Oct 10 , 2022

Is Your Water Clean? How to Test for Contaminants.

Water is an integral part of our general well-being, as well as of all living things. Being hydrated can make all the difference when it comes to folks’ health and mental and physical performance. But as much as water can help, when your water isn’t clean, it can be very damaging. Water contaminants can lurk even within treated water due to a variety of reasons. Sometimes, contaminants can show up as changes in smell or taste, but others can’t be so easily detected.

Luckily, you don’t need to break out the microscope to detect these threats. Before you get an in-home water filtration system, it’s recommended that you test your home’s water. Don’t worry – we’ll let you know what you need to look for, and how you can know what you need before you even start looking for your new filtration system.

Why Test In-Home Water?

A water testing kit will allow you to test your home’s water and ascertain the types and amounts of contaminants that might be in your home’s water supply. Different folks have different water quality testing needs. For example, systems that are reliant on well water should probably test more frequently than municipal system users since wells lack the additional protections that water treatment plants offer. For well water users, the CDC recommends testing your water at least once a year. But don’t think having municipally treated water means you don’t need to test. Even if the water is pretreated, there are many contaminants that likely will remain in your water. Better safe than sorry!

Where Can I Get a Test?

Consumers have plenty of options when it comes to testing. In fact, you may not even have to pay for it: If you notify your local health department, they may come test your water and provide results to you at little to no cost. Very budget-friendly, right? The only downside is that you can’t control what the health department wants to test for, so their results may give you an incomplete picture when you’re ready to shop for the best in-home filtration device. And those results might take a little while to show up, too. The other option is to go to https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ and enter your zip code. The Environmental Working Group keeps track of most municipal water treatment districts all over the country and is an excellent reference point to use that is free of charge.

Fortunately, commercial test kits are easily found at major retailers like Walmart and Amazon and come in a wide variety to fit any needs. Higher-end water quality testing kits can cost upwards of $100–300, but there are plenty under $25 as well. Generally, the more expensive the kit, the more contaminants it can detect. Some kits require results to be sent to a lab for testing, while others can give results in 15 minutes or less. Whatever your preferences are, finding a kit that fits the bill for you shouldn’t be difficult.

When Should I Test?

There’s no time like the present. Really, there’s no bad time to test for water contaminants. However, there are many situations that warrant testing water quality:

• If you’re planning on welcoming a new baby into your family, you should test your water, especially if you’re planning on using that water to mix formula.
• Water testing can be warranted if there’s a chronic illness in your household that lacks a clear medical explanation.
• You may also want to test if your local health department has reason to believe that your local water supply has been exposed to a contaminant.

These are the most common reasons to prompt testing, but testing shouldn’t be limited to specific situations. If you need peace of mind, that’s reason enough.

I’ve Tested My Water and Have Results in Hand! Now What?

Congratulations! Now that you’ve got your results in hand, they can help you narrow down what kind of in-home filtration device you need. For example, your test may have shown positive results for minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can cause hard water scale. That means you may want to buy a filtration system with a stage that focuses on water softening or conditioning. If you’ve found volatile chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria or really anything else, we can help with that as well. Whatever you need to filter, King Water Filtration can help you get the in-home water treatment system that meets your particular needs.