If you’re afraid of water contamination and want to know more about the quality of water in your home, you’re not alone. Every year, millions of people around the world have similar concerns. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to test the water quality in your home or commercial premises.
Water Contaminants
What are the biggest concerns when it comes to water quality? Well, it could be that your water contains bacteria, iron, hydrogen sulfide, or manganese. As well as being unhealthy for the body, these contaminants cause rust and staining in the long-term.
In some cases, homeowners are exposed to Coliform or E.Coli, and these bacteria have the potential to cause disease. After exposure, individuals need medication over some time to ward off the disease. Therefore, it makes sense that some people seek a better understanding of their water quality.
Testing Ideas
These days, you can look online and find all sorts of affordable aqua clear water systems. At the moment, test strips are the cheapest option, but some worry about accuracy. With this method, the idea is to collect a sample and then expose the test strip to this sample. After a few minutes, the colours on the strip change, and you can compare this to a chart included with the kit. As well as learning of contaminants, you’ll learn the concentration by assessing the parts per million (ppm) in the water.
Elsewhere, some prefer colour disk kits because they provide more accuracy (even if you do need to invest a little more!). To get started, drop water into the container and shake it to mix with a powder solution. Rather than comparing the colour of the water to a chart, you’ll slide the disk around until the water colour matches the disk. When looking for bacteria, in particular, a colour disk kit is more likely to yield accurate results.
Contact the Water Company
Don’t worry, you may not have to perform a home test at all. In some cases, homeowners research where their water originates and then request a report from either the water company or the local government. If you’re struggling to find a point of contact, look on the website for your town or city, and you should find water quality information.
If not, try the water company because they should have access to all the pertinent information. Grab a notepad and pen, and don’t be afraid to ask questions or for clarification to help your understanding.
Perform a Soap Suds Test
Lastly, this test relies on using your eyes and taste buds more than ever before. When drinking water, people often don’t pay enough attention to spot problems. Pour water into a clear glass and really look at it before tasting a small amount. Do your senses pick up on any issues? Is there a problem with clarity or taste?
At this point, you can also perform a soap suds test with the water. Grab an empty bottle and add some cold water from the tap (fill it to about the one-third mark). Then, add some basic soap to the bottle and watch what happens to the water after shaking. Does it go milky or cloudy? If so, it could mean that the water is heavily contaminated. All hard water will make the water murky, but contaminated water makes it dirtier than usual.
If you have any doubts, invest in a home water filtration system to remove contamination, improve taste, and extend the life of your appliances.
