FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Ok, so this will be short. Having gotten apparently bitten by a VFT I'm contracted "CPAS"...Carnivorous Plant Acquisition Syndrome. In doing so a TDS meter has mysteriously appeared in my vicinity and, of course, I've been testing water from about every source I can find.

Well, as the case would be, I just installed a new "everydrop" water filter cartridge into our Whirlpool refrigerator. I had found a deal on a 2-pack of the filter cartridges on Newegg.com but after placing an order for them I remembered there was some discussion about counterfeit cartridges. The price was really cheap and they mentioned the packaging might be "different" so I cancelled that order. I went back to Amazon.com and ordered one for the regular $50+ price.
Anyhow, I installed the one from Amazon and naturally I had to see how great of a job the new filter was doing....

I tested the tap water first as my "control" and then tested the well-rinsed new "everydrop" filter. The results were shocking!!!

A measly 7ppm drop in TDS!!!!!!!!! Unless I'm doing something very wrong or interpreting something very wrong it appears that the "Amazon Choice" cartridge is a bogus filter. After seeing these results I checked the 1-star reviews and sure enough there were lots of people who had checked these filters with TDS filters and got the same results.

I've submitted a review to Amazon (it hasn't been "approved" yet) and also have a merchandise return started. This really has me P-O'd. I going to make the 35 mile trek to our nearest Lowes today and pick up another cartridge. I'm also going to be picking up a Zerowater pitcher (I'll still be using rainwater/distilled for our CPs...the Zerowater filtered water will be for *us*!!!!

Really.... only a drop of 7ppm. The thing that really gets me is that there has been numerous reviews stating the very slight filtration of the Amazon filters but yet Amazon still sells *and* promotes them as "Amazon Choice".

I don't believe that a refrigerator filter is going to give you much of a drop in TDS. TDS measures the conductivity in the water caused by the mineral ions, particularly calcium and magnesium, in the water. Most refrigerator filters are just carbon filters. Those will remove contaminants and some minerals but will not give you the same effect as a reverse osmosis filter. An RO filter has an deionizing resin, that captures the dissolved minerals.

In addition, the TDS reading will change depending on the temperature. If the water is a cooler temperature, it makes the water have a lower TDS reading, if hotter, water will have a higher TDS reading.

I guess I was looking at the situation wrongly, then. For $50 it seems it would be more than just a carbon filter, but I imagine that you're correct. The filter is stated as handling several chemicals along with lead, mercury, and class 1 particulates(?). Here's a cropped screen capture from the everydrop website...

I'm probably just knee-jerking after seeing the high results...that's the problem with giving a child like me a new toy!!!

Oh, and thanks for the feedback!

Intheswamp wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 2:35 pm I guess I was looking at the situation wrongly, then. For $50 it seems it would be more than just a carbon filter, but I imagine that you're correct. The filter is stated as handling several chemicals along with lead, mercury, and class 1 particulates(?).

As others have already stated, those are mostly carbon in order to absorb toxins and heavy metals. They also have a membrane that filters out particles, but nowhere near down to the size that an RO filter would do. What you're paying for is the proprietary design of the filter so it attaches properly. You were right to cancel the order of inexpensive filters, they were certainly counterfeit. And many of those will immediately release toxins right when you plug them in. Good call.
TDS meters work by measuring conductivity. Pure water (distilled) should measure zero because there is nothing other than hydrogen and oxygen, and will not conduct electricity. Add in almost anything, but salts specifically, and that conductivity shoots up, resulting in a TDS reading. Sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, nitrates, nitrites, etc. that are dissolved into solution will not be filtered out without other chemicals being added to capture and isolate those ions. But the filters will begin to release those toxins and ions back into the water once they become saturated, so keep testing the output.
You'll just have to find your balance between the plants and how much you want to invest in the water. I'll have to make some decisions myself in a few years when we move to Texas. Right now, my TDS is about 100, but low in the bad things, so I water from the hose. However, I don't know of anywhere in Texas that I can do that, so a RO system may be in my future.

I got this filter on Amazon
https://aquaticlife.com/collections/aqu ... ion-system
It is working pretty well but it is slow at 50 gallons per day. I am probably going to upgrade to the 100GPD filter and add a pump. The upgrade is going to cost me about $200 but it will give me faster output with less waste water. I don't see much benefit in the fourth stage for me, so I may just quit using it once the filter is done. You should be able to use this filter. It is $70 and you will have to occasionally replace filters, but you will have unlimited water.
https://aquaticlife.com/collections/aqu ... -ro-buddie

Thanks for all the feedback and explanation. I'm mostly concerned with drinking water for the filter.
And, even at 325ppm TDS, the tap water is considered ok for humans. We sit atop a large limestone aquifer so that's probably why the TDS is so high. The water actually tastes "ok", actually pretty good. I sure was expecting a bigger difference between the tap and filter, though, in regards to TDS. I guess my line of thinking was just off maybe a football field's length or so. I'm still thinking of getting a Zero Water filter, though. I like some good "clear and cold"!!!

For my CPs I'm figuring on rainwater most of the time, distilled water for propagation...seeds/cuttings and possibly emergencies, and dehumidifier water for emergency-only. I've just got to figure out a bit better system for collecting and storing the CP water.

I've heard really good things about the Zero Filter. I got one for my mother-in-law for her NC water. It does a good job.

Storage is always a challenge. I'm using a 40 gallon trash can.

The total post about it is here.

I was filling it with 4 5 gallon water jugs that I would schlep back and forth from another property that has low TDS. I got tired of that, so I have the RO unit I told you about. I am still planning on upgrading it to put out more water faster, and with less waste. The 1 to 3 RO to waste water is too excessive to me.

Zero water doesn't work for me. The TDS of the water is too high, which means that the filters stop working within a month (1 gallon a day).

Panman wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 6:55 pm I've heard really good things about the Zero Filter. I got one for my mother-in-law for her NC water. It does a good job.

Storage is always a challenge. I'm using a 40 gallon trash can.

The total post about it is here.

I was filling it with 4 5 gallon water jugs that I would schlep back and forth from another property that has low TDS. I got tired of that, so I have the RO unit I told you about. I am still planning on upgrading it to put out more water faster, and with less waste. The 1 to 3 RO to waste water is too excessive to me.

Thanks for sharing the idea of using a garbage can! Brilliant!!! I could easily get by with a 20 gallon one...it'd beat storing multiple buckets. The big thing is for them to seal well because of mosquitoes...but, I guess that's what mosquito dunks/bits are for, eh? You've got me thinking...

thepitchergrower wrote: ↑Mon May 23, 2022 7:08 pm Zero water doesn't work for me. The TDS of the water is too high, which means that the filters stop working within a month (1 gallon a day).

What is your TDS measurement? Mine may be too high, also. The expense can get to a point where buying bottled water makes more sense, dollarwise.

Anywhere from 400-700 TDS. You just have to be careful about testing the water every so often. For a few weeks I was watering the plants with 430+ TDS water...

I was trying to figure out how long the Zero Water filters would last me with my elevated TDS 300+ppm. A side I found suggested that with a TDS of 200-300ppm that a person should expect 15 to 25 gallons from the filter...not much. Then I found an Amazon review that gives an interesting workaround that supposedly increases the gallons a good bit...there's no such think as a truly free lunch and the catch here is that you have to have *two* Zero Filter vessels. Interesting idea, though. Here's a link to the review... https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-revi ... B0073PZ6O0

That's a good scheme he has. I am doing something sort of like that with my RO filter. I want less than 50ppm. I don't need 0ppm, so I create 3 gallons of RO and add 2 gallons of 120ppm. The TDS gets up to about 40ppm, which is still fine for the plants. But it is a whole lot of juggling and measuring. My last house the water was 72ppm and I used it straight from the tap with no problems.