bdwoods Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I'm just wondering if anyone can shed some light on how TDS can dictate a water change. I've heard it said that anything above 1500 pm higher than your initial fill warrants a drain and fill. I've been successfully using bleach - and the water (without exageration) was as crystal clear as the day it went in 3 months ago. The levels were all within range and going fine. I had the water tested and my TDS were over 2300 ppm. I began doing some research online, and some say that TDS really don't matter as long as your PH is stable and your hardness is in line. Does anyone have an opinion on this? I ended up changing the water because it had a very slight odor to it, and figured I may as well start fresh. Next time, however, I want to know really how long I can go. Ideally, I'd like to be at about 3 changes a year - once every 4 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 If you're using bleach, the TDS that you're adding to the tub is plain old Salt. Salt is not a problem as say CYA and other TDS. I'd say you can safely go 6 months between water changes when using bleach. My last water change was almost 7 months, and my water was fine before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pup Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Over the decades I have changed my perfectly good tub water at the typical 4-month period...for no real good reason. Yes, the water was slightly/noticeably fresher (slightly less thick), but the old water was perfectly good. I also change my car's perfectly good oil earlier than truly needed...for no good reason (it was just the way I was brought up). Maybe I will learn someday. Note: I have experienced perfectly balanced 4-to-6-month old water (with low sanitizer demand) where I would get a throat tickle or slight cough during aeration while soaking...that's a clear indicator to me to start fresh with a refill even though the numbers all indicate good-to-go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 I'm just wondering if anyone can shed some light on how TDS can dictate a water change. I've heard it said that anything above 1500 pm higher than your initial fill warrants a drain and fill. I've been successfully using bleach - and the water (without exageration) was as crystal clear as the day it went in 3 months ago. The levels were all within range and going fine. I had the water tested and my TDS were over 2300 ppm. I began doing some research online, and some say that TDS really don't matter as long as your PH is stable and your hardness is in line. Does anyone have an opinion on this? I ended up changing the water because it had a very slight odor to it, and figured I may as well start fresh. Next time, however, I want to know really how long I can go. Ideally, I'd like to be at about 3 changes a year - once every 4 months. How much chlorine are you adding every day? If you started out with Dichlor and then switched to bleach, then if you had 4 ppm FC per day usage this would increase the TDS by almost 200 ppm per month. So getting to 2300 ppm in 3 months seems high, even if you started out with around 300-500 ppm. Are you using a lot more than 4 ppm FC per day (say, because you have more than one person soaking every day)? Or are you starting out with well water very high in TDS? Something just doesn't sound right about your situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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