tds bogus or true???????

[waterbear]

Steve,
you are correct. ANY bromine based system needs sodium bromide in the water when the tub is initially filled. Tablets by themselves will NOT put enough bromine ions in the water to create a sufficient sanitizer level when the oxidiazer is added to the water for several weeks!
RavenNS, If sodium is the problems then Steve would get the same burns from either soft water or going into the ocean. I am sorry, but your theory does not 'hold water'....so to speak.

Once again I say TDS is a bogus measurement. In actual practice it means nothing. The main reason TDS came into use as a water parameter was NOT in bromine systems but in chlorine systems using stabilized chlorine. When trichlor and dichlor are used over a period of time TDS will rise (as it will with unstabilized chlorine) but so will the CYA (stabilziers). The vested intersts (manufacturers of stabilized chlorine and the pool stores that sell it) didn't want people to realize that the problems they were having with their pools was caused by the pools having too much CYA from continued use of stabilzied chlorine so TDS became the scapegoat and the reason they had to drain and refill. (Of course the problem is NOT our stabilzied chlorine tabs that you are using...its the TDS in the water! Your CYA level of 200 ppm is not the reason your chorine is not keeping the algae out of your pool...it's the TDS of 3000 ppm. It's not the high CYA that is causing the pitting of your plaster finish....it's the high TDS.) EVERY problems attributed to high TDS is KNOWN to be caused by overstabilization yet pools that have very high TDS (sometimes in excess of 6000 ppm) but are not overstabilized exhibit NONE of these problems....every pool with a SWG is a prime example!

Now if you would care to discuss the Langelier Saturation index (another bogus measurement)...

Also, bromine is a known sensitizer and many people have reactions from it. That is one of it's big downsides. I would like to know where you got the information that bromine helps skin coditions? If it is from the antibacterial effect then chlorine is equaly effective. In fact, chlorine is a more effective sanitizer than bromine. A FC level of 3 ppm is equivalent to a bromine level of 6.75 ppm!