• TDS meter and water salinity

  • Melissa1838

My Tetratec Comfort hydrometer has two scales. One is standard for salinity measurement, and the other, parallel to it, is in ppm. Based on this, one can conclude that salinity can be measured just as effectively with a TDS meter? Some might say that TDS measures the amount of any particles in the water, but a salinity meter also does not differentiate between salts. Has anyone tried using a TDS meter instead of a salinity meter?

Chelsea567

In theory, TDS should measure conductivity (which depends on the amount of salts in the water - if there are none, it's distilled water). In theory, a table of values corresponding to density or salinity can be created.

John3165

A TDS meter measures Total Dissolved Solids. I translate it as "total salinity" or "overall saturation with dissolved salts." In Russian, it sounds better as "total mineralization." There is NO selectivity for salts. This is the type of device I use to measure water quality. It may be suitable for measuring seawater, but that is a specific area I am not authorized to...

Angel628

Colleagues, thank you very much for the explanations, but I know how a TDS meter works and what it measures. The question is different - a salinity meter measures the density of water (regardless of what salts are dissolved in it), while a TDS meter measures, as correctly stated, conductivity. Specifically, it is calibrated for potassium ions. So, since these things are interconnected (I mentioned that my hydrometer has two scales), wouldn't it be easier to measure the salinity of water with a TDS meter?

Julie4738

Aquamedica has an electronic device for measuring salinity. There's no need to reinvent the wheel; if it were possible to measure it that way, it would have been done a long time ago. It's much easier to put the device in the water and check the numbers on the display. Such devices are extremely inaccurate and need to be calibrated constantly.

Amanda

But why do you have doubts?

Kevin262

And they have already expressed it.

Elizabeth6302

All instruments need to be calibrated. What do you mean by "extremely inaccurate"? And what does it mean to put the instrument in water? Maybe it's the sensor of the instrument? I have serious doubts about the doubts.

Michelle13

Hmm... I calibrate the pH meter every 2-3 months, and even then out of habit; usually, I only need to adjust it by hundredths. I don't need to calibrate the TDS meter at all. ...................... What can be offered instead of electronics? Drop tests?