Although we accept it for granted, healthy, clean water is not a given thing.
On the contrary, with the growth of ecological concerns on our planet, water resources have been in higher demand than two decades ago, and they will be even more in the future. You might not believe it, but there are even still countries that are in a restricted water regime.
In other places, governments recommend different saving tips for water consumption. Thankfully, it is still possible in the UK to use as much water as we need and want, but how good is it? Can we trust the water’s high enough quality?
There’s no room for pointless questions when there’s a way to make your own test. Here’s how to check whether your water quality is good for your health and everyday domestic needs.
Why Should You Test Your Water Quality?
You might wonder now why the heck someone is supposed to become a lab scientist at home and run tests on their tap water.
H2O quality is a significant factor for your everyday health condition and to be able to determine some concrete diseases and chronic cases.
Apart from the above, checking out the water’s condition might be essential for the right approach in different domestic chores – from washing the laundry and doing the dishes to cleansing hard stains and even maintaining concrete devices that need a water supply.
When Is It a Good Idea to Test Your Home’s Water?
No matter when you decide to run some domestic tests on your tap water quality, it will be a good enough moment.
Moreover – it’s better late than never.
So if you have never checked out the water quality at home, you should do it soon or now when we are about to provide you with a complete step-by-step guide with easy specific instructions.
Last but not least, it’s essential for you to run the tests if you have any concerns, including any of these:
- There are stubborn stains in your bathroom you cannot get rid of even with your most efficient homemade or commercial cleanser;
- Recently the water taste at home isn’t as good as it used to be before;
- When you take the dishes out of the dishwasher, they smell or look not as hygienic as you want them to be;
- You have some stomach or glut complaints;
- Others.
How to Test Water Quality?
There are several British labs you can contact and require some tests of your own domestic tap water.
Of course, this is the most prominent and reliable method to get informed about what comes inside your stomach alongside your morning glass of water, lunch coffee or evening tea.
However, you can handle a DIY test project at home if you don’t want to pay lots of money. Here are some excellent pieces of advice to have in mind for such an initiative.
Water Quality Test Strips
These are the most common tools to buy to test the water quality in your property. They are easy to be used and with proper manual instructions. There’s nothing so special within these guides. You will get a valid result if you follow them strictly.
In brief, the whole test requires you to add tap water inside a specially tailored container and dip a test strip inside the liquid. It takes several minutes to receive a result in the form of a colour scheme.
Depending on the concrete shade the strip has gotten, you can analyse the water quality via the shade diagram in the test kit.
Powder Kits for Bacteria Testing
Those of you, who are about to test the water due to medical complaints and special conditions, should count on this efficient method.
The powder kits for bacteria testing show whether there are dangerous and pathogenic elements inside the water that comes straight from your sink.
The result might finally convince you to stop drinking water directly from the tap but instead boil it up or switch to drinking mineral water, using a purifying system, and you name it.
The most dangerous pathogen a powder kit for bacteria testing detects is E. coli.
Use a Water Hardness Test
Now let’s go back to those stains we’ve mentioned above. It’s not about being neglected or irregular in your domestic cleaning.
Actually, even if you are prudent in your housekeeping chores, there’s a high possibility for you to observe hard water stains in the bathroom or on the kitchen sink.
Some specific elements in hard water make it absolutely impossible to deal with the spots. So, investing in a water-softening filter or a whole plumbing system renovation is the solution.
However, these tools are expensive and hard enough to be installed to buy them just because of some general doubts. Make a water hardness test to make sure you really need such a home improvement.
Obtain a Water Quality Report for Your Area
If you don’t trust your current level of skills to handle this, turn to plumbing professionals. You can receive official information about the water quality in your district for free.
For this purpose, reach the municipality of your town and require a water quality report.
You won’t wait a lot for the result as the local municipality is obliged to run professional tests on a regular basis and, according to them, to take some measures to preserve the highest possible tap water quality.
Use Your Senses
On the contrary, those who feel sensitive enough can entrust their own senses. Use your nose and eyes to detect some possible issues.
For example, the smell or the strange deposition at the bottom of the glass filled with water can bother you.
Remember that the sulfurous smell is a sign of bacteria in the water, while the earthy aroma can lead you to a plumbing issue you are supposed to deal with right away in your home.
EPA Primary and Secondary Standards for Water Contamination
Behind the EPA abbreviation, the International Environmental Protection Agency stands. This legal entity has a whole department devoted to the maintenance, preservation, and supply of water resources.
In this department, specialists work on annual sets of recommendations:
- The frequency an ordinary person should check the water quality;
- The concrete standard for water quality that’s suitable for drinking or only for domestic chores;
- The best practices in reducing water expenses for the sake of the Earth’s resources preservation;
- And many more.
Conclusion
You can receive this information 100% for free on the EPA official website, where you can read even more helpful guides and recommendations about the water quality you receive in your home, office or villa.
Checking the H2O’s condition is a must if you are certain about its lower these days. However, sometimes, it’s not the government or the water provider to blame.
Don’t forget that your domestic plumbing system might also be the culprit behind this, so you might need to make the necessary changes to resolve the problem.
