What is a TDS Controller?

Planning on purchasing a new RO water purification system? You might have done some research, and the word ‘TDS Controller’ must have provoked your interest in knowing more about it. 

1. What Is TDS In Water?

To put in simple terms, TDS Controller is a device for controlling the TDS of the water. So, unlike the cartridges, filters, and membranes, the TDS controller won’t purify or filter water. 

It is a manual device with two water inputs, one is water output, and another is the TDS control screw. 

2. How To Check TDS Level At Home?

There are multiple methods to check the TDS level of the water. Some of the common methods are – 

Method 1 – Usage Of Digital TDS Meter

You can use the state-of-the-art digital TDS meter for testing the performance of your water filter as well as the quality of the filtered water. Also, this tool can be used to check the hardness of water and make sure that you have clean drinking water at your disposal. You can get the digital TDS meter online from any store. 

Method 2 – Using Filter Paper & Scale

Being one of the conventional methods, you can easily use this one right in your home. You won’t need a TDS meter for this.

The first step in this method is to weigh an evaporating dish in milligram and make sure that it is empty and marks it as ‘A.’

After that, you need to take a stirring stick and try to vigorously stir the water sample you have, in the sterilized beaker. 

It is important to agitate the liquid to ensure that the particles present in the water are evenly distributed.

The next step is to take a pipette and collect the 50ml of stirred water. Continue stirring the liquid even while collecting the water.

Try to extract the water and then allow it to pass on to the filter paper three times. Certain sediments will be left behind in the filter paper. 

Now, if there are any particles in the filter paper, transfer it to the evaporating dish. Allow the particles to get dry and then weight the evaporating dish again.

Now mark this as ‘B.’ Subtract ‘B’ from ‘A’ to get the TDS level. For checking the TDS level, use the formula,

TDS = [(A-B)*1000]/ml. 

3. What Is The Best Level Of TDS In Drinking Water?

As per the WHO, there is no reliable level of data that clearly indicates the required level of TDS in water.

Also, there are no health-related guidelines too. The BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) has created an acceptable limit of the TDS in drinking water to around 500 mg/L.