super low TDS out of the tap

[doppelganger]

I live in Vancouver (Canada). You know... health freaks, tree huggers, everyone rides a bike etc. The water I get out of my tap reads 2 PPM TDS. Is that even possible? I'm pretty sure it's correct because both my hand held and RO/DI tds meter read the same. I'm not great with water stuff but I just wanted to know whether or not it's possible from just say a water facility perspective (AZ I'm waiting for u I know the greater vancouver area only gets as high as maybe 10-15 PPM. I'm curious what ppl in washington may get out of their taps?

 

I really don't know why it's so low. Any water treatment experts out there that might know? Not that I'm complaining... just curious.

[chachew]

I live way down south and i get about 208TDS out of my tap and about 2TDS out of my RO membranes

 

So id say your water is pretty damn good

[GokesReef]

How long have you been monitoring this?

[AZDesertRat]

While a tap TDS of 2 is possible it is very rare. I only wish I was that lucky?

Pristine waters are becoming more scarce every day so protect and enjoy what you have!

[JamesHL88]

I get letters from my city saying not to let women and children drink the water lol.

[patback]

Isn't pure water actually bad for your health long term?Somthing about it basically drowning your cells and purging all the vitamin and minerals from your body?

[AZDesertRat]

No that is not true. Organizations like the World Health Organization have been unsucessfully been trying to prove that for years but eating even one potato chip negates their studies. We do not live on water alone and any foods provide the things the water lacks.

[patback]

So could you drink only distilled or rodi water long term with no effects?

[doppelganger]

cool interesting. Thanks for the feedback. Lets hope it's really true and not all my instruments being messed up haha.

 

How long have you been monitoring this?

 

It's been a couple of months now. Only when I do a water change tho which is maybe like once every 2 weeks. I'll probably continue to check tho from now on.

[rick12]

I live in Victoria, just across the chuck, and get the same readings.

[AZDesertRat]

We receive such a miniscule amount of minerals from water its a non issue. You would have to drink gallons and gallons per day to do any possible harm with distilled or RO/DI, much more than is humanly possible. You would drown internally from saturated cells before you leached enough minerals to do harm.

[najluni15]

San Francisco and the areas that receive water from the San Francisco PUC reservoir at Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite also get super low TDS, but it is not THAT low. You are very very lucky to have water that high in quality. I dont think I would be far off to say you probably have the best quality water out of any large metro area.

[Haelstrom]

My tap comes out between 4 to 5 and 0 out of my RO/DI system. I live in southern Alabama. Guess I just have good water. Never though about it before.

[cruiZe]

That is incredible ! Well or City water?

 

My well water is around 350tds

[phasezero]

I live in the Hippy town south of you in Bellingham Washington. I've read from a few people in this area that we get <15 TDS on city water.

[paneubert]

I have not measured recently, but I seem to recall getting about 35-40 just north of Seattle.

[eddiecorrea]

I have not measured recently, but I seem to recall getting about 35-40 just north of Seattle.

 

Got anything to trade ?

 

Down here in Federal Way I'm getting 20ppm out of my tap and 0ppm after RO/DI.

[Jooce01]

I hate to go back a bit subject wise, but I just wanted to talk about why some people are under the impression that pure water is bad to drink. The idea is that water with an extremely low TDS is so hypotonic that it will cause the cells in your mouth and stomach lining to undergo cytolysis because of the greatly increased osmotic pressure (if anyone is interested I can explain this, or just google). I have read differing opinions about this subject, one side saying that there is not enough benefit to gain from drinking purer water to make up for the risk, the other side saying that the cells in your GI tract are built to handle the increased osmotic pressure, because technically water from any source is hypotonic in comparison to the cytoplasm.

 

Long story short, people have lived their whole lives drinking extremely pure water without any side effects, but really, whats the point? Its the minerals in the water that give it the flavor, why cut them out unnecessarily?

[steviejitsu]

200+ in suburbs of LA

[nystang]

I have TDS 18 from tap water here in Brooklyn, NY. I measured my friend's tap water who lives in a different ZIP code, about 3 miles from me and he has the same18. However in spite of low TDS the NY water has high TSS.

[Mr.Green]

TDS can cary highly from area to area. Vancouver and NYC are known for having some of the cleanest drinking water. You can go to you local towns website also and get all annual water quality reports for free. Its required by the ministry.

[AZDesertRat]

Actually NYC does not have clean drinking water. True, the TDS or dissolved solids are low but the TSS or suspended solids, turbidity or particles, are high and the EPA has them operating under consent decrees and paying fines until treatment plants are built and in operation.

[Mr.Green]

Actually NYC does not have clean drinking water. True, the TDS or dissolved solids are low but the TSS or suspended solids, turbidity or particles, are high and the EPA has them operating under consent decrees and paying fines until treatment plants are built and in operation.

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/index.shtml

 

I did a 6 month case study back in uni on the controversy over nyc drinking water. I beg to differ; it is perfectly safe and clean. Some of the cleanest in the world.

[AZDesertRat]

According to them maybe but check with the EPA.

There are major treatment plants under construction to meet EPA mandated water quality standards. For untreated surface water you are correct it is pretty good but still the TSS, turbidity and particle counts are very high.

 

What they have been able to do with their huge protected water supply is amazing but it takes a herculean effort to keep it protected and clean and it limits the recreation and things that can go on in the forests and watersheds. In the midwest and west we enjoy boating on our lakes and using our forests for outdoor activities, something like that would never work in most places. EPA has granted a conditional waiver for now that allows them to monitor quality and to install UV disinfection as well as chlorination but there are still occasional excursions when it comes to Turbidity and particle counts. I guess paying fines is cheaper than building surface water plants though plus there isn't much room to build the plants near the cities.

 

NY waters are extremely tough on RO and RO/DI systems, not because of the TDS but because of the suspendeds and colloidal materials that plug the sediment and carbon filters.

[Mitch619]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/index.shtml

 

I did a 6 month case study back in uni on the controversy over nyc drinking water. I beg to differ; it is perfectly safe and clean. Some of the cleanest in the world.

 

You're talking to desertrat dude. No offense, but your study is probably a joke to him. Furthermore, tap water is dangerous and I trust my homemade RO water any day over tap water. Regardless of where it comes from.