What does it mean when my TDS meter reeads "---"??

Mr James · #1 05/14/2006, 03:29 PM

I have a Hanna hand-held TDS meter and it works just fine when I test my tap water, my RO water, and then my DI water. But when I test some water I have stored in a Rubbermaid Brute, the screen reads three dashes, ("---"). I cannot find the manual. Does anyone know what that means?? I calibrated it tewice and it reads the same thing on all.

P.S. My tap water reads 140 ppm. I have never seen a reading that low coming out of a tap.

mj77724 · #2 05/14/2006, 04:52 PM

your storage tubs need cleaning

---- means the tds is above 999

mj

Scuba_Dave · #3 05/14/2006, 05:27 PM

or maybe new batteries are needed

Mr James · #4 05/14/2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mj77724
your storage tubs need cleaning

---- means the tds is above 999

mj

Yikes. I have never run across that kindof reading before. Oh well, it's only 44g of DI water, junk water that is.

Scuba_Dave · #5 05/14/2006, 06:23 PM

What kind of water? RO/DI or salt water?
How long was the water stored?
Could be something leaching out of the storage bin?

Mr James · #6 05/15/2006, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scuba_Dave
What kind of water? RO/DI or salt water?

The water was DI, no salt in there.

Quote:

How long was the water stored?

At least a month or so, but I have been aerating it and have a turnover powerhead in there.

Quote:

Could be something leaching out of the storage bin?

It better not be leaching!! Rubbermaid Brute containers boast FDA approved food grade safe containers. I have run these containers with my systems over the years now without anyproblems. I think it is a bad batch of water that may have sat too long combined with numerous other question marks. I am going to dump it and run a new batch. If that produces dashes, then I will revisit my TDS meter as well as my DI filter.

fishking · #7 05/15/2006, 07:40 AM

great i left my batch of saltwater sitting too long also, will this be a prob????

Mr James · #8 05/15/2006, 08:56 AM

I have always thought that as long as you have an FDA approved container, the water is aerated and there is a mixing pump, you should be fine. Don't consider my problem a normal one. I don't know all of the factors involved and there are many unknown factors as well.