Colloidal Silver FAQs:
Your Production Process
Below is a list of our most commonly asked questions asked by customers using our kits at home. Just click on the question to be taken to the answer.
What is the difference between a "standard jar" and a "wide-mouth" jar?
Why is my TDS Meter not giving me the Parts Per Million (ppm) readings you say I should be getting?
I see gray/black "gunk" beginning to form on one of the rods of each pair. Should I be concerned?
I keep getting 2ppm to 4ppm readings with my TDS meter. Is this a correct reading?
Can I use filtered water, or "purified" water (or RO water) during my colloidal silver production?
I have a distiller and I make my own distilled water. Is there anything I need to know?
What is the difference between a "wide-mouth" jar and a "regular" jar?
There are a variety of reasons that we offer you a choice in jar type and size.
Mainly, it is because some customers have a lot of wide-mouth jars they wish to use in which to store their colloidal silver. Others just like the additional "working space" available on a wide-mouth jar lid.
Either jar is an option, although the "standard" jar lid continues to be the most popular, and will be shipped to you as the default jar style if you have not made a choice during the shopping process.
Why is my TDS Meter not giving me the Parts Per Million (ppm) readings you say I should be getting?
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meters are perhaps the most common method individuals use to test their home-produced colloidal silver after production.
The controversy arises over the fact that off the shelf, retail purchased TDS meters are actually incapable of measuring colloids, and especially small-particle silver. TDS meters are actually designed to measure impurities in the water. They are incapable of measuring actual colloids.
Please refer to the images on the FAQS: Production page illustrating the obvious visual difference between agitating the water, and not agitating the water during production. The amber colored product consistently measured 25ppm over time with a Hanna PWT meter, while the clearer product on the right consistently measured 16ppm. The production times, quality of silver, amount of DC voltage were all the same.
From pages on the internet, we find this valuable information concerning TDS meters and their lack of effectiveness in measuring colloid particles:
"In truth a TDS meter gives a more accurate reading of the purity of the water rather than giving a spot on count of silver colloids. Some of the leading manufacturers of TDS meters agree to this fact although the meters are widely used for counting silver colloids. The leading manufacturers agree that TDS meters are not the perfect tools for measuring the colloid count. On the contrary this is a perfect tool for gauging the impurities present in your distilled water. You will find TDS meters being promoted as effective tools for testing colloidal silver ppm when in truth it does not give you an accurate reading.
"In order to get a 100% accurate ppm you will be required to send your colloidal silver sample to a laboratory which is well equipped to analyze the CS. This could turn out to be a rather expensive and time consuming process. This is why most of the producers of CS make use of TDS meters despite the fact that they only give you a relative ppm of the sample.
"When using a TDS meter the reading obtained is written as the number obtained followed by ppm. Although the TDS meter does not give you a spot on accurate result but in general the results obtained are accurate enough to be used for basic purposes. This is because by making use of TDS meters you will not have to rely on guesses in order to determine the concentration of your CS solution."-- www.silver-colloids.com
A TDS meter is designed to measure impurities in water. Because we are agitating the water, we are generating minute suspended particles at a size of 1nm to 2nm, which are incapable of being measured by a TDS meter.
Ultimately, when using a TDS meter to check your colloidal silver production, please know that your meter is simply incapable of measuring colloids. It is only capable of measuring impurities in your solution.
Please scroll down to view the parts per million (ppm) comparisons during production times of an over-the-counter TDS meter, a PWT meter, and actual colloidal content on colloidal silver produced by our generators.
I forgot to keep an eye on my colloidal silver production and have allowed it produce WAY too long. Should I just throw it away?
No. You can salvage the colloidal silver you have produced:
1. You may pour up (and filter) the solution you have just produced, and use it as a very powerful, safe topical antiviral/ antibacterial solution for topical areas on your skin and in nasal and oral misters.
2. You may literally salvage your colloidal silver for consumption (because it will be extremely high in colloid content) by diluting your solution with distilled water. The colloidal silver produced by our generators is so stable that diluting higher ppm solutions will not effect the stability or the effectiveness of your product. The formula you may use to dilute can be as simple as a 1:1 ratio. For example, if you produced 50ppm, you can generate 25ppm by combining your 50ppm with an equal amount of distilled water.
I recently allowed production with a 24V transformer to slightly exceed 5 hours. My normal production period is 3-1/2 hours. I reached the desired level of colloid density with a 50/50 dilution with distilled water. After continued testing days later, I found that my colloidal silver remained stable and remained effective.
I see a gray/black coating, or “gunk,” beginning to form on one of the silver rods. Should I be concerned?
During the course of production, it is not unusual to begin to see a gray coating forming on the negative silver rods (those that have the black alligator clip attached to them). This is simply silver oxide, is harmless, and is a by-product of producing colloidal silver with electricity. Use of electricity is the only method available to produce colloidal silver at home. Know that if you are producing 12ppm level colloidal silver, you will probably only see a light “graying” of the negative rod and little or no silver oxide. For longer production periods, more silver oxide will form until you may see a "furring" happening on the rods, and even see some of the mass break away and float in your silver solution. This is nothing to become alarmed about.
At the end of a long production period, after you have wiped your silver rods clean, gently buffed them and put them away, pour your silver solution through a funnel lined with 2 coffee filters into your clean storage containers. This will capture most all the silver oxide formed during production.
As a tip: You may allow your colloidal silver to sit / rest for a couple of days. Silver oxide is heavy, and fine particles of silver oxide that may not have been trapped by the filters after production can settle to the bottom of your storage jar. Simply pour this solution through 2 more coffee filters if you find silver oxide has settled. You will notice that the settled silver oxide will usually remain in the bottom of the original jar, and can be cleaned easily with soapy hot water.
Know also that the presence silver oxide does not affect your silver nanoparticle content, nor the effectiveness of your colloidal silver, nor its stability. Because there was some controversy regarding the presence of silver oxide and its possible influence on particle readings, we allowed our own colloidal silver to rest for 15 days prior to lab testing. So know that you will get the same readings immediately after production that you will get weeks and months after production. Agitating the water with an air bubbler generates a completely stable and effective end product.
Is there any harm in consuming small-particle silver?
Regarding consumption of small-particle silver, here's what we've discovered regarding testing:
(After testing), no clinically important changes in any metabolic, hematologic, or urinalysis measure identified were determined. No morphological (or structural) changes were detected in the lungs, heart (cardiac function) or abdominal organs. No changes were noted in sputum reactive oxygen species or in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Conclusion: In-vivo oral exposure of a commercial 10-ppm silver nano-particle solution over 3-, 7-, 14-day exposures does not exhibit clinically important changes in metabolis, hematologic, urine, vital sign changes, physical findings or imaging changes visualized by MRI.
-- by Munger, Radwanski, Stoddard, Shaaban, Grainger, Yost at University of Utah
Frankly, in the dosages described above, over the years I have consumed colloidal silver, I have encountered no ill effects. The “blue man” syndrome ("argyria") we’ve all been frightened into believing is a risk, can only be experienced, from my reading and personal use, if you produce colloidal silver 100x stronger, and consume upwards of 1 quart to 1 gallon of this super-strong solution per day on long periods of weeks and months.
There is also evidence that persons adding salt or saline to their water during production are generating extremely large amounts of silver chloride, which can be harmful in large doses, and is thought to create the “blue man” syndrome. So I don’t recommend using salt or saline during production. I discuss this further on the FAQS: Other Production Methods page.
And there's even evidence now that proteins added to keep the silver particles in suspension may also contribute to argyria. I am not familiar with the issue of adding proteins.
However, with that said, I do recommend that you follow the instructions on the packaging of your retail colloidal silver product and/or contact a qualified natural health professional for recommendations regarding use.
How much colloidal silver should I consume?
As with all natural substances, we recommend that you follow the instructions of the manufacturer of your natural items, or, even better, work with an accredited naturopath or natural health physician.
I keep getting 2ppm to 4ppm readings with my TDS meter. Is this a correct reading?
Depending on the quality and type of TDS meter, you could potentially get a wide variety of ppm readings. Remember that a TDS meter is designed to measure only impurities in the water. A TDS meter is incapable of measuring nanoparticle colloids.
The only reason I keep a TDS meter is so that I may verify the purity of commercially produced distilled water. Believe it or not, commercially produced distilled water is not always completely pure. And this will have an adverse affect on production.
In essence, a TDS meter has no value in measuring nanopartical colloids and should not be relied on to provide you with a ppm reading for your production. I suggest relying on the production times in your instruction sheets to achieve the ppm you desire.
As a guide only, I developed these numbers to provide me with relative results using a TDS meter and a PWT meter (a more sophisticated measuring tool made by Hanna Instruments, available for about $80, and is said to actually measure ionic silver).
What is a laser pointer used for, and what does the laser beam look like when I make colloidal silver?
First, know that the laser pointer is not here featured as a reliable method of measuring ppm (parts per million). The laser pointer is used as a handy toold during the production process for a couple of reasons:
-- Sometimes visible evidence of the production process may not appear for a couple of hours. Using the laser pointer, you'll be able to see the presence of silver colloids before they become visible unaided in the distilled water. So, you can confirm that production is indeed underway early in the process. (Allow 1-1/2 to 2 hours production time to begin to see silver particles.)
-- Assuming you are utilizing the production times in your instruction sheets to achieve the ppm you desire, you will be able to visually confirm with the relative density of the laser beam. This is something I do all the time. When I have produced for the prescribed amount of time, I am reassured by the density of the laser beam that production has indeed concluded.
Capturing the laser beam with an accurate image can be a bit of a challenge. However, the images shown here do show a fairly accurate image of the beam strength of roughly 30ppm colloidal silver. (It is helpful to check your colloidal silver with the laser beam in a darkened room. And be sure to allow the water to calm prior to checking.)
Can I use filtered water, or "purified" water or reverse osmosis water during my colloidal silver production?
Very simple answer. No.
Only use distilled water during production.
The reason is very simple. Distilled water is completely free of any elements other than the water molecule. Filtered and purified water still contain minerals that can react adversely within the production environment, bonding with the silver in ways that will at least produce a less than optimal product, and at worst produce a harmful one.
Using anything other than distilled water will result typically in very cloudy, from yellowish to brown in color. If you wind up with this result, just dump the mixture, go buy a gallon of distilled water, and begin again.
And if you used store-bought distilled water and generated the cloudy, dark result, try purchasing another gallon from a different location if possible. Believe it or not, commercially produced "distiled water" is not always pure. If you get the same result, purchase another distilled water brand from a natural health store. It's worth even a dramatic increase in the price of your water to get the quality of colloidal silver you need to be getting from your home production.
The image here is an actual photo submitted by a customer who used what she thought was pure distilled water. She had admitted that she thought the water might have been contaminated prior to production of colloidal silver. You can see that there are compounds existing in the water that become visible and produce a less than ideal end result. Without understanding what compounds have been formed, you are never sure if consuming this product will be harmful or safe.
I have a distiller and I make my own distilled water. Is there anything I need to know?
I think it is great that people who have distillers want to make the distilled water for colloidal silver production.
However, here are some things you need to know ahead of time:
Your distilled water will not always be pure after processing the first time. I have had several new customers contact me to let me know that their production process very much looked like the photo above when they used the water they distilled themselves.
The remedy?
You must keep running the same water through your distiller until your water is pure.
How do you know when your water is pure?
Use a TDS meter. These are inexpensive and can easily be found on Amazon for at or under $10, often with free shipping. I suggest you order one that has many 5-star reviews so that you know that you are purchasing a quality unit. Then test your distilled water after a distiller production cycle. Don't be surprised if you get a reading of 12ppm or more. Then, keep running that water through your distiller, and keep testing. Ideally your reading should be zero ppm. I have had some customers go ahead with colloidal silver production if they get a reading of 1ppm or 2ppm. But any higher than that will probably produce a less than desirable product.
How long will my silver rods last?
I have been very satisfied with the length of life of colloidal silver production with 14-gauge 99.99% (.9999) silver rods. It's an affordable product, and extremely pure.
We have discovered that you should experience 75 to 100 hours of production time with your rods, depending on when you decide to replace them. You will notice over time that they will appear to "shrink" in size as more and more silver is utilized in your production. You will want to adjust (extend) your production time to reach your production goals as your silver rods shrink due to the loss of surface area.
I know some customers who replace their rods when the shrinkage has caused the rods to form a "point" on the end (this is usually after approximately 75 hours of production time). Other customers who have reversed their rods to allow equal shrinkage on both ends will replace them when the shrinkage had reached a point that they fall through the holes in the production cap. (Note that you can bend the rod to prevent it from falling through, and continue using the remaining silver available. This is usually at the 100 hour point.)
I've heard that you have to be careful about using commercial silver because it may have come from China, and could have ingredients in it that could be potentially harmful. Is this true? What is the origin of your silver?
To me, this is actually a legitimate concern, and is information you should have prior to purchasing silver for colloidal silver production. Our silver is .9999 pure (that is, it is 99.99% pure silver.
I wanted to provide you with this information prior to purchasing. I wrote to our longtime, trusted silver supplier to find out the origin of our silver, and requested a Material Certification of our silver's contents.
Here's their reply regarding origins:
"Our fabricators are located in the US and comply with the Conflict Minerals section of the Dodd Frank Act. The wire can be milled from silver bars (Comex etc.) or coins (Silver Maple Leafs, generic rounds etc.). It’s hard to say because a batch of the wire can have many sources. We just specify that it assays at 99.99% silver."
Below is the Material Certification of the .9999 product sold on this site from March 2023:
How do you store colloidal silver?
Colloidal silver should always be stored in jars and bottles in darkness (if the jars are clear) or in UV blocking cobalt or amber containers. I always store my colloidal silver in clear glass jars in a dark location, like a kitchen cabinet. Storage in PET containers is generally considered accepted these days.
There is some contention on the internet (as with virtually all topics relating to colloidal silver) as to the best way to store colloidal silver. However you store your colloidal silver, we recommend a dark location for clear containers to eliminate exposure to ultra-violet rays. UV rays will definitely affect your colloidal silver. You will see your product turn yellow to amber and acquire a strong taste.
Fluorescent lighting does emit small amounts of UV. Even if your colloidal silver is in a room with no windows, if the room is lighted with fluorescent lighting, it can adversely affect your colloidal silver.
How long with my colloidal silver last?
You are producing extremely stable colloidal silver with our producton method. Its efficacy, appearance and ppm does not change over time, we're finding.
I have successfully used colloidal silver that I have produced that is over 3 years old. But we can let you know that your colloidal silver will last much longer than that.
Here's feedback that we recently received from a customer who purchased a kit from us back in 2014:
"I still have CS I made from a decade ago & with particles still in suspension."
So, know that you are not only producing highest quality colloidal silver, but also know that what you are producing will have a long, long life.
I live in Europe. Will your generators work outside the US?
The battery-powered kits will work anywhere, and all of them simply require standard 9V batteries (please see the Battery Generators page here).
There are 2 electric components included in our electrtic kits: the power supply and the air pump. The power supply contains the North American 2-prong plug, and has an input rating of 120-220V. The air pump, however, is only rated for 120V input.
So, here's a possible solution to use our electric kits outside the US: Purchase the Silva-Cap jar and cap, the power supply, and the silver rods. These are all sold separately on our Generator Components page. In your own country, purchase a plug adapter that will take you from the North American 120V 2-prong plug to your country's configuration. These are relatively inexpensive. Then purchase a small acquarium pump either in a pet supply store or online. This will set you up to begin production based on our production method.
Thank you for your interest in our website, in our products and in the production of quality, stable, effective colloidal silver for you and those you love!
We hope you will stay in touch with us.
Let me say "thanks" for offering such a quality product onlin at such a reasonable price. So many others out there seem to want to put their kids through college on just 3 or 4 orders.
Susanne B.
Binghamton, NY
★★★★★