As summer approaches, cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and other metropolitan cities face the effects of heat, which effectively lead to dehydration, power cuts, and water shortages.
Moreover, what often goes unnoticed, however, is how heat quietly changes all the qualities of the water we consume every day. Besides, one important factor that shifts during summer is the TDS levels in water. Are you wondering how? In this blog, we will understand how heat affects TDS levels and how it can help households make much better decisions about filtration, storage, and overall water safety.
Understanding What Is TDS in Water
TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, which are the combined content of inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water. These are typically solids, including calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, chlorides, and sulfates. TDS is measured in parts per million or PPM. While extremely low TDS water may lack all the essential minerals, very high TDS levels can affect the taste, cause scaling in appliances, and indicate the presence of an excess amount of salts or contaminants. For drinking purposes, a balanced TDS level is generally considered ideal.
Why TDS Levels Rise in Summer
1. Increased Evaporation
During peak summer months, high temperatures increase evaporation in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. And when water evaporates, the dissolved solids remain behind. This leads to a higher concentration of salts and minerals in the remaining water supply. Moreover, cities that are completely dependent on surface water sources may see noticeable seasonal fluctuations in TDS levels due to this evaporation effect.
2. Reduced Water Levels
Summer often brings declining groundwater tables and shrinking reservoir levels, and as water levels drop, the concentration of dissolved minerals naturally increases, and in groundwater-dependent areas, borewell water can show higher TDS readings during hotter months. Additionally, this is particularly common in rapid urbanisation regions where groundwater extraction exceeds recharge rates.
3. Increased Mineral Dissolution
Heat can also increase the rate at which minerals get dissolved into water as it passes through soil and rock layers. In certain areas with hard water geology, higher temperatures can intensify mineral absorption, which leads to elevated TDS levels.
4. Municipal Supply Blending
In some cities, municipal authorities blend or switch water sources during summer to manage shortages. For example, there are city that primarily uses treated lake water and may supplement supplies with borewell or tanker water. Since different sources have different mineral compositions, this overall blending can cause fluctuations in TDS levels at the household level.
How High TDS Affects Households
When TDS levels rise significantly during summer, many households often begin to notice subtle and inconvenient changes in their daily water usage. The taste of water may shift, becoming slightly salty, bitter, or even metallic. White scaling can start appearing on kettles, taps, and utensils due to an excessive amount of mineral deposits. Over time, this buildup can reduce the efficiency of water heaters and other appliances, which makes them consume more energy and require frequent maintenance. Additionally, purifier filters clog faster as they work harder to remove all the increased load of dissolved solids. Additionally, high mineral content in water can contribute to skin dryness and rough hair after bathing. While not all high-TDS water is necessarily unsafe to drink, consistently elevated levels can impact overall comfort, appliance longevity, and the everyday usability of water in the household.
How DrinkPrime Supports Summer Water Quality
DrinkPrime addresses this seasonal variation by offering smart, IoT-enabled water purifiers that are designed to adapt to different water conditions. Instead of a fixed configuration, DrinkPrime systems are customised according to the water quality in each location, which means that if TDS levels are higher in certain cities during summer, the filtration setup is aligned accordingly. There are some key advantages, which include customisation filtration based on local water parameters, IoT-enabled monitoring to track purifier performance, and timely servicing and maintenance support. This approach ensures that households continue to receive balanced, safe drinking water even when external water conditions fluctuate due to heat.
Summary
In summary, as summer approaches, temperatures rise, bringing discomfort and water shortages, and they quietly influence the quality of the water that reaches our home. Increased evaporation, falling groundwater levels, mineral dissolution, and changes in municipal supply can effectively contribute to higher TDS levels during hotter months.
These shifts may affect taste, lead to scaling in appliances, strain purification systems, and reduce overall household comfort. Moreover, understanding these seasonal changes allows households to make smarter decisions about water filtration, storage, and maintenance. Additionally, choosing advanced solutions that can adapt to varying water conditions becomes important in summer, when fluctuations are very common. With customised, IoT-enabled systems like DrinkPrime that align filtration with local water quality, families can continue to access balanced and safe drinking water despite seasonal challenges.
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