Almost every family in the United States has access to clean and safe drinking water. However, in the vast majority of circumstances, it pays to be exceedingly critical and wary of all water sources in your home, particularly the kitchen tap water. Read on for some valuable tips for testing your tap water!
Use Test Strips
Test strips are single-use, tiny strips that change color to show a chemical’s concentration. The user initiates the test by holding the test strip in the water sample, ensuring that the test strip has enough time to get a proper reading of the water. After a pause, the user compares the color of the testing kit to a color chart to determine the chemical level. These kits are very easy to use, but they are less precise than other methods, especially if you don’ follow the directions.
Be Sure To Check for Arsenic
Arsenic testing is limited in the field. This contaminant is best assessed in a laboratory. There are commercially available test kits, but they are complicated and involve multiple processes. Although the arsenic concentrations measured using these test kits may be erroneous, they do identify arsenic in nearly all samples with concentrations greater than 100 micrograms per liter (ug/L), as well as in the majority of samples with concentrations between 50 and 99 ug/L.
Test for Location-Specific Pollutants
One of the most valuable tips for testing your water is to ensure that you test for location-specific pollutants. If you live next to a sewage runoff area, a landfill, or near any power plants, you may be susceptible to irregular pollutants that do not show up on the standard testing sources. In these situations, it is in your best interest to inquire with the city water district to see if there are any irregular pollutants that may be making it into your water system, and if so, which specific pollutants you should test for.
We hope you have enjoyed our article covering the best tips for testing your tap water. While it may be hard to understand the right things to look for on your filter report, knowing the benefits of filtered water in your home will surely serve as a good motivation to get your water as clean as possible!
