First time mixing the Saltwater! How exciting :)

TaylorLee · Jan 20, 2013

Well i have my ro/di unit and salt mix and im ready to make my first batch of saltwater. but in my investigation, i have a container a friend is letting me borrow that he used to mix his saltwater in. I stuck my tds meter into the rodi water, with no salt that i have added to the water, and it read like 139 ppm. everytime i stuck it in the water to double, and triple check, it read something different. Never going below 125ppm. So i said that cant be right! I checked the tds in the tap water im using goin into to the rodi unit and it read 84. So how could it go from 84 to 130-190 ppm through the di system? So i did an experiment and i took a glass cup and put my output for the di water into it and rinsed it thouroghly and filled it to where my tds meter could get a read on it. Inside the glass cup it read 0ppm... Is it normal for the water chemistry to do that? I have never mixed any saltwater before so im not sure what to think, and if its even safe to continue to mix the salt into the water.
Thanks!
-Taylor

peterthegamer · Jan 20, 2013

Make sure you tds is at 0. That might be an issue if you tds is that high.

NanaReefer · Jan 20, 2013

Could be the container had some residual left in it. Clean the container using some distilled vinegar and hot water. Rinse well.
Also allow at least a gallon of the new RO/DI to run down the drain before filling your container.

skinz78 · Jan 20, 2013

NanaReefer said:
Could be the container had some residual left in it. Clean the container using some distilled vinegar and hot water. Rinse well.
Also allow at least a gallon of the new RO/DI to run down the drain before filling your container.

Agreed, this is my first thought.

fragmatic · Jan 20, 2013

I agree, if he used the container to mix salt water it has some salt mix in it you need to measure your RODI out of the unit straight into a clean glass container.

It sounds like you figured that out.

TaylorLee · Jan 20, 2013

I remember him talking just venting about him getting his house sprayed for something and it poisoned his tank... Could it be that the spray also had poisoned his mixing container if it has a snap on lid to it?? If this is the case then that could definitely be the case and why the tds meter is going crazy.