Installation guide

RO-MAN REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM INSTALLATION GUIDE
12
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT TDS IN WATER:
WHAT ARE TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS?
1.
"DISSOLVED SOLIDS" REFER TO ANY MINERALS, SALTS, METALS, CATIONS OR ANIONS DISSOLVED IN WATER.
THIS INCLUDES ANYTHING PRESENT IN WATER OTHER THAN THE PURE WATER (H
2
0) MOLECULE AND
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
. (SUSPENDED SOLIDS ARE ANY PARTICLES/SUBSTANCES THAT ARE NEITHER DISSOLVED
NOR SETTLED IN THE WATER
, SUCH AS WOOD PULP.)
2. IN GENERAL, THE TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS CONCENTRATION IS THE SUM OF THE CATIONS (POSITIVELY
CHARGED
) AND ANIONS (NEGATIVELY CHARGED) IONS IN THE WATER.
3.
PARTS PER MILLION (PPM) IS THE WEIGHT-TO-WEIGHT RATIO OF ANY ION TO WATER.
4.
TDS IS BASED ON THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY (EC) OF WATER. PURE H
2
0 HAS VIRTUALLY ZERO
CONDUCTIVITY
. CONDUCTIVITY IS USUALLY ABOUT 100 TIMES THE TOTAL CATIONS OR ANIONS EXPRESSED AS
EQUIVALENTS
. TDS IS CALCULATED BY CONVERTING THE EC BY A FACTOR OF 0.5 TO 1.0 TIMES THE EC,
DEPENDING UPON THE LEVELS
. TYPICALLY, THE HIGHER THE LEVEL OF EC, THE HIGHER THE CONVERSION
FACTOR TO DETERMINE THE
TDS.
W
HERE DO DISSOLVED SOLIDS COME FROM?
1.
SOME DISSOLVED SOLIDS COME FROM ORGANIC SOURCES SUCH AS LEAVES, SILT, PLANKTON, AND
INDUSTRIAL WASTE AND SEWAGE
. OTHER SOURCES COME FROM RUNOFF FROM URBAN AREAS, ROAD SALTS
USED ON STREET DURING THE WINTER
, AND FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES USED ON LAWNS AND FARMS.
2.
DISSOLVED SOLIDS ALSO COME FROM INORGANIC MATERIALS SUCH AS ROCKS AND AIR THAT MAY CONTAIN
CALCIUM BICARBONATE
, NITROGEN, IRON PHOSPHOROUS, SULPHUR, AND OTHER MINERALS. MANY OF THESE
MATERIALS FORM SALTS
, WHICH ARE COMPOUNDS THAT CONTAIN BOTH A METAL AND A NON-METAL. SALTS
USUALLY DISSOLVE IN WATER FORMING IONS
. IONS ARE PARTICLES THAT HAVE A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
CHARGE
.
3.
WATER MAY ALSO PICK UP METALS SUCH AS LEAD OR COPPER AS THEY TRAVEL THROUGH PIPES USED TO
DISTRIBUTE WATER TO CONSUMERS
.
4.
NOTE THAT THE EFFICACY OF WATER PURIFICATIONS SYSTEMS IN REMOVING TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS WILL
BE REDUCED OVER TIME
, SO IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO MONITOR THE QUALITY OF A FILTER OR
MEMBRANE AND REPLACE THEM WHEN REQUIRED
1.
TASTE/HEALTH HIGH TDS RESULTS IN UNDESIRABLE TASTE WHICH COULD BE SALTY, BITTER,
OR METALLIC
. IT COULD ALSO INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC MINERALS.
THE RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM OF TDS IN WATER IS 500MG/L (500PPM).
2.
FILTER PERFORMANCE TEST YOUR WATER TO MAKE SURE THE REVERSE OSMOSIS OR OTHER TYPE
OF WATER FILTER OR WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEM HAS A HIGH REJECTION
RATE AND KNOW WHEN TO CHANGE YOUR FILTER (OR MEMBRANE)
CARTRIDGES
.
3.
HARDNESS HIGH TDS INDICATES HARD WATER, WHICH CAUSES SCALE BUILD-UP IN PIPES
AND VALVES
, INHIBITING PERFORMANCE.
4.
AQUARUMS A CONSTANT LEVEL OF MINERALS IS NECESSARY FOR AQUATIC LIFE. THE
WATER IN AN AQUARIUM SHOULD HAVE THE SAME LEVELS OF
TDS AND PH AS
THE FISH AND REEF
'S ORIGINAL HABITAT.
5.
HYDROPONICS TDS IS THE BEST MEASUREMENT OF THE NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION IN A
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