking water.
When considering options to reduce TDS and improve your drinking water, keep in mind not all bottled water or countertop filter pitchers provide a low TDS reading. We encourage you to compare different drinking water options versus a reverse osmosis drinking water system. You may be surprised at what you find! When you feel the time is right to investigate your drinking water, contact or call us
