Ward Labs query: Alkalinity divided by TDS

[Silver_Is_Money]

For exclusively those who have had Ward Labs run an analysis on your water, please divide the Ward Labs reported alkalinity ppm by the Ward Labs reported TDS and report here. I'm trying to see if there is a generalized relationship between the two that can be made.

Here are mine from Ward Labs for my well water:

377 ppm Alkalinity
716 ppm TDS

Ratio = 377/716 = 0.527 = 52.7%

I'm trying to exclude municipal water reports since they are averages of multiple sources or over multiple time periods (or both), whereas a Ward Labs report is a sampling of a single source at a single time, so its ratio should be far more valid.

The reason behind this is that TDS meters are down to about $7 to $10 right now, and one of the main things that people need to know is their waters alkalinity. I'm trying to see if alkalinity can be ballpark estimated from ppm TDS alone.

 

[enkamania]

27 Total Alkalinity/ 41 TDS = 65.85%

 

[couchsending]

Alkalinity 246
TDS 722

 

[VikeMan]

'm trying to see if alkalinity can be ballpark estimated from ppm TDS alone.

i would not expect this to work very cleanly, but am quite interested to see the result.

 

[VikeMan]

Here are a couple recent ones from nearby breweries...

Alkalinity (as CaCO3) 42 / TDS 181 = 23.2%

Alkalinity (as CaCO3) 123 / TDS 191 = 64.4%

 

[day_trippr]

146 ppm Alkalinity (as CaCO3)
322 ppm TDS
= 45.34%

Full report added in case it's needed...

Cheers!

 

[michaeltrego]

Tap Alkalinity 15 / TDS 222 = 6.8%
RO Alkalinity 3 / TDS 26 = 6.8%

 

[VikeMan]

RO Alkalinity 3 / TDS 26 = 6.8%

I think at least one of these three numbers is a typo.

 

[michaeltrego]

I think at least one of these three numbers is a typo.

Sorry 11.5%

 

[bob1852]

177 Alkalinity
221 TDS

80.09%

 

[mabrungard]

This is ridiculous! There is NO correlation. This is on the same level as saying that magnesium is always a certain percentage of the calcium content.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

This is ridiculous! There is NO correlation. This is on the same level as saying that magnesium is always a certain percentage of the calcium content.

It's rapidly beginning to appear that you are likely to be spot on with there being no correlation. But we've only seen a few samples in a big pool so far.

BTW, I never once stated that there is always a fixed ratio of calcium to magnesium, as I always took care to speak in terms of the correlation being based upon the broad stroke of fresh water averages. No need to misconstrue or imply otherwise. It's the same thing here. Merely attempting to ferret out averages if such may be ferreted out. I got my means of averaging out calcium and magnesium from total hardness alone directly from well trusted Kai Troester if that matters. And his assessment of the averages matches mine right closely thereby. Perhaps you should imply that he fixed a ratio of calcium to magnesium.

 

[VikeMan]

This is ridiculous! There is NO correlation. This is on the same level as saying that magnesium is always a certain percentage of the calcium content.

With one number being (essentially) a subset of the other, I think there will be a solid correlation, perhaps even a "strong" one (correlation coefficient > .9). But I also think any proposed formula to infer one from the other will probably have an average error that nobody can really stomach.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I wonder if the 'potential' for TDS to alkalinity correlation (if such exists, which is unknown) increases for water passed through an RO unit?