Testing home water

Try your county services they might do it for free or a small handling charge.

Rich

Thanks, but I want to avoid having it done by any county service. My local county government cannot be trusted which is why I'd rather test the water myself.

Menard's carries home water test kits. There are separate test kits for lead, bacteria, pesticides, etc. They run about 10 bucks each.

What do you mean, "there was recently a problem with it"??

Did it turn green? Did it smell like sewage? Did it have chunks of goo in it? What?

There are many home test kits for $15 or so, but they don't get everything. You need a professional lab to be sure. You don't want to fool around with contaminated water that can make you sick or kill you. There are plenty of good labs around.

I just recently had mine done by a company in my area when I purchased my home. The NORMAL tests ran me about $120. I had additional tests done so it was quite a bit more.

I got the recommendation from a neighbor who was a realtor.

You can test for hardness. Your can test for some elements and minerals (iron, phosphates, etc.)

Unless you have a moderately well-equipped laboratory you cannot test for organisims (E-coli, parasites, etc.) or the products of living things (e.g., fecal contamination)

I test my spring water all the time, it's easy. I just put a mark 2" up on a stick (I use a piece of chiggerweed) and stick it into the spring. If the water moccasin that lives there bites off 2" then he must be healthy and the water must be OK ;)

You can't really do an adequate well scan yourself, although there are some specific things you can test for. If you know what you're looking for, you can order a test kit online. What was problem that you recently had with it?

Still, it would be better to find a private testing company in your area that where you can have samples tested every year or two. There's got to be one. Look in the phone book of the nearest large municipality.