12/31/2015
Measuring the total dissolved solids, or TDS, gauges the strength of a hydroponic nutrient solution and is an unparalleled method of determining water quality. When growing hydromake sure to take all the necessary considerations so you know how to interpret the results of this powerful tool.
To understand how TDS meters work and what they measure you have to go back to make sure you understand some basic chemistry. When you take table salt, which we all know is sodium chloride, or NaCl, and put a teaspoon of it into water and stir, it eventually dissolves. Sodium chloride is an ionic substance, meaning its constituent atoms, sodium and chlorine, are ions; sodium has a strong positive charge and chlorine has a strong negative charge. When NaCl dissolves in water, these ions break apart and float around. Water with some salt in it will conduct electricity better than absolutely pure H2O because the dissolved charges can move in solution, allowing current to flow. In general, the more salt dissolved in water the higher the electrical conductivity is. On the other hand, if you dissolve a teaspoon of sugar in pure H2O you will not see any significant increase in electrical conductivity. This is because sugar does not form ions in solution, so dissolved sugar doesnβt help move electrical charge through water.
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