Hi. Yesterday we had an appointment with a man who came by the house with one of those fancy pants test kits that is supposed to shock homeowners into buying an expensive and unnecessary(?) water filter system. One question: Does a high conductivity value really mean our water is bad

Thanks for your help!

When talking about water or another solution containing electrolytes, conductivity, also called to as specific conductance, refers to the water’s ability to conduct electricity. We measure conductivity in siemens per meter (S/m).

High quality deionized water has a conductivity of about 5.5 mS/m, typical drinking water in the range of 5-50 mS/m, while sea water about 5 S/m[2] (i.e., sea water’s conductivity is one million times higher than deionized water). ( source )

Many times a solution’s conductivity value gives a good indication of how many dissolved solids (aka: total dissolved solids) the solution contains. As for whether or not drinking highly conductive water poses a danger to your health, that will depend on what TYPES of solids you have dissolved in your water.

Having said that, we suggest that you not let an in-home water filter system salesman persuade to buy ANYthing based solely upon the results of a conductivity test. Get your water tested by an independent laboratory such as National Testing Labs first and then start looking for a water filter system after you find out if you really have any ‘issues’ with your water.

Digital Conductivity Meter With Cap

In drinking water settings, high TDS levels may mean cloudy water and possibly mean that water may stain or leave deposits adfter it dries.

In swimming pools cloudy water may result and pool chemicals such as granular chlorine and chlorine tablets may not dissolve properly. As a general rule underchlorinated pool water can become aesthetically displeasing (also known as ‘green’ because of an algae problem) and potentially unsafe to swim in.

click here for more details Part Number: A7910	Total Dissolved Solids Meter (TDS) Total Dissolved Solids Meter Measure the Total Dissolved Solids level of your swimming pool water quickly and accurately. TDS meter for swimming pool water is easy to use. Many more pool water test kits available at In The Swim. Your Cost: $129.99
click here for more details Part Number: A7911	Total Dissolved Solids Meter (TDS) Calibration Fluid Use this Total Dissolved Solids calibration fluid to keep your total dissolved solids testing meter properly calibrated so that you get accurate total dissolved solids readings each time you use your TDS meter. Your Cost: $4.99

TDS Meter: Digital Pen Style 10 to 9990ppm (TDS503) ATC with Calibration Solution, Screwdriver & Hard Case	TDS503		$69.99
Water Purity Tester, Pen Style (WPT100) WaterProof with Protective Cap & Battery	WPT100		$32.95

For more information on other water quality parameters you may want to test, please visit the Water Quality Testing section of WaterTestingBlog.Com