KC had a few questions for us and wrote…

I have 2 questions that I am not finding answers to on this blog. I could be overlooking the answers. 1) is there a home test kit for THM’s and HAA5? 2) I purchased some property & I would like to test a pond on the property for contaminates other than the drinking water quality home test kit variables such as fossil fuel/petroleum contamination and other pollutants.

For those who do not know, THM’s stands for trihalomethanes and HAA5 stands for haloacetic acid. Both compounds fall in the category of disinfection byproducts, or chemical products created when a disinfectant acts on a contaminant in water. In recent years health officials have determined that exposure to these compounds can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.

With regard to KC’s question about THM and HAA5 test kits, we do not know of any at-home drinking water test kits for these compounds. Testing for disinfection byproduct levels requires a laboratory environment.

If you wish to test for these two compounds you will have to use a kit that you mail into a certified drinking water testing laboratory such as National Testing Laboratories. Within about (2) two weeks after receiving your water they will issue a lab report telling you all sorts of interesting things about your water — including how many disinfection byproducts your water contains, if it has any at all.

National Testing Laboratories offers several different testing options, but their most popular water testing option provides sample submitters with analysis of their water for a total of 83 different water quality parameters:

• Bacteria (presence/absence for coliform and E.coli),
• (19) heavy metals and minerals,
• (6) other inorganic chemicals,
• (5) physical characteristics,
• (4) trihalomethanes and
• (47) volatile organic chemicals.

Worried about other things such as pesticides, herbicides and PCB’s? National Testing Laboratories offers a water testing option that includes all of the above tests plus an an additional check for (20) pesticides, herbicides and PCB’s. They gave it a really long name, WaterCheck with Pesticides Laboratory Analysis Water Testing Kit, and it test for a total of 97 different water quality parameters.

We spend the majority of our time talking about water quality issues affecting drinking water and sometimes we get sidetracked and discuss water quality issues pertaining to swimming pools. Today we would like to discuss a water quality issue dealing with… washing machines.

Believe it or not, a water quality issue, in this case sediment in the water, can cause some serious washing machine woes.

Sediment in Water Lines Can Cost You Money

The point of entry on most washing machines comes equipped with an ‘inlet valve screen’ which filters out any sediment and solids carried in the water going into the machine. Over time these screens can get clogged and when they do, the flow of water gets impeded causing slower than normal fill times for the machine. Slower fill times mean the washing machine will run longer and use more electricity.

Clogged inlet valve filters on a washing machine can also result in unwanted temperature variances during the wash load… meaning that although the machine received instructions from its user to wash with ‘warm’ water, a blocked water line on either side will prevent the machine from granting that request. Shrinkage of clothing and/or ruining of colors may result.

Sediment in Water Lines Can Cause You Headaches

In some cases sediment can make its way into places it ought not go and result in flooding. Example: Sediment getting lodged between the solenoid responsible for shutting off water flow can cause the solenoid to not operate correctly… so the water never shuts off. Have fun mopping.

Once the inlet valve filters become clogged, which some washing machine manufacturers say can happen every 3 to 12 months for people on well water, the homeowner must pull the machine out from the wall, disconnect the hoses, carefully remove the screen, clean the screen, carefully install the screen, reconnect all the hoses, and push the washing machine back into place — all the while taking great care not to unseat various washers and not spill too much water along the way.

With the Washing Machine Inline Water Filter, changing the filter will not require disconnecting of hoses or risking damage to the delicate screen. Simply unscrew the middle of the filter housing, remove the old filter, replace with a new filter, and tighten the screw in the middle of the filter housing.

Can’t Use Inline Filters on Hot Water Lines?

While some inline filter manufacturers may caution against using their products on hot water lines, the Washing Machine Inline Water Filter pictured above has the ability to operate properly with water temperatures up to as high as 320 degrees Fahrenheit, or 160 degrees Celsius.

Who Should Use an Inline Washing Machine Filter?

In theory pretty much anyone with a washing machine could potentially get value from a unit like the Washing Machine Inline Water Filter, but well owners stand to gain the most since their water comes from an unfiltered source.

We recently received an email from Martin in Miami and he asked,

I grew up in a household that had absolutely awesome drinking water and like so many young people I never really thought about WHY the water tasted… great.

Well now that I have left the nest (as my Mom puts it) and struck out on my own, I can honestly say that the water in my apartment SUCKS. Most days it smells like a diseased pool filter! And the taste? Let’s not even go there! I stopped drinking it the very first day I moved in!

So anyways, I called the apartment complex manager and she told me “nothing’s wrong with the water. It’s city water and the city tests it. There’s nothing we can or need to do.” More like nothing they WILL do, but anyways…

Oh, and in my lease it blatantly says I cannot install any sort of ‘plumbing fixtures’ or in any other way ‘install appliances or devices which require modification of existing fixtures’…. whatever the Hell THAT means.

My Dad told me they have a reverse osmosis water filter at the house and now my question (finally) is this: Since I can’t tamper with any of the plumbing at my place, do they make any reverse osmosis filters that I can hook up to my faucet so I won’t have to risk violating my lease? I’ve seen tons of other types of counter top filters… but so far no reverse osmosis filters.

Hope you can help!

Martin (Miami, FL)

Wow. That sounds like some pretty rank water, Martin. Definitely get that water tested and find out exactly what’s causing it to taste and smell like that. The majority of us here at Water Testing Blog have worked on pool filters and know very well the stench that can breed in those things. Yuck!

Once you know what problems you need to fix, THEN go about selecting a water treatment system. You may not need to invest in something as serious as a reverse osmosis system and get the results you desire. A simpler, less expensive drinking water filter might do everything you need!

But, since you DID ask us a direct question, we suppose we ought to address the matter of, “Do they make countertop reverse osmosis systems?”

Yes, Martin, they certainly do. A well-known web site ( WaterFilters.Net ) carries a counter top reverse osmosis system that apparently requires no tools to install, has a holding tank, and works just as well as reverse osmosis systems installed under the sink.

Although we have never used this product, we found two reviews of the RC540T50-T Countertop Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System and both used the terms “Clean Taste, Durable, Easy To Install, Long Lasting Filter” and both said they would recommend the system to a friend.

• “I have had one of these systems for ten years. It is outstanding! It delivers clean great tasting water.” — Mary from Tampa, FL

• “I got this system for my mother who lives in a senior housing facility. She wanted filtered water and didn’t want to mess things up under the sink. So we ordered this unit. It’s a bit bulky, but it has to be because it houses four standard filters and has storage for 5 liters of water. Access to the filters is by removing four screws on the sides. The filters are easy to change because they have quick connect fittings. Very easy to install too. We had it up and running in 10 min. This system is equivalent to my own home system which is an undersink four stage RO system. Very pleased.” — Surfer Joe from Nipomo, CA

Just remember, though, that having your water tested by a certified water testing laboratory before purchasing a water filter system of ANY kind might save you money and could save your life.

Some people live in older homes where the plumbing may still contain copper and/or lead pipes. If the water entering those residences has a low pH value, meaning the water is acidic, the possibility definitely exists that the water may corrode the piping and pull dissolved and potentially dangerous amounts of metals into itself.

Maximum Contaminant Levels

For copper, the USEPA suggests that people ingest drinking water containing no more than 1.3ppm (mg/L) of free dissolved copper. Health officials have determined that short term exposure to high levels of dissolved copper in drinking water can cause gastrointestinal distress and that long term exposure can result in liver and/or kidney damage.

When it comes to maximum contaminant level for lead in drinking water, the USEPA set the limit at 15ppb. Routinely ingesting higher quantities of lead in water may result in delays in physical or mental development and in infants and children. Problems with attention span have also resulted. In the case of adults ingesting higher than acceptable amounts of lead in drinking water, kidney problems and high blood pressure have resulted.

Acidic Water Causes Other Problems

Not treating, or correcting the pH of, acidic water can result in costly corrosion problems in plumbing and it may also drastically shorten the life expectancies equipment that uses water such as dishwashers, washing machines, hot water heaters, etc.

Treating Acidic Water

If you have acidic water and wish to treat it, installing a device such as a Whole House Acid Neutralizing Water Filter will help to keep your water’s pH level in an acceptable range.

The Acid Neutralizing Water Filter works by slowly dissolving calcium carbonate into water with a pH level below 6.8. The dissolved calcium carbonate acts as a pH increaser.

According to the manufacturer of this unit, Crystal Quest, the calcium carbonate media in the tank will last approximately 2 to 3 years and the system has a backwash feature to help prevent compaction which would impede the flow of water through the system.

For more information on the Whole House Acid Neutralizing Water Filter manufactured by Crystal Quest, visit the FilterWater.Com web site.

Marilyn from Vermont asked a question that we meant to address quite a long time ago. She asked…

Do you have a way or us to browse all the water filter manufacturers easily? We want to look around before deciding and we want to make sure we see as many options as possible before whipping out our credit card and investing our hard earned money in a water filter. Times are tough and every dollar counts! Hope you can help!

While we cannot guarantee that we can give you a link to EVERY water filter manufacturer that ever made water filters, we can ‘borrow’ a list of water filter manufacturers from WaterFilters.Net, a leading online distributor of drinking water filtration and drinking water testing products.

Not a very pretty list, we know, but at least we posted a list… finally. We will conduct further research into other distributors of drinking water filters over the next few weeks and post other lists as we find them.

About a month ago we reported that environmental testing had detected elevated levels of radon in a residential area called The Acreage in Florida… and that 13 families in the development had children who currently suffer from or did suffer from brain tumors or cancer. The Palm Beach County Health Department also conducted in-depth interviews with 12 of 13 families. They did not, however, come up with any definitive explanations for the cluster of cancer cases observed.

Radon Suspect in Florida Tumor and Cancer Cases

Now, after months of back-and-forth between the families, the Health Department, and various State Officials, it appears as though the State of Florida will step in and perform its own testing and hopefully find a reason for all the illnesses.

THE ACREAGE – State officials will test the water and soil at cancer-stricken children’s homes in The Acreage, said the Florida Department of Health’s chief of staff.

That decision, which the children’s families had sought for months, was disclosed Friday.

“If they want us to test it, we will,” said health department Chief of Staff Robert Siedlecki Jr.

“Wonderful,” said Tracy Newfield, whose daughter had a brain tumor removed when she was 11. “They’ve had our medical records and had our approval to test whatever they want.”

Gov. Charlie Crist pledged Thursday to seek federal help to investigate whether something has caused higher-than-normal rates of pediatric brain tumors and cancer, particularly among girls, in The Acreage. ( source )

While the families whose children fell ill and other families in the area applauded the State’s decision to intervene…

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R- North Palm Beach, also expressed sympathy.

“My heart goes out to the Acreage families who are experiencing the heartache of cancer,” he said in a statement. “I cannot imagine the pain these parents, grandparents, children and their loved ones are feeling. I support the calls for further investigation and thank Governor Crist for committing to get to the bottom of this.” ( source )

… while others felt the State had no reason to get involved and indicated that the inconclusive nature of results from previous testing did not immediately warrant another round of (more in-depth) environmental testing.

However, state environmental officials tested water last year to help the health department. Its samples from 50 wells chosen randomly in The Acreage indicated a few homes had elevated levels of radium and other radioactive substances that could result from natural causes.

The same study concluded ground water quality in The Acreage was “generally good.”

Palm Beach County’s heath director, Dr. Alina Alonso, said investigators’ interviews had not turned up a cause and that it didn’t make sense at this stage to run tests looking for one. ( source )

No matter how you look at it, every family in that area has suffered. Whether in the form of illness, stress over not knowing if a loved one may suddenly become ill, or greatly diminished property values because no one wants to move into a suspected cancer cluster, no family in that area has escaped unscathed.

All of us here at Water Testing Blog hope the State of Florida can get to the bottom of things and help those folks out.

Can a Person Test for Radon at Home?

Absolutely. Test kits exist for detecting the presence of radon in air and in water. One can also install radon mitigation systems to reduce and/or remove radon from a building.

Below you will find links to other articles on the topic of radon in the air, radon in the water, ways to test for radon and ways to get rid of radon:

• Radon Gas Can Kill Whole Families… Slowly
• Test Kits for Radon in Water and Radon in Air
• Radon Test Kits (for New Jersey)
• Radon Removal Systems

We just got word that our friends over at Filter Water just started carrying a dual filter whole house arsenic filter made by Crystal Quest … and currently have an offer of free shipping on the unit.

Why should you care about arsenic in your drinking water?

Pretty simple answer, really. It can kill you, or at the very least, cause long-term damage to your internal organs.

In a nutshell, arsenic in ground water comes from a reaction between certain types of igneous (volcanic) rock and oxygen when a water table (aquifer) drops. That reaction liberates “free” arsenic and once the water table rises again, that “free” arsenic gets carried away by the water.

As for whether or not arsenic in drinking water can harm a person, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has stated that water systems may NOT dispense drinking water with arsenic in concentrations greater than 10 ppb as of January 2006.

Below please find a brief list of SOME of the illnesses and conditions associated with consuming arsenic in drinking water:

• Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate.
• Short term exposure to high doses of arsenic can cause other adverse health effects including death.

For more detailed information on the adverse effects on human health associated with exposure to arsenic, please refer to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry’s Arsenic Assessment.

Additionally, you can information on testing home drinking water for arsenic on this page.

How do you know if you have arsenic in your drinking water?

If you have any reason to suspect that you may have arsenic in your drinking water, we suggest you contact a certified water testing laboratory such as Suburban Water Testing or by contacting the State Certification Officers for Drinking Water Laboratories from your state for a current list of labs. You can find a list of State Certification Officers on this page.

For day-to-day arsenic in drinking water testing, because arsenic levels do fluctuate with heavy/light rain events since large amounts of rain and periods of drought affect aquifer levels, you may want to take a look at the at-home drinking water water test kits for arsenic on the following sites:

• www.ArsenicQuick.com

• www.Arsenic-Test-Kit.com

How does the Crystal Quest Whole House Arsenic Filter Work?

Although we will leave the serious details to the folks over at Filter Water, we can tell you that this system uses multiple stages of filtration, uses an NSF certified component for arsenic removal, and has a separate tank that uses KDF-85, KDF-55 and GAC (granular activated carbon) to remove many other typical and atypical drinking water contaminants.

Click Here for More Information on the Whole House Crystal Quest Arsenic Filter

Suzanne from Temecula, CA wrote in and asked,

Shortly before leaving me, my ex-husband installed a monstrosity of a water filter for the whole house that he claimed would remove 99% of this, that and the other thing. He said we needed it. Too bad I still have to pay it off… But anyways, I now travel a lot and have noticed that the water tasted funny everywhere I go — and i really don’t like it very much at all. I’ve started carrying bottles and 1 gallon jugs of water with me on my trips but I think there has to be a better option. Do they make a travel-sized whole house filter? Thanks for your time and I look forward to reading your response. — Suzanne

We thank you for your question, Suzanne, and sorry you got stuck paying for that ‘monstrosity’ of a whole house filtration system. At least you have safe, clean, and good tasting water at home, though, right?

We completely understand your not wanting to carry jugs of bottled water around in your car, assuming that you drive everywhere. Although one can usually pick up gallons of purified water for small amounts of money from the local grocery store, the inconvenience of lugging them around all the time definitely sounds like a miserable experience.

You could pick up travel-sized sport water bottles with built-in filtration units, but those typically work better for short trips, hiking trips, etc. and that does not sound like what you want. It sounds to us like you want a portable version of the ‘monstrosity’ you have at home.

After doing a little research, we came across a Countertop Portable Water Filter made by Crystal Quest. It has multiple filtering stages (like your monstrosity at home) and claims to remove hundreds of contaminants (like your monstrosity at home most likely does).

Stage 1 — Water passes through a 5 micron filter pad which remove suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Stage 2 — Water passed through a specially blended bed of high purity media known commercially as KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ®. This media uses an oxidation-reduction process to effectively neutralize chlorine and remove metals.

Stage 3 — Water passes through through granulated activated carbon (GAC), a compound known for its ability to adsorb a wide variety of organic contaminants such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as trihalomethanes (THM’s) and benzine, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and many of other chemical contaminants which if present in water may also cause bad taste and odor.

Stage 4 — Water passes through a final 5 micron filter pad to filter out suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Unlike the ‘monstrosity’ you have not, yet finished paying for, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter has a pretty good price (around $70) and will supposedly last for up to 5,000 gallons.

Compare that to paying $1 per gallon for purified water from the store…

Worried about a time-consuming installation? From the looks of things, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter attaches to a common sink faucet via an adapter that screws into where the aerator goes. Should take less than a few minutes, though instinct tells us you may want to carry a pair of pliers in your travel bag — in case no one has removed the aerator in your cabana, cabin, or hotel room in a while.

TeddyGurl recently asked,

I want to know more about the water parameter tests such as turbidity, pH, chlorine, and calcium.

What is the common testing method that should be done?

Thank you for your question TeddyGurl. We will address each part of your inquiry separately.

Turbidity refers to the level of cloudiness or haziness in a liquid caused by concentrations of small particles, also known as suspended solids. The higher the concentration of these particles, the greater the turbidity of the liquid and more cloudy it appears.

To measure turbidity, one typically uses a meter of some sort. The eXact Water Testing Meter has a detection range of 3 to 580 NTU.

For the record, water with a turbidity reading of around 500 NTU will appear milky to the naked eye and water with a turbidity reading of around 50 NTU will appear cloudy, but still allow light to pass through.

pH refers to the measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. Its scale runs from 0.0 to 14.0 with 7.0 as its neutral (not acidic and not basic) value. Solutions with pH values greater than 7.0 get labeled as basic and solutions with pH values less than 7.0 get labeled as acidic.

To measure pH, one has several options: liquid/powder/tablet based test kits, test strips and electronic meters.

Chlorine gets added to drinking water as a disinfectant (an antimicrobial agent used on non-living objects to eradicate and destroy microorganisms which can cause infection). The United States Environmental Agency has set the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for chlorine at 4.0 ppm (parts per million), or 4.0 mg/L (milligrams per liter).

When testing for chlorine in water, one can choose between liquid/powder/tablet based test kits, test strips and electronic meters.

Calcium has the atomic number of 20 and ranks as the fifth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. When it comes to drinking water, calcium acts to ‘harden’ the water and so therefore when one measures the hardness of water, one actually measures the calcium (and magnesium to a lesser extent) concentration in the water.

To measure the calcium content in water, one can choose between liquid/powder/tablet based test kits, test strips and electronic meters.

Over the past 2 years we have mentioned test strips for commonly tested water parameters such as chlorine, pH, water hardness, bacteria, and heavy metals on a regular basis. Recently someone asked us if we knew of test strips for other, less commonly tested water parameters.

Without knowing exactly WHICH unusual water parameters to look for we just started searching for odd water contaminants and came up with the following: