The question naturally becomes, “What are the differences between the water quality testing methods?”

• Test Strips: A test strip manufacturer such as Industrial Test Systems, Inc. will try to sell you on the speed, portability, and cost-effectiveness of their water testing strips.
• Color Comparators: Manufacturers such as Lamotte, Inc. will try to sell you on the convenience and improved accuracy associated with having multiple colors located right next to the test sample.
• Colorimeters: Electronic colorimeter manufacturers such as Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (note: This company apparently knows more than one way to skin a cat, er, test drinking water.) will brag about the convenience of not having to worry about differentiating between color blocks or standards, the convenience of a digital read out, and the accuracy of this method of water testing because it removes the element of human interpretation.

So… Which type of drinking water testing method does the best job? Depends on who you ask! Each method has distinct advantages and definite advantages.

• Test strips offer fast, inexpensive on-the-spot results w/o the inconvenience of the wet chemicals and powders often found in color comparator sets and have a lower per test cost than using a colorimeter. Test strips also boast a pretty good shelf-life. They typically do not, however, yield the same amount of accuracy as other drinking water testing methods.
• Color comparators give pretty decent accuracy when used properly and with fresh liquid, tablet and powdered reagents. Cost for reagent refills runs pretty inexpensive for basic tests but can get pricey when testing for more advanced water quality parameters such as lead, copper and iron.
• Electronic olorimeters have a high start-up cost compared to the other two methods but they completely remove subjectivity from the testing process and so therefore a quality colorimeter will almost always yield more accurate and more consistent results.

So…. Which test method will work best for you?

• Need a fast, easy-to-use method for general screening purposes? Go with test strips.
• Need a drinking water test kit with a little more accuracy and can handle the mixing of powders and crushing of tablets? Go with a color comparator.
• Need reliable results each and every time you test and don’t mind crushing tablets, mixing powders and spending a little bit of money up front on a decent water quality testing instrument? Go with an electronic colorimter.

Water Quality Test Strips | Taylor Color Comparator | eXact Micro 7 Colorimeter

If you find yourself reading this Water Testing Blog entry, then you have joined the millions of other people who have asked the question, “How can I test my drinking water at home?”

Basic Drinking Water Test Kit Options:

• Visual drinking water testing methods such as simple, easy-to-use test strips whose test areas get compared to a pre-printed color chart to determine test results.
• Visual drinking water testing methods such as color comparators which require the user to add  a reagent to a sample and then compare the color of their test sample to those of pre-packaged color standards to determine test results.
• Electronic water testing devices for drinking water which require the user to calibrate their colorimeter with a ‘blank’ sample, add a reagent to a test sample, and take a reading of the test sample.

So… Which type of do-iy-yourself drinking water test kit does the best job? Depends on who you ask! As alwaysm though, if you suspect a serious health risk or that your water may contain dangerous amounts of chemicals, you should seek the advice of a Certified Water Testing Professional right away.

At-home drinking water test kits should NEVER take the place of professional water testing services when your health is on the line. It’s your water, your health… and your LIFE.

Not many people actually enjoy the taste or smell of chlorinated drinking water, but did you know that recent studies have unofficially linked birth defects to chlorinated drinking water? It seems as though a pregnant woman’s exposure to chlorine byproducts called trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water, bath water, etc. may play a part in causing serious health problems for her unborn child:

“Expectant mothers can expose themselves to the higher risk by drinking the water, swimming in chlorinated water, taking a bath or shower, or even by standing close to a boiling kettle, say researchers.

The finding, based on an analysis of nearly 400,000 infants, is the first that links by-products of water chlorination – chemicals known as trihalomethanes, or THMs – to three specific birth defects.

Exposure to high levels of THMs substantially increased the risk of holes in the heart, cleft palate and anencephalus, which results in the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.” ( source )

Most water systems chlorinate the water they provide in an effort to eliminate parasites and bacteria in drinking water which could lead to waterborne ailments and illnesses.

Not sure if your water contains THMs? Maybe the next few statements will help:

• Public water supplies that use free chlorine as their primary disinfectant (instead of chloramines) may contain THMs. The compounds form when free chlorine molecules lock horns with a biological contaminant during the disinfection process.
• Public water supplies that use chloramines as their primary disinfectant (instead of free chlorine) typically do not contain THMs. However it should be noted that these water systems do periodically ‘burn’ their water lines with free chlorine in an effort to get rid of any biofilm that has formed and THMs do result from those ‘burn’ sessions.

Still unsure as to whether or not your drinking water may contain THMs? You have three options:

1. Call your local water authority and ask them if they use free chlorine as the primary disinfectant or chloramines. If so, then your water most likely contains chloramines.
2. Have your water tested by a certified water testing professional.
3. Use reliable drinking water test kits for both free chlorine AND total chlorine.