"Discovering Your Water Quality - A Comprehensive Guide to Drinking Water"
Let’s talk about awareness…there is no other way to be
The human body contains approximately 70% water, therefor water is important for life and one of the essential elements of human existence,
Before knowing about drinking water, we should know about TDS of water.
What is TDS in water?
TDS, means Total Dissolved Solid is the measure of dissolved minerals, salts, metals and impurities in the water. But did you know that some of these impurities in water are actually healthy for us, Yes its True!
TDS levels of municipal supply water can usually range from 100 to 500, whereas sea water can have a TDS as high as 35000 due to the presence of high amounts of salts and other impurities in it. That is why, Sea water is not suited for drinking purposes at all.
Most Indian households typically get water supply with TDS levels ranging from 100-1000 (depending on the source of your water supply). It is important that you measure the TDS of your supply water before deciding on the right water purifiers for you.
You can measure the TDS of water using a simple TDS meter or by asking a RO technician nearby. Shop Now
Now the question arise in mind like,
a) How to know what should be good drinkable TDS,
b) Or the LowTDS water is better for drinking
c) and so on……………..
What is the ideal TDS Level for drinking water?
Water quality standards vary across the world depending on the standardization agency in the region. Based on the recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
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TDS Levels of water supply
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Mineral Levels
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Fit for drinking?
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Recommended Purification Technology
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0 to 100
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Very Low
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No
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Gravity filters, MF or UF
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100 to 150
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Low
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Acceptable
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UF or NF
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150 to 250
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Ideal
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Ideal
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UF or NF
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250 to 500
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High
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Acceptable
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NF
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500 to 1000
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Very High
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Non Ideal |
NF
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1000+
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Hard Water
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Not Acceptable |
RO
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According to BIS(TDS Upto 500 is safe for human consumption)
What is the ideal pH level for drinking water?
Let’s now talk about the pH level of water. It is a measure of acidity and alkalinity in a substance and it is measured on a logarithmic scale of 0 to 14. A level of < 7 indicates the acidic nature of water and a level of > 7 indicates basic or alkaline nature. A perfect 7 indicates neutral water (natural state of pure water).
Several brands claim that drinking water with high pH is healthy for the human body. But, again, there has been little to almost no research done on this subject and hence these claims are not scientifically backed.
To understand this better, let's look at the pH within our bodies:
- Human blood maintains a normal pH of 7.35 to 7.45
- pH of the fluids in our stomachs ranges between 1.5 to 3.5
- Our liver maintains a neutral pH of 7
Clearly, different body functions need a different pH and this is why our body strictly maintains its pH at various places.
That being said, human bodies are designed to handle changes in water’s pH and our kidneys play an important role in it. They maintain acid-base balance in the body by reabsorbing cells bicarbonate HCO3− from the urine back to the blood and by secreting hydrogen H+ ions into the urine. By adjusting the amounts reabsorbed and secreted ions, they balance the bloodstream's pH.
WHO recommends an ideal range of pH between 6.5 to 8 for drinking water. As long as your pH is in this range, you're good.Drinking too alkaline or too acidic water can be harmful to the body. Trying to externally modify the body's pH can be really harmful, especially to your kidneys which have to bear the brunt of cleaning more.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) purification can drop the pH of water as it removes even the smallest of impurities from water. We recommend you to use a mineralizer or an alkaline filter only in exceptional cases where pH is less than 6. Most alkaline and mineral filters are chemical-based and should be avoided, if not needed.
Factors that influence drinking water quality
There are some more factors that can affect the water quality and it's very important to be aware of them before buying a water purifier in order to drink safe drinking water. Let's go through them one-by-one!
#1 - Source of Water
Every home has a unique source of water, and it needs to be purified differently. Some of us are fortunate enough to have access to clean municipal water supply while many of us rely on bore-well or natural sources of water like rivers and ponds which are susceptible to industrial and agricultural pollution. Several residential apartments receive water from water tankers for which sources can vary. Apart from the source of water, leakages in the pipeline, rusting, etc. can also add to the impurities in your water.
Consider using an NF or RO purifier if you're not sure about the source of your supply water.
#2 - Usage of TDS Adjuster to increase TDS
RO water typically reduces the TDS to alarmingly low levels, which is not good…In order to increase the TDS back to its normal levels, certain water purifier brands have started using a device called a TDS adjuster.
These TDS adjusters are nothing but a bypass valve that mixes impure water with purified RO water to increase the TDS. Users can adjust the percentage
of impure water being mixed and hence control the TDS of output water. Using such adjusters completely defeats the purpose of purification as the impure water can mix toxic impurities and microbes back into the purified water. We strongly recommend you to not use such devices!
#3 - Regular servicing of Water Purifiers
Just like any sieve, filters in water purifiers get blocked after some time due to the impurities captured. It is very important to regularly change the filters of your water purifier (preferably every 6 months or a maximum of 12 months). If not maintained well, the filters can allow impurities to pass through and can also serve as a breeding ground for microbes.
Conclusion
- Water below TDS 100 is considered demineralized & is not fit for drinking purposes. The ideal TDS for drinking water should be between 150 to 250 while it is completely acceptable to drink water with TDS up to 500.
- The ideal pH of water is between 6.5 to 8. Drinking too alkaline or too acidic water can be harmful to the body.
- You should choose your water purifier according to the TDS of your supply water and the reliability of the source of your water.
- Be sure to regularly service your water purifiers and get your water tested periodically.
So, make a switch for good, get your water purifier customised today according to your house’s needs because that's what an aware customer would do!