Common Water Quality Parameters You Must Monitor for Optimal System Performance

Water quality is essential when operating efficient drinking water treatment systems, HVAC systems, swimming pools and many industrial applications. It's important to keep an eye on certain parameters to maintain water quality which in turn will help your system run efficiently, prevent premature equipment failure and costly repairs. In this article we will discuss the most important water quality parameters to monitor and how they affect your system as well as how to maintain water quality.

1. pH Level

What It Is:The measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. If your pH levels are too high or too low it can cause scaling and corrosion.

Why It’s Important: Too low of a pH and your water is becoming acidic. Acidic water can cause corrosion to pipes, heat exchangers, and other equipment.

Too high of a pH means your water is becoming more alkaline which can cause scaling, particularly in boilers and cooling towers.

Ideal Range: The ideal range for pH for most systems is between 6.5 and 8.5.

Best Practices:

• Regularly test water pH levels to ensure they remain within the ideal range.

• Use chemical dosing systems to adjust pH as needed.

  

2. Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium)

What it is: Hardness is a measure of the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions in water. When water is hard, scaling can occur in piping and heat exchangers.

Why it matters: • Scaling can decrease the efficiency of heat transfer. • Scaling can also lead to clogging of pipes and pumps.

Ideal range: Maintain hardness levels based on design specifications of your system. Many systems fall into the range of hardness levels of 0-150 mg/L.

Best Practices:

• Use softeners or reverse osmosis systems to reduce hardness in sensitive systems.

• Regularly check hardness levels and treat water as necessary.

  

3. Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

What it is: Dissolved oxygen is exactly what it sounds like. It is the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water.

Why it matters: Too much dissolved oxygen can lead to corrosion of metals. It can speed up decomposition of organics into biofilm.

Ideal range: Less than 5 mg/L is ideal for most systems.

Best Practices:

• Use de-aeration equipment to remove excess dissolved oxygen.

• Regularly monitor DO levels, especially in systems where metals are in direct contact with water.

  

4. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

What It Is: TDS measures the total amount of dissolved substances (salts, minerals, metals) in water.

Why It’s Important: Elevated TDS can lead to scaling and fouling of pipes, heat exchangers, RO membranes, etc.
It can also impact water taste as well as certain industrial process performance.

Ideal Range: Generally less than 500 mg/L, depending on the system.

Best Practices:

• Regularly test TDS levels and use reverse osmosis or deionization processes to reduce TDS as needed.

• Install filtration systems to help manage high TDS levels.

  

5. Chlorine and Chloramine Levels

What It Is: Disinfectants found in most municipal water sources.Chlorine kills bacteria but is damaging to industrial equipment.

Why Its Important: Dangerous levels of chlorine/chloramines can corrode metal parts and damage HVAC materials.When chloramines build up, they create toxic byproducts.

Ideal Range: Ideally you want chlorine/chloramine readings to be nonexistent in closed loop systems.Less than 0.1 mg/L is recommended.

Best Practices:

• Use filtration systems to remove chlorine and chloramines before the water enters sensitive systems.

• Monitor chlorine levels regularly to prevent damage to equipment.

6. Turbidity

What It Is: Turbidity refers to how cloudy or opaque water is

Why It’s Important: If levels are too high, it can impede water flow and clog filters. Also, bacteria, algae, and other microorganisms can cause fouling on heat exchangers

Ideal Range:Less than 1 NTU. NTU stands for Nephelometric Turbidity Units.

Best Practices:

• Use filtration systems to remove suspended solids and reduce turbidity.

• Regularly clean and maintain filters to ensure optimal performance.

  

7. Alkalinity

What It Is: Neutralization capacity of the water.Alkalinity is primarily caused by bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides found in the water.

Why Its Important: Maintains stable pH. Without alkalinity, pH will fluctuate causing system corrosion and scaling.

Ideal Range: Typically 50-150 mg/L depending on the system.

Best Practices:

• Regularly monitor alkalinity levels and adjust with chemicals if necessary.

• Use buffering agents to maintain stable pH levels.

Conclusion

Make sure to set up a routine for checking your water quality, including metrics like pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen, TDS, chlorine, turbidity, and alkalinity. This will help prevent system failures, corrosion and scale buildup within your water treatment system, HVAC system, and industrial process. Follow best practices for your water quality parameters like filtration, chemical treatment, and frequent testing for long-term savings.