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Safe ppm tds units

ludwig777

Neps, Neps, Neps.........
Does anyone know the safe maximum ppm tds units for CPs and plants in general?  San Diego tap water reads 450ppm tds, which I believe is outrageously high, and they're probably going to add flouride to our water supply by next year.  Will reverse osmosis remove flouride?  I heard the Miami area reads +/- 220ppm tds where my R.O. unit is produced and they stated that even that reading is very high.  I'm curious about the tds readings in other parts of the country.
What does deionization remove?
 
Hi Ludwig, safe ppm for all cps is ideally below 100ppm. It can go as high as 150 ppm for NEPENTHES ONLY. 100ppm and lower is ideal for all CP's. I had my ppm tested but the laboratory put it in mg/liter my tests read 181 mg/liter. Reverse osmosis will remove all total dissolved solids in the water with the proper prefilters installed before the membrane. Most notibly the carbon block and sediment prefilters. I would prefer to have all carbon block as I do not have any sediments in my incoming line from the village. Your ppm is extremely high, I'm surprized your not taking a shower in rocks particles!
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De-ionization is similar to RO except it removes the tds a different way. I have never had a system but I am sure someone else would be happy to explain to for you.
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Hope I was of some help.
 
If you should decide to get an RO unit contact me, I'm happy with the 3 stage unit I got for 130 from a Canadian outfit.

One of the reasons I broke down and got one is while things like chlorine can evaporate, things like calsium and sodium don't, and build up quickly especially using the tray method.

So, I would argue that here in California (where my water is much like yours) a TDS reading is meaningless with CPs in general, and in particular when using the tray method, as in Pings, Drosera, vtfs etc.. It is meaningless because the first gallon may have as TDS reading of, say, 200, but the next gallon would have 400, etc..(naturally this wouldn't be true with things that evaporate, but the point remains valid).
 
I see I misread your post, and that you already have one.
 
Tim brings up a good point that TDS will vary throughout the year.  Also keep in mind that RO membranes need periodic replacement.  As they get older they are less effective.  Anyone using natural water from city/well or running an RO unit should also invest in a TDS meter to periodically measure the water quality.

To answer your question Ludwig.. 450ppm is hard enough to make petrified CPs...
Tony
 
I'd love a TDS meter but they are so darned expensive.
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Thanks everyone for your input.  First of all Tim, I agree with you to an extent, in that even if you have a tds reading of 0, you are not measuring chlorine and other pollutant gasses which affect plant growth, but having a 0 tds reading is just one aspect of clean water.....I like hearing that it's safe to have a reading up to 100ppm, my water was at 0 for the first year I had my filter and now it's up to 2 and since I am not a chemist that really didn't mean much to me but looks like I'm still doing ok.  I also have a deionization (D.I.) extension on my filter but it runs out every 2 months and the replacements are very expensive so I've done away with replacing it for now.  As far as a tds meter, I'll risk mentioning the company I got my filter and meter from, I think I paid $35 for the meter or less and it is pre-calibrated when it is shipped to you: Aqua Engeneering in Florida, I know they are listed but PM me if you need the phone #.  Their filter produces 100 (yes 100) gallons per DAY of pure water.  Since the greenhouse and filter are located in the front yard (Nepenthes and Utrics) and the Drosera and  Sarracenias are several hundred feet in the back yard (sun issues) I ran a "T" off the main output line and ran it all the way to the back yard into a 20-gallon trash can with a float valve (Aqua Engeneering too) on the upper side so I have a constant supply of pure water at my fingertips in the back.  Before I did this I was hauling 5-gallon jugs constantly from the greenhouse to the back.  Be sure to cut into the output line a foot from the source and instal a shutoff valve (Aqua Engeneering) and a backflow preventer (or 'check-valve', Aqua Engeneering), so when the trash can is full and the float valve closes, it will shut offyour R.O. system and wastewater flow.  Water management for CPs if you have a large collection can be very tedious so if anyone needs advice on how to set up an easy system just let me know.
 
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