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.

Tony from California asked…

My wife and I just bought a home and although the real estate agent showed us all sorts of confusing paperwork that supposedly proved our tap water passed all sorts of tests we still have our doubts. We want to do some testing ourselves. What are the most commonly tested water parameters? Thank you.

We will answer that question in two ways: 1) We will ask a water testing and filtration dealership; 2) We will look at this site’s history and see what pages people have loaded most often this month.

IsoPure Water replied to our inquiry by listing the top three selling water test strips: SenSafe Free Chlorine, WaterWorks Total Hardness and SenSafe Total Chlorine.

With regard to the most popular postings on Water Testing Blog, in the month of January 2010 more people looked at these blog entries than any others:

• Hardness: Grains per Gallon vs. Parts per Million
• Testing Chlorine Levels: Drinking Water vs. Pool Water
• Your Baby Needs Safe, Clean Drinking Water
• Free Chlorine, Combined Chlorine and Total Chlorine
• Acceptable TDS Meter Readings Do Not Guarantee Safe Drinking Water

As a general rule ‘water conditioners’ have pretty much always used salt as a means of removing excess hardness (calcium) from water. Homeowners and businesses experiencing problems with calcium wind up with scale deposits in water lines and crusty deposits on faucets and other bathroom fixtures. Scale in the lines lead to higher heating and energy costs as well as increased usage of cleaning agents/detergents and high repair costs for appliances damaged by constricted water flow.

Certain areas of the United States have put restrictions on the use of salt-based water conditioners because of environmental concerns. Water conditioning units that use salt require discharging and replacing of salt periodically and questions have come up regarding how to properly dispose of the salty wastewater.

Naturally when a problem like this arises, someone comes up with an answer:

Saltless Water Conditioner and Anti-Scale system Eagle A 2000-FG is a new break-through technolgy, designed to remove water hardness without a use of salt. The system is designed to convert calcium in water (which is a main element found in hard water) into calcite crystals of nanometer size, which no longer cause lime deposits. The calcium then is simply rinsed away.

The system also removes existing scale deposits from pipes and heat exchange surfaces, which is called descaling, and can further protect the system from future formation of scale. So, it can pay for itself in days!

Eagle A 2000-FG Anti-Scale Water Conditioner specifications:

+ In First stage, Water flows through a 20″ sediment filter cartridge that removes sediment, silt, sand and dirt. Also extends the life of the filter media and prevent damage.

+ In stage 2, water flows through an Eagle Anti-Scale media tank.

+ In stage 3, water flows through a 20″ solid carbon cartridge that removes volatile organic carbon compounds (VOC’s), insecticides, pesticides and industrial solvents ^*

+ In stage 4, water passes through a .01 micron Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. Ultrafiltration (UF) is an important purification technology used for the production of high-purity water. UF is effective for the removal of colloids, proteins, bacteria, viruses, parasites, protozoa and pyrogens (e.g., gram-negative bacterial endotoxins), other organic molecules larger than .01 micron, and most other water contaminants known today.

Wastes no water, uses no electricity

^* – if present in water ( source

Whether you live in an area that has banned water conditioners that use salt or not, it seems as though the Eagle A 2000-FG Anti-Scale Water Conditioner offers consumers an interesting option for salt-free water conditioning and filtration.

Below you will find links to replacement filters for the Eagle A 2000-FG Anti-Scale Water Conditioner.

Spencer wrote in and asked…

Hello,

I am looking for an all-in-one home test kit that will show ppm levels. I thought I saw a product that was around $30 but now I can’t find the web-site.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Spencer

Thank you for your question, Spencer. For the most part all drinking water test kits (worth buying) should the majority of their results in parts per million, with the exception of some tests for metals which report their results in parts per billion. Example: Heavy Metals Check.

Getting to the rest of your question, a brand of home water test kits called WaterSafe manufactures a test kit called the All-in-One and it tests drinking water for the following: Bacteria, Lead, Pesticides (atrazine & Simazine), Iron, Total Chlorine, Total Hardness, pH, and Nitrates/Nitrites.

In our experience the average consumer can pick up the WaterSafe All-in-One Water Test Kit for around $20 from several online vendors including, but not limited to, the following:

• Filters Fast (www.filtersfast.com) — WaterSafe All-in-One Test Kit

• Filter Water (www.filterwater.com) — WaterSafe All-in-One Test Kit

Hopefully we have given you the information you asked for. In the event that you did not mean the WaterSafe All-in-One Water Test Kit specifically, and instead used the term ‘all-in-one’ in a more general manner, you may want to take a look at another brand of home water test kits: SenSafe.

Under the SenSafe brand you will find test kits such as the Drinking Water Quality Test Kit which typically costs a little bit more than the WaterSafe All-in-One Water Test Kit, but tests for additional parameters: Copper, Free Chlorine, Sulfate, Chloride and Hydrogen Sulfide (rotten egg smell).

You can usually find the Drinking Water Quality Test Kit by SenSafe selling online for around $32 to $36 depending upon where you look.

Feel free to contact us again, Spencer, if you have any other water quality testing questions!

Although we cannot and will not ever say whether we prefer the WaterSafe brand of home water testing kits or the SenSafe brand of home water testing kits, we can tell you that we have used both extensively over the years and gotten excellent field testing results pretty much every time.

Having said all that, it pleases us to announce the launch of a brand new web site: WaterSafe-Test-Kits.Com. There you will find product details on all of WaterSafe’s most popular water testing kits. You can also access the product pages on the site using the links below!

Coming Soon: The official release of a web site dedicated to providing information on the SenSafe, WaterWorks, Quick and eXact brands of water testing strips, water testing kits and water testing meters!

While the idea of a shower head changing colors in response to a change in water temperature sounds kind of amusing, we think people ought to consider installing a shower head that will improve the quality of their shower water rather than the lighting in their shower stall.

Again, we find the following ‘technology’ rather cool… but somewhat superficial in the grand scheme of things.

You got your skin burned in the hot shower due to a mistake of turning up the temperature control too high as you couldn’t see the reading on the control knob clearly. So, you’ll need a better gadget that would tell you in a more prominent way that the water is burning hot. Here comes a color changing illuminated shower head, which changes color according to the temperature of the water. When you’re increasing the temperature of the water, the color will change from white when it’s cold, to blue, then purple and finally the hot red.

The color changing illuminated shower head features a temperature-sensitive color-changing LED. The shower head needs neither battery nor external power to run. All it depends is the water that runs through it. Installation is easy, just unscrew your current shower head and screw this one on. ( source )

Really cool looking shower colors may do a lot to set the mood for some things, like, um… Well, never mind that. Let’s just focus on the idea that shower heads designed to remove chlorine, excessive water hardness, or other water impurities make a lot of sense.

Note: WaterSafe makes a test kit to test both chlorine and water hardness. Details here.

Looking for a verstile, lightweight, waterproof water quality testing meter? Need an EPA Compliant testing meter for chlorine testing?

Introducing a new photometer using a patented method and technologies that offer faster, safer, easier, and more precise water testing.
The eXact Micro 7+ offers seven modes which provide direct read capabilities for Total Alkalinity, Bromine, Calcium Hardness, Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Copper, Ozone, Permanganate, pH, and % Transmission – which allows for testing of an additional 17 parameters.

The eXact Micro 7+ can measure a total of up to 26 parameters and provides EPA Compliant testing method for both Free & Total Chlorine when used with DPD chemistry.

In need of replacement reagentstrip bottles for your eXact Micro 7+ Water Quality Testing Meter?

A Rock Hill, SC company called Industrial Test Systems, Inc. manufactures a water quality test kit which they call the COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit and several people have asked us for a list of the parameters it can test for.

Before we provide you with the list of items contained by the COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit, please remember that NO at-home or do-it-yourself water quality test kit will give you a total understanding of your water’s contaminant levels and that only water analysis performed by a certified water testing laboratory will tell the full story.

Consumers should use water quality test kits such as the COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit and comparable water testing kits such as the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit and WaterSafe All-in-One Water Test Kit as screening tools only.

COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit contains: 2 tests for each parameter except bacteria.

• Test for Iron in 2 Minutes
• Test for Copper in 30 Seconds
• Test for Chloride in 40 Seconds
• Test for Nitrate & Nitrite as N in 1 Minute
• Test for pH in 20 Seconds
• Test for Total Alkalinity in 20 Seconds
• Test for Total Chlorine in 20 Seconds
• Test for Total Hardness in 20 Seconds
• Test for Free Chlorine in 10 Seconds
• Test for Sulfate in 40 Seconds
• Test for Hydrogen Sulfide in 30 Seconds
• Test for Coliform Bacteria presence/absence in 48 Hours

You can find the COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit, and other water quality test kits, available for immediate shipping from online retailers such as FiltersFast.Com and TestProducts.Com.

Several people have asked why we have not talked about water… in aquariums. No particular reason, really, other than not enough people had asked for that sort of information — until now.

Many people have the wrong idea about how much maintenance and testing a healthy aquarium requires. Notice we said, “healthy.”

An UNhealthy aquarium requires next to no maintenance. Simply add water to the tank, throw in some fish, wait for fish to die, scoop up dead fish, re-stock tank with live fish, and repeat the last two steps until common sense kicks in.

Eventually people catch on to the fact that an aquarium needs more attention than just adding fish and dumping in food once in a while. It takes some people longer than others to figure that out, true, but we can discuss that topic another time. For right now let’s stick to the topic at-hand: Testing Aquarium Water so that your fish don’t keep going belly up.

As you can see from the above test kits, you will have to test for a number different water parameters if you want to keep your fish healthy, happy and alive. Thankfully most aquarium test kits these days come with easy-to-follow instructions and the average person can complete the testing in just a few minutes.

Which water parameters matter most? Hard to say, but many pond and aquarium experts agree that a person ought to keep a close eye on the following water quality parameters if they hope to have clean, healthy water for their fish to live in:

• Ammonia Levels — As disgusting as it sounds to us, fish live in their own waste products, one of which is ammonia. Excessive amounts of ammonia result in respiratory problems for fish and if left untreated the fish will eventually stop breathing and die.
• Chlorine/Chloramines Levels — Extremely toxic to fish and pretty much all aquatic life even in small amounts. When adding fresh water to an aquarium, always make sure to test for and remove any and all traces of chlorine and chloramines.
• Nitrite Levels — When ammonia breaks down it forms nitrites, another very toxic compound which can cause respiratory distress in, and eventually the death of, fish.
• pH Levels — It ought to come as no surprise that fish don’t want to swim around in extremely acidic or basic water any more than you would want someone pouring hydrochloric acid or concentrated lye onto your skin. One thing to remember, though, about pH: Not all fish prefer the exact same pH so when choosing your fish, read up on their preferred water conditions — or risk killing some of your fish slowly and painfully.

Did we get your attention with that title? We hope so because the news we have for you about the potential for human suffering your shower head can cause will… most likely have no effect on your life.

The latest panic-inducing study, conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder and released today, looked at 45 showerheads from across the United States. The researchers found that each showerhead was home to, on average, several billion microbes per square centimeter—pretty gross considering that tap water usually contains 90 percent less bacteria per liter. ( source )

So let’s get right down to figuring out whether or not you ought to panic over the recent bacteria in shower heads study. In a word, “NO.”

If you’re otherwise healthy, chances are that a grody showerhead won’t be your downfall. In fact, very few people have probably ever died of—or gotten sick from—showerhead microbes. ( source )

Sounds pretty scary hearing that your shower head may harbor all sorts of nasty bacteria. Thankfully the results of this study will mean as much to the average person as the results of the bacteria on flip-flops and bacteria on keyboards studies.

The dangers presented by bacteria in a person’s shower head really ought not cause a person to run out and replace their shower head — unless they have contaminated source water to begin with.

How does a person know if they have contaminated source water?

Simple: Test the source water for bacteria and other contaminants such as heavy metals such as lead and copper, chlorine levels, hardness, etc. A person can either contract out w/ a certified water laboratory for such analysis of they can use a home drinking water test kit to find out if they need to invest in a Shower Head Water Filter, Countertop Water Filtration Unit, or Whole House Water Filtration System.

water quality meters	Water Testing Meters — Precise measuring tools for testing all sorts of different water testing parameters. Often times a lot more expensive per test, but if accuracy of results matters, then one can easily justify spending a few more dollars.
water quality test strips	Water Testing Strips — Fast, convenient and economical testing method for a wide range of critical water quality parameters. From chlorine to chromium, pH to pesticides, and a whole host of other important water parameters, test strips provide rapid, on-the-spot testing solutions at reasonable per test prices.

“OK, so I got my test results and now I want a shower filter… Now what?”

With water test results in hand you can now begin the search for the appropriate shower filter for your source water. Below you will find links to several different options offered by Filter Water: