Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Using a home test kit
• Method 2 of 3: Using your senses
• Method 3 of 3: Request a water quality report for your neighborhood
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Pure water is vital to life. We need water for drinking, washing and cleaning our homes. You can test the quality of the water in your home by purchasing a home testing kit, using your own senses, or by requesting a water quality report for your area. Make sure your water is free of harmful bacteria, lead, pesticides or nitrates, is not too hard and has the correct pH for your health.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Using a home test kit

1. Understand what you will be testing for. The quality of water mainly depends on the concentration of bacteria, lead, pesticides, nitrates and chlorine and on the hardness and pH of the water. Chlorine aids in disinfection; nitrates from fertilizers are harmful to small children; calcium and magnesium (hardness) can cause scale deposits in pipes; and water with a high pH value (acidic water) can affect fixtures.
2. Buy a kit to test the quality of your water at home. There are many manufacturers of these kits, but they all work the same way. They will contain test strips that you will have to expose to water so that they will change color based on the mineral content of the water. Then you have to compare the color of the strip with the colors of a table.
   • Find a test kit that contains different strips for bacteria, lead, pesticides, nitrates, hardness and pH.
   • If a kit contains only one type of strip, it will probably be for pH only.
3. Read the instructions. There will be instructions in your test kit. These will explain exactly how long each strip should be exposed to the water and what temperature the water should be. These instructions may vary from kit to kit, even if you have done this before, so it is crucial to read and follow the guidelines carefully.
4. Expose each strip to water. Follow the instructions in your test kit to expose each strip to the water. Usually you should start by filling a glass with room temperature water. After that, you should dip the strip in the water and hold it down for about 5 seconds while gently moving it back and forth.
5. Remove the strip from the water. Pull the strip out of the glass and shake off any excess water. Wait for the strip to slowly fade and compare the color with the table included in the test kit.
6. Determine the quality of your water. Compare the color of each strip with the color chart to determine the concentration of each substance in your water. The color table will indicate different concentrations as acceptable or dangerous.
   • If you get a dangerous result for minerals, bacteria or for pH, you will need to run the test again to make sure the result is not the result of human error.
   • If the test also shows a dangerous result the second time, you should contact your municipality.

Method 2 of 3: Using your senses

1. Smell the water. You can determine a lot about the quality of your water by using your senses. Even a professional hydraulic engineer will certainly taste and examine the water visually and nose-to-head. Test the quality of your water against your senses by first having a good smell.
   • Bleach Smell - This is most likely caused by chlorine bleach that your local wastewater treatment plant has to add to the water to purify it. This odor often disappears once the water has been exposed to the air for some time. You can also buy a home water filter to get rid of the smell. In general, the smell of bleach is not harmful.
   • Rotten Egg Smell - This sulfur-like smell usually indicates the growth of bacteria. First, fill a glass of water and take it to another part of the house, wait a few minutes and then smell it. When the water no longer stinks, the bacteria will grow in your drain and should be cleaned. If the water still smells strongly of rotten eggs (and this can happen with both hot and cold water) then you should contact your local council.
   • Musty or Earthy Odor - This odor is likely the result of rotting organic matter. Again, this can be either in your drain or in the water itself. While this scent isn't fun, it's probably harmless.
2. Taste the water. Use your taste buds to determine the quality of your water. First and foremost, you should spit it out if the water tastes really bad. If your tap water has a metallic taste, it could be due to either a low pH or too many minerals in your water supply (possibly due to rusty pipes). If your water tastes like bleach, this could indicate too much chlorine. And if your water tastes salty, it could indicate the presence of chlorine ions or sulfates that could be caused by waste or water runoff from irrigation. If you don't like the taste, you should contact your municipality.
3. Check for cloudiness and small particles. Hold a glass of water in the light and observe the floating particles or the general cloudiness. Brown, orange or red particles can be caused by rust in the drains or fixtures. Black particles can then come back from the pipes through which your water runs (chlorine in the water can cause pipes to deteriorate over time). White or brownish particles (or general cloudiness) can indicate too much calcium or magnesium carbonate in your water. If you find extreme turbidity or specific matter in your water, please contact your local council.
4. Examine the color. Start examining the color of your water by letting it run for a few minutes. (This will remove accumulations from standing water). After that, hold a glass of water in the light. Brown, dull or otherwise discolored water can be caused by several factors: a new water station in your area, pollution upstream or rusty pipes. If the color of your water looks wrong to you, contact your local council.
5. Check your pipes for corrosion and accumulations. If your pipes have a lot of rust or an accumulation of minerals, this means that excess rust or other minerals have entered the water. There are a few ways to check your home for rust or mineral build-up. If your pipes have a lot of accumulations, you should have them checked by a professional plumber and contact your local council.
   • If your pipes are above ground then you should look for places that are leaking or with blue and / or white sediment.
   • If your pipes are more difficult to reach, you can look in the toilet bowl for rust or for blue spots on the bottom of your toilet.
   • If sanitary work is being performed at your home, you can ask to view part of a pipe. Look for accumulations of blue, white, or rust color.

Method 3 of 3: Request a water quality report for your neighborhood

1. Contact the Water Board. Water boards publish figures on water quality in the Netherlands.
2. Visit the website of the Water Board under which your city or village falls. Water quality reports are usually published on the Water Board's website.
3. In the US, you can search the National Drinking Water Database. This online database is composed of nearly 20 million reports obtained from water supply officials.
4. Call the Water Board. Contacting the Water Board is another way to get more information about the quality of the groundwater and drinking water in your area.
5. Contact your water company. A water company employee should be able to provide you with up-to-date information or at least give you information on how to get it.

Tips

• A small concentration of chlorine in your water will ensure that no harmful bacteria currently live in it. If germs are still a cause for concern (for example in a country with less developed infrastructure) you can boil the water for 10 minutes before using it to make sure it is free of microbes.

Warnings

• Stop drinking your water immediately if you think something is wrong. Drink bottled water until you are sure your water is safe.

Necessities

• Glass
• Home test kit for water