The conductivity of water simply refers to its ability for electricity to pass through it. Pure water cannot conduct electricity but water that contains small amounts of impurities can. Conductivity is therefore a very useful measure of the salts and minerals dissolved in the water. The conductivity of water is normally measured in microsiemens per centimetre (µS/cm). Conductivity increases with temperature and therefore levels are normally quoted at the standard temperature of 25°C.
| Water | Conductivity µS/cm |
|---|---|
| Distilled Water | 0-5 |
| Melted Snow | 2-42 |
| Tap Water | 50-800 |
| UK Rivers | 300-2,000 |
| Seawater | 50,000 |
Conductivity is measured with a probe and a meter. Two electrodes separated by a known distance are immersed into the water sample, the drop in voltage in the detecting circuit is caused by the resistance of the water and is used to calculate the conductivity per centimetre.
High quality deionised water will give a reading of less than 5 µS/cm, whilst typical tap water will give a reading of 50 to 800 µS/cm depending on hardness, and other salts. Sea water might measure as much as 50,000 µS/cm.
The total dissolved measurement is closely related to conductivity and is another indication of the overall purity of the water. There are two principal methods for determining TDS, these are gravimetric analysis and conductivity. The gravimetric method involves evaporating all of the liquid away and then measuring the mass of the residue left. A far more practical and more commonly used method is to measure TDS using conductivity, TDS and conductivity are highly correlated and TDS is often calculated from conductivity and a correlation factor.
The hardness of your drinking water can be detected by the following tests.
