“To test or not to test, that is the question.”
Most households receive water from a public water supply, and many get their supply from private wells. Depending on the source, your water may be contaminated with chemicals, microorganisms, and other pollutants that can pose risks to your health. Whether you have city or well water, here’s why you should test your home water to ensure it is clean and safe.
What is Contaminated Water?
Known as the universal solvent, water is considered so because it can dissolve almost anything. Due to its amazing solvent ability, water can be easily contaminated by water-soluble substances. This means that contaminated water already contains problematic materials that can be harmful to one’s health. Such harmful contaminants may be biological, dissolved, or suspended in form.
Why Water Testing is So Important
More than food and electricity, water is considered the most important necessity in one’s home. Clean and safe water is crucial to the holistic well-being of your family. However, despite this being a known fact, many people tend to overlook testing water quality.
Performing regular water tests is essential to:
- Identify the presence of contaminants in your water
Doing a water test will uncover the different substances present in your water. There is a wide range of water filtration systems available in the market. A water test will allow you to choose the best water filtration system for your home instead of blindly using a system that doesn’t address the particular issue.
- Eliminate potential health hazards due to water contamination
Although you can use your senses to inspect the quality of your water, many of the contaminants present in it cannot be detected by such a method. For example, one cannot see, smell, or taste microorganisms that can cause mild to serious health issues. Water testing offers the knowledge that will allow you to identify the necessary steps to address the problem.
- Maintain high quality of water for you and your family
Water testing is not a one-in-a-lifetime task; it should be treated as a periodic check. Regular water testing will ensure that the quality of water in your home is always superior.
How Often Should I Test Water Quality?
Regardless of your water source, standard water tests should be done at least once a year. Water tests are performed to check for water pH, hardness, chlorine levels, dissolved solids, nitrate, pathogens, and other elements. Well water is also tested for the presence of pesticides and fertilizers.
Annual water quality tests should still be performed even if your water is not suspected of contamination. If a change in water quality is observed at any time, for example, a cloudy appearance or strong odor, it is advisable to perform an unplanned water test.
How To Test Water
With the availability of DIY water testing kits, testing tap water at home is common. However, the accuracy of these kits and interpretation of the results are still unclear. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests using the service of a certified lab. You can also tap your community for free water test kits and more information about your water supply.
The Water Store offers FREE in-house and certified laboratory water quality testing and can guide you in choosing the ideal water treatment system for your home.