Why and How you Should Test Your Tap Water

It’s more than reasonable to be concerned about what’s really in your tap water, especially with those all of those consistent local drinking water advisories being reported on the news.

Not to mention, harmful chemicals could be in your water and it just hasn’t been discovered yet. This happens at the time to both private and municipal water sources.

So what is often found in the water? Toxic chemicals, bacteria, parasites, viruses, nitrate and much more. Often these pollutants are not detectable because they don’t make the water taste, smell or look different.

So with that in mind, here’s how you can make sure your tap water is safe for drinking.

Research water testing kits and buy one!

These kits will be easy to find online. Each kit tests for different contaminants. Some can be done quickly, but are less thorough, like The Watersafe Well Water Test Kit or The PurTest Home Water Analysis Kit. These basic tests are usually pretty inexpensive.

There are more extensive tests, like The Essential Indictors Test, which requires you to send a water sample to their lab where it is then tested for 170 contaminants. These more comprehensive tests tend to be in the $100 range.

But, if you can’t be bothered to do it yourself or send the water off to a lab, you can get a service to come do it for you. This would be the most expensive option.

How often should you test it?

When you decide how you are going to test your water, you should test or have it tested at least once a year for coliform bacteria and nitrate. The best time to test for nitrate is during the spring or summer after some substantial rain. But, testing periodically is recommended, especially if there are odors, weird tastes and colors. But like we said, most of the pollutants are not evident.

There are other reasons why you should test your water frequently. Do you know where your septic tank is in relation to your well? They are often right next to each other. Also, think about what else is near your well. Do you have an underground storage tank, livestock, a gas station, a landfill, or a chemical plant nearby? If the answer is yes to any of these, you should check to see what could be in your water more often.

Lastly, bacteria and nitrate should not be your only concern. Here are some other chemicals you should absolutely not have in your drinking water- arsenic, lead, fluoride and radon.