I recently moved and have a new water source now which prompted me to send a sample to Ward Labs for analysis.
When I received the report, one thing that struck my attention was the "est TDS" value of 798 ppm. (EPA defines a max contamination level of 500 ppm!) This was somewhat alarming so I contacted the water department and they were equally surprised but had no real comment other than they would consult their own labs on the topic.
So, I ordered a second analysis from Ward Labs and this time, "est TDS" was lower at 624 but still above 500. **My Cation/Anion numbers were also out of balance by >1!
After buying two analysis kits I decided it would be cheaper to buy a TDS meter at this point. (HM TDS-3) Once I received it, I'm happy to see TDS values of ~224-244; much better that the >500 numbers reported by Ward Labs.
Is this normal for Ward Labs or is there a problem with their analysis? The unbalanced Cation/Anion numbers suggest the latter....
Curious to know what the water wizards on this forum have to say. If I've left out key info, please let me know...
When I received the report, one thing that struck my attention was the "est TDS" value of 798 ppm. (EPA defines a max contamination level of 500 ppm!) This was somewhat alarming so I contacted the water department and they were equally surprised but had no real comment other than they would consult their own labs on the topic.
So, I ordered a second analysis from Ward Labs and this time, "est TDS" was lower at 624 but still above 500. **My Cation/Anion numbers were also out of balance by >1!
After buying two analysis kits I decided it would be cheaper to buy a TDS meter at this point. (HM TDS-3) Once I received it, I'm happy to see TDS values of ~224-244; much better that the >500 numbers reported by Ward Labs.
Is this normal for Ward Labs or is there a problem with their analysis? The unbalanced Cation/Anion numbers suggest the latter....
Curious to know what the water wizards on this forum have to say. If I've left out key info, please let me know...