It is important to have clean drinking water and it is imperative to your health. If you smell odors or any water discoloration that comes from the tap, then there is a possibility of water contamination. However, there are dangers that lurk in the water supply without giving any obvious signs.

There are a couple of reasons why you might think of testing your water, whether you are linked to a public water source, you are experiencing hard water issues, or you have untreated water. You must know that there are several ways to test your water.

After testing your water, you will know what kind of water filtration system to get. Luckily, this article will tell you how to test water quality before paying for a water filtration system.

Test Strips

You can test your own water by using test strips you can order. The strips will be able to see the presence of specific chemicals and they work by changing color, and you can compare the strip to a chart that helps you see the specific chemical’s concentration. These kinds of tests are normally used in determining the chlorine and pH in the water. Even if the tests are obtainable and inexpensive, their accuracy is not as reliable as other kinds of tests because they often have poor resolution, and it can be hard to see what the results mean for your health and safety.

Nuisance Water Testing

Other tests can see specific problems and are helpful in selecting water the right equipment for water treatment. Nuisance water may not be hazardous to your health, but you might not be good enough for any use. Common nuisance water complaints include stains in the fabrics and fixtures, off-color appearance, weird odor and taste, and pitting metal deposits.

Professional Tests

In the most thorough water analysis, it is best that your water must be sent to a water testing lab run by professionals. There are a couple of available tests from companies, and they have a standard test so you can see how your water is compared to the drinking standards. These kinds of testing labs might use more advanced testing techniques like colorimetric tests, spectrophotometers, or photometric test kits in order to measure the contaminants in your water and their levels.

Collect Water Samples

Proper collection and water sample handling are important for a water test. The sample containers must always come from a testing laboratory or a health department in your local area. That is because containers can be specially prepared for a certain contaminant. Procedures for sampling and handling depend on concerns of water quality and it should be carefully followed. You should carefully read all the instructions before trying to collect the sample. If the water is treated, both might have to be sampled before and after the water goes through the treatment process.

Color Disk Kit

Another kind of water tester is a disk kit and they are helpful in determining the amount of chemical concentration in the water. If you want to use this test, it is important that you obtain a water sample in a plastic tube and then add the powder or a few drops of liquid reagent in the tube. The water is going to change color based on the elements in the water, and its color compared to a gradient disk that will give a closer reading of the chemical concentration compared to a test strip. The test is more complicated because there are technicalities involved.

Before you pay for a whole house water filtration system Warren, you need to test your water first or have it tested in a lab. That way, you are not going to end up paying for the wrong water filtration system.