TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

A couple months ago we received a letter from the company that put in
our water system with some specials they were running on their new,
more efficient systems.

I called them up and the guy said he come out and take a look at what
we had and decide if it would be worth our money to upgrade.

At first he looked at the system and said it's probably not worth the
upgrade. Then he did a TDS test on the water and it was over 600. He
said your tank is shot and needs to be replaced (or needed new resin
or whatever).

Considering the cost of replacement and the cost of the new system we
went with the new system ($3K).

After having the system for a while I decided to get a TDS tester and
test myself. Well, I get readings anywhere from 550-900 (never below
550). Our RO water shows around 20 so at least we know that is
working.

I measure around 550 on the water that doesn't go through the
softener.

Does it sound like the new softener is not doing it job? Are there
other reasons why the TDS might be high on the "softened" water?

The guy is coming back out tonight to test the water himself. I just
want to be prepared for any "excuses" he may have.

Thanks in advance

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

homerlex wrote:
A couple months ago we received a letter from the company that put in
our water system with some specials they were running on their new,
more efficient systems.

I called them up and the guy said he come out and take a look at what
we had and decide if it would be worth our money to upgrade.

At first he looked at the system and said it's probably not worth the
upgrade. Then he did a TDS test on the water and it was over 600. He
said your tank is shot and needs to be replaced (or needed new resin
or whatever).

Considering the cost of replacement and the cost of the new system we
went with the new system ($3K).

After having the system for a while I decided to get a TDS tester and
test myself. Well, I get readings anywhere from 550-900 (never below
550). Our RO water shows around 20 so at least we know that is
working.

I measure around 550 on the water that doesn't go through the
softener.

Does it sound like the new softener is not doing it job? Are there
other reasons why the TDS might be high on the "softened" water?

The guy is coming back out tonight to test the water himself. I just
want to be prepared for any "excuses" he may have.

Thanks in advance
Hmmm,
Where is your logic?

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

Thanks for the reply. So it sounds like the guy either did not know
what he was talking about or he was just trying to make a sale when he
pulled out the TDS meter to see how my old system was working to show
me the 600 and telling me I needed the new system :-(



Water softeners do not eliminate TDS, they just replace a calcium
compound with a sodium compound. That is good for soap but not
particularly good for you. That is why they say not to drink softened
water until you run it through the RO.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 06:06:06 -0700 (PDT), homerlex
wrote:

Considering the cost of replacement and the cost of the new system we
went with the new system ($3K).

(Wasted days and wasted nights)

$3K for a softener *IS* a ripoff.

Goggle Gary Slusser. Call the guy and it will not be that BS.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

FYI - The guy came last night and tested the hardness. He started
mixing the the solution and said "if this turns blue then your water
is soft." Well, it didn't turn blue so he confirmed that there is
indeed a problem. He is sending a tech out next week to take a look
at the system.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Jul 10, 6:29*am, homerlex wrote:
FYI - The guy came last night and tested the hardness. *He started
mixing the the solution and said "if this turns blue then your water
is soft." *Well, it didn't turn blue so he confirmed that there is
indeed a problem. *He is sending a tech out next week to take a look
at the system.

The tech came out on Monday and looks like he cranked some of the
settings. They told me to force a regeneration each night for the
next couple of nights and then they will test the water again.

I can tell it used more potassium that it has been using prior to the
changes. TDS levels are showing in the 900s This doesn't seem right
to me - if there is an exchange going on shouldn't the TDS level be
closer to the TDS level before the water hits the softener?

I've also ordered some test strips to test the hardness on my own.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

The hardeness strips show the water is now in the "soft range".

I'm still concerned about the TDS being so high (900s every morning).
The water is 550 pre-softened and I understand that the softner can
cause TDS to go up some but doesn't this sound excessive?

Thanks.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

homerlex,

What is the hardness (in grains per gallon) of your UNTREATED (before
the softener) water?
Any iron in the water?

homerlex wrote:
The hardness strips show the water is now in the "soft range".

I'm still concerned about the TDS being so high (900s every morning).
The water is 550 pre-softened and I understand that the softner can
cause TDS to go up some but doesn't this sound excessive?

Thanks.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

"homerlex" wrote in message
...
The hardeness strips show the water is now in the "soft range".

I'm still concerned about the TDS being so high (900s every morning).
The water is 550 pre-softened and I understand that the softner can
cause TDS to go up some but doesn't this sound excessive?

Thanks.

Where do you get the water to test? My guess is that sitting overnight in
the piping or the tank, it is picking up something from them. Softeners
take out minerals, but not everything. The can be accumulated rust or
sediment inside that you are reading. Once the water runs, it flushes out
the sitting water with more pure water.

Is it excessive? With nothing to compare to, it is difficult to say.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Jul 23, 11:07*am, "justalurker ." wrote:
homerlex,

What is the hardness (in grains per gallon) of your UNTREATED (before
the softener) water?
Any iron in the water?


The untreated water is about 15gpg (according to the strips). Its
about 3gpg after the softener.

There must be a little iron because the softener (Hague WaterMax) is
set to deal with 1ppm of Iron.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

Where do you get the water to test? *My guess is that sitting overnight in
the piping or the tank, it is picking up something from them.

The water I test is from the kitchen sink. I just tested now (after a
day of the facet being used) and TDS is still over 900.

Should I even be concerned about the TDS in the softened water as long
as the RO is doing its job?

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

"homerlex" wrote in message
...

Where do you get the water to test? My guess is that sitting overnight in
the piping or the tank, it is picking up something from them.

The water I test is from the kitchen sink. I just tested now (after a
day of the facet being used) and TDS is still over 900.

Should I even be concerned about the TDS in the softened water as long
as the RO is doing its job?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With RO, I'd not be concerned. Without RO, I'd have the water tested for
purity and if it meets quality standards, not worry about it.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Jul 23, 8:02*pm, homerlex wrote:
Where do you get the water to test? *My guess is that sitting overnight in
the piping or the tank, it is picking up something from them.

The water I test is from the kitchen sink. I just tested now (after a
day of the facet being used) and TDS is still over 900.

Should I even be concerned about the TDS in the softened water as long
as the RO is doing its job?

homerlex,

You should be more concerned that hardness is leaking through and your
water is not soft.

A correctly sized, properly set up, and correctly operating softener
should provide "0" hardness water all the way till regeneration.

Your Hague service person should have caught that and corrected the
problem.

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Jul 9, 9:06*am, homerlex wrote:
A couple months ago we received a letter from the company that put in
our water system with some specials they were running on their new,
more efficient systems.

I called them up and the guy said he come out and take a look at what
we had and decide if it would be worth our money to upgrade.

At first he looked at the system and said it's probably not worth the
upgrade. *Then he did a TDS test on the water and it was over 600. *He
said your tank is shot and needs to be replaced (or needed new resin
or whatever).

Considering the cost of replacement and the cost of the new system we
went with the new system ($3K).

After having the system for a while I decided to get a TDS tester and
test myself. *Well, I get readings anywhere from 550-900 (never below
550). *Our RO water shows around 20 so at least we know that is
working.

I measure around 550 on the water that doesn't go through the
softener.

Does it sound like the new softener is not doing it job? Are there
other reasons why the TDS might be high on the "softened" water?

The guy is coming back out tonight to test the water himself. *I just
want to be prepared for any "excuses" he may have.

Thanks in advance

I think the softener is making the TDS read higher but this may be
normal as it is replacing Calcium ions in the hard water with Sodium
ions which of course would mean you didnt need a new water softener to
start with. This is the wisdom of my one time encounter with the
Culligan man when he came out to service my in-laws
filter. Take with several grains of salt.

Jimmie

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

AdamHart had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...hy-383098-.htm
:
Yes but then you should good water softeners...
http://www.isopurewater.com/
try here and you will find what you are lookin for..

The TDS on the softened side will always be higher than on the untreated side. Remember, a softener is NOT a filter, but an exchange unit. It requires enough sodium to replace the hardness minerals and in doing so, over compensates, thus leaving TDS marginally higher.

If your TDS is astronomically higher, then the softener is not working well and too much salt is passing through. Perhaps not backwashing properly.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

replying to JIMMIE, tones2 wrote:
I am getting very similar results at my house and I have low cost GE softener.
My water going in is at 450 on the TDS meter. The water coming out of my
faucet is 560 on the cold side and 880 on the hot side. It seems wrong to me.
However the hardness, tested with color strips, is close to a thousand going
in and 100 to 200 at the faucet. The test strips are very hard to read. I have
been turning up the hardness calculator on my water softener to see if the
hardness will improve. But the TDS readings are scary to me.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

replying to gfretwell, Scott wrote:
I have a water softener from US Water Systems, and the TDS is 200. Before it
is treated, it is at 500. The RO system reads a TDS of 14. I live in New
Mexico, and I know certain areas are higher than others. Salt is picked up by
the TDS, but I don't think it should be higher than the non-treated water.
Look up US Water Systems and you can call the people there with any questions.
I am very happy with my system. I use salt, not potassium in my water
softener, and I'm not sure if potassium makes a higher TDS rating.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

replying to homerlex, Don wrote:
Water softener are ion exchangers, not ion eliminators. They substitute
bivalent ions, calcium, magnesium, for monovalent ions, usually Sodium or
potassium depending upon the salt (chemical definition) used. It's actually
simple. Bivalent ions form non water soluble soap scum or precipitates with
soap. Monovalent ions do not. Soft water has the same amount of dissolved
solids as hard water. Sodium has simply been substituted for Ca and Mg. Total
dissolved solids are different, but still the same amount.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

replying to homerlex, Mike wrote:
High tds is probably *sooner than later) going to exhaust the fiter/carbon in
ur RO system

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

replying to homerlex, Shane wrote:
TDS meters work by measuring conductivity. They do not measure exactly the
number of disolved solids in parts per million as suggested. They actually
measure the conductivity of the water and that is translated to an approximate
TDS. Some dissolved solids are more conductive than others. Sodium is more
conductive than calcium. Therefor water is more conductive after a water
softener than it is before it, causing the TDS meter to register a higher
number.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

Excellent response!

--
For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...hy-383098-.htm

TDS is Higher with Water Softener - Why?
 

On Tue, 25 May 2021 14:01:14 +0000, Craig
wrote:

Excellent response!
Troll