Water Quality: Testing, Filters for, and Purification of Drinking, Ground and Pool Water » Home Water Test Kits

City Employee Gets Probation for Falsifying Water Test Results

Water Testing Blog — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:03:44 +0000

We often get asked if people who have city/town water ought to test their drinking water from time to time. If you live in the city of Edgewood, Iowa, you no longer have to ask that question.

While the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says they do not believe any dangerous water safety issues avoided detection, the fact that a city employee responsible for testing the city’s public drinking water supply on a regular basis purchased only enough supplies for 100 tests — despite claiming to have performed 3,889 water tests between January 2006 and July 2009 — would make just about anyone curious.

A former Edgewood city employee has been sentenced to probation after he admitted that he failed to test the town’s water supply and submitted false reports to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

…

Harris, 43, pleaded guilty in April to one count of making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency.

In the plea agreement, Harris admitted he sent false monthly reports to the DNR from February 2008 and July 2009. He falsely claimed testing for fluoride, chlorine and manganese. DNR tests showed less chlorine in the water than the 1.5 milligrams per liter required by state law to kill bacteria.

The review found lower-than-acceptable levels of fluoride, which reduces tooth decay, and manganese oxide, which helps remove cancer-causing radium from the water. Residents in the eastern Iowa town were not exposed to any short- or long-term health risks, a DNR officer said.

The DNR originally alleged that Harris claimed to have done 3,889 water tests between January 2006 and July 2009, but bought enough material for only 100 tests. Harris resigned in August 2009.

The investigation began after some residents complained about declining water quality. ( source )

OK, now having read that, does the statement, “DNR tests showed less chlorine in the water than the 1.5 milligrams per liter required by state law to kill bacteria.” make you feel… safe?

How about “The investigation began after some residents complained about declining water quality.” Does that give you any sense of security?

Can individuals test their city/town/tap water?

Of course they can! While only certified water testing laboratories can give the absolute last word on the safety and potability of drinking water, at-home drinking water test kits from companies like SenSafe and WaterSafe allow the average homeowner to test critical water parameters on their own, whenever they want, and for little money.

What water parameters should homeowners test?

Given the number of possible drinking water contaminants, the average homeowner would find it difficult (and expensive!) to test for them all… but as a general rule, if typically makes sense for people on city/town/tap water to test for water parameters such as:

free chlorine residual
total chlorine residual
lead in water
copper in water
iron in water
total hardness
bacteria in water
hydrogen sulfide

Should homeowners with city water test for other things? That all depends on where their water company gets its water. As an example, if the water comes from a well, other potentially harmful water contaminants such as pesticides and arsenic could find their way into the water supply and an ill-equipped water treatment facility may not have the proper technology installed to remove them.

As always, though, if you have serious reason to suspect that your tap water has ‘issues’, seek advice from certified water quality experts. Home water test kits serve as great field tests, but the final word regarding a water supply’s potability should come from a certified water testing laboratory.

Water Testing Scam Reported

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:03:30 +0000

Back in the month of June resident of Alberta, Canada with his own ‘news’ blog did his community a great service by posting an article warning people that scam artists had targeted neighbors. Apparently, a fly-by-night, or otherwise not-so-ethical organization, left small bags containing water sampling kits on people’s doors and has now started making follow-up calls to the homes where they dropped off bags.

While the town of Morinville DOES have a random sampling program in effect to help guarantee water quality for all residents, the town has nothing to do with the surprise water testing packages showing up at people’s homes.

Morinville – If you come home to find a little blue bag hanging on your door with a water testing kit inside, Morinville Enforcement Services want you to know that it is not a town-run program.

Enforcement Services have recently received a number of calls from Morinville residents who have received the kits and are reporting that follow-up calls are being made to their homes regarding them.

The kits are not being distributed by Public Works or any other Morinville department.

Morinville already has a water testing process in place. Water testers collect unsolicited random samples on a daily basis and send them to a government lab to ensure the quality and safety of the Town’s water.

If the Town requires anything from a resident or their property, they contact the person directly. At no time do they hang collection kits on a resident’s door.

Residents with questions are asked to call Enforcement Services at 939-4361 or Public Works at 939-2590. ( source )

We have written about shady water testing companies in the past, we find ourselves writing about them now, and we will probably wind up writing about them again in the future. It saddens us to know that people could use matters as serious as drinking water contamination as a way to trick people into purchasing additional water testing and/or possibly unneeded water filtration equipment.

Avoiding the snake oil salesman

Most Effective Method: Don’t let the b#stards in the front door to begin with and/or hang up on them when they call.

Next Most Effective Method: Knowing the condition of your drinking water will always provide you with the best defense against unethical water testing companies and companies using deceptive water testing tactics. They cannot possibly convince you that you need ‘this’ or that you will DIE if you don’t install ‘that’ right away if you already know from testing of your own or a trusted water testing facility indicates otherwise.

Always remember that a water filter company offering to come out and test your water ‘for free’ spends money on gas, training, salary and equipment sending a technician (salesperson) to your house — and therefore expects that technician (salesperson) to sell you something whether you need it or not.

If you think you may need a water filter, first have an independent lab like National Testing Laboratories or a local laboratory certified to test drinking water give you a complete analysis. Then read the results over carefully and make sure you understand what they mean so that when the water filter salesperson makes his/her presentation, you can ask the right questions and keep yourself from accidentally getting sold more filter than you really need.

All in One Water Test Kit	Lead in Water Test Kit	Bacteria in Water Test Kit
Well Water Test Kit	Chlorine and Hardness Test Kit	Water Cooler Bacteria Test Kit
Science Fair Project Test Kit Four Full Kits	Science Fair Project Test Kit Ten Full Kits	Caffeine Test Strip
Pool and Spa Bacteria Test Kit Contains One Test	Pool and Spa Bacteria Test Kit Contains Ten Tests

Removing Chlorine From Bath Water

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:11:48 +0000

For years people have wisely invested money in shower filters designed to improve the quality of their shower water by removing chlorine, but what about those times when a person wants to kick back and relax in the tub by taking a hot bath? Shower water filters remove chlorine from only the water that comes out of the shower…

Good thing companies like Rainshow’r developed products such as the Bath 3000: Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator, an easy-to-use device capable of removing the chlorine from as many as 200 tubs of bath water.

Rainshow’r claims its product, the Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator removes up to 100% of free chlorine from your bath water in minutes.

Medical professionals and cosmetologists have often stated that removing chlorine from the water we bathe in/with will result in healthier, softer, and better looking skin.

For those not sold on the idea of removing chlorine from bath water, yet, please think about the following: Shower water containing chlorine hits your skin in spurts while bath water containing chlorine makes constant and continual contact with your skin for the duration of your bath.

Benefits of using a bath water dechlorinator include better lathering and suds’ing of soaps and shampoos, relief from dry skin, and removal of a known poison from the water. Also, with the Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator you will not need to mess around with plumbing fixtures, connect or disconnect any pipes, handle any toxic chemicals, or worry about changing out filters.

How does the Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator work? Quite simply, it converts chlorine ions to harmless chloride. Using a proprietary blend of KDF media safely locked away inside the Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator, it gets rid of the toxic effects of chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine gas sometimes found in bath water in a matter of minutes.

How long will the Crystal Ball Bath Dechlorinator last? That obviously depends on the amount of chlorine in your bath water to begin with and how often you take a bath, but Rainshow’r estimates that users will have to purchase a new Bath Ball approximately once a year or every 200 baths — whichever comes first.

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Obviously removing chlorine from just bath or shower water will not suffice if you want to eliminate the risk of potential harm it can cause. Having said that, the first step to take involves testing for chlorine in your water supply. Use of a simple do-it-yourself chlorine test strip will give you a good idea of how much chlorine your water contains in a matter of seconds.

Once you know how much chlorine you have to remove, then you can set about selecting the correct shower water filter, countertop water filter, refrigerator water filter system or whole house water filter system.

Reduced Fee Water Tests in Woodstock

Water Testing Blog — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:51:53 +0000

Water Testing Blog loves to hear about local health departments taking the initiative to try and get residents to test their well water for potentially harmful contaminants. In this case, the health department in McHenry County, Illinois has stepped up to the plate by offering coliform bacteria and nitrate testing at a reduced cost until the end of August.

WOODSTOCK – McHenry County Department of Health will offer reduced fee water testing for individual well water users during the month of August.

Residents can have their well water sampled for coliform bacteria and nitrate for $18.

Testing wells regularly is the only way to determine whether well water is safe to drink, as many contaminants are colorless and odorless.

Water from a public or municipal water system regularly is tested for contaminants regulated by federal and state standards.

Bacteria and chemicals can get into well water and contaminate it in different ways.

Some bacteria and chemicals occur naturally.

Contaminants, such as nitrate, can come from animal waste, wastewater, flooded sewers, polluted storm water runoff, fertilizers, agricultural runoff, or decaying plants. High levels of nitrate in drinking water can cause illness in young children and pregnant women. Coliform bacteria are microbes found in the digestive systems of warm-blooded animals, in soil, on plants, and in surface water.

For a nominal charge, the health department also will sample private wells for nuisance chemicals resulting in water hardness, iron, discoloration and odor.

Sampling kits can be picked up at the health department in Woodstock or at one of eight drop-off centers. Samples can be dropped off for testing Tuesday mornings between 9 a.m. and noon at the following centers:

• Algonquin Township Office, 3702 Route 14, Crystal Lake; 847-639-2329.

• Dorr Township Office, 140 Newell St., Woodstock; 815-338-0125.

• McHenry Township Office, 3703 Richmond Road, McHenry; 815-385-5605.

• Nunda Township Office, 3510 Bay Road, Crystal Lake; 815-459-4011.

• Marengo City Hall, 132 E. Prairie St., Marengo; 815-568-7112.

• Harvard Police Department, 201 W Front St., Harvard; 815-943-4431.

• Richmond Township Office, 7812 S. Route 31, Richmond; 815-678-0077.

• Grafton Township Office, 10109 Vine St., Huntley; 847-669-3328.

For information about private well water, call the health department’s Environmental Division at 815-334-4585. ( source )

Many people believe coliform bacteria only get into OTHER people’s wells because THEY did something wrong… but in reality, something as simple heavy periods of rain causing a rise in the water table supplying a person’s well could result in the introduction of potentially harmful contaminants.

Also, the slightest crack in a well’s casing, which could come from age or a shifting in the ground surrounding the well, could serve as a very convenient point-of-entry for bacteria or other well water contaminants.

Coliform Bacteria Test

Nitrate Test Strips

24 Hour Bacteria Test Kit

Water Contamination From Torpedo Testing?

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Of all the things a person should have to worry about affecting their drinking water, who in their right mind would think that torpedo testing would ever become an issue?

Not us, but folks in the San Gabriel Valley region of California have something to think about… unfortunately.

The San Gabriel Mountains may be an unlikely site for a U.S. Navy torpedo lab, but 17,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated by torpedo tests is going to be hauled away from a lake in a canyon above Azusa, according to reports.

The Navy tested torpedo engines and shapes in the lake behind Morris Dam beginning in World War II. After 50 years, it closed the facility but left behind bad chemical residue.

Perchlorates, a cancer-causing type of rocket propellant, arsenic and other dangerous compounds coat rocks on the 20-acre test site on a peninsula in the lake, which is a domestic drinking water supply for the San Gabriel Valley. ( source )

Yeah… Not too many people will ever have to deal with the residuals of torpedo testing winding up in their drinking water supply, but plenty of other folks — whether they know it or not — really ought to keep a close watch on the quality of their drinking water.

Sneaky contaminants like arsenic, which occurs naturally in the environment, can show up in well water unannounced. Something as simple as a change in the weather can result in increased arsenic levels in well water. Therefore owners of wells owe it to themselves and everyone their wells serve to test for arsenic on a regular basis.

Most health officials suggest that private well owners have a thorough water quality analysis performed at least once a year by a certified water testing laboratory. Whether done by a local lab or a company like National Testing Labs, owners of private wells owe it to themselves and their families to have their water tested on a regular basis.

Arsenic Quick Mini Kit

Arsenic Quick II Mini Kit

Arsenic Quick Full Kit

Test Kit for Tannins in Drinking Water

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:03:43 +0000

The other day we gave a brief tutorial on the origin of tannins in drinking water… which naturally resulted in our receiving at least half a dozen emails asking us about testing for tannins, and if detected, ways to remove them from drinking water.

We will address the matter of removing tannins from drinking water in a future blog posting.

As of yet we have not found an inexpensive way to test for tannins. Good Water Warehouse manufactures a test kit for tannins, but that kit better suits a person who tests water and sells remediation systems to the public if they find problems. Why? Because the kit has a relatively high cost.

Though the test kit does come with 100 tests, it costs a little over $200… a price tag which typically scares off most homeowners.

Another, and some would say more practical, way to test for tannins involves having a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs analyze water suspected of containing tannins. For the same cost as the Good Water Warehouse test kit a homeowner can have their water tested for tannins and 100+ other potential drinking water contaminants.

Drinking Water Quality Test Kit on Sale

Water Testing Blog — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:03:50 +0000

Water Quality Test Kit for 15 Parameters
Regularly $40, Now Just $32.00

Everyone loves a bargain, right? Well if you have waited to purchase a test kit for drinking water because you could never find one on sale, well, you no longer have a reason to wait.

FilterWater.Com recently dropped the price of Sensafe’s most popular test kit for drinking water quality, an easy-to-use test kit that tests for 15 critical water quality contaminants and does not require users to mix powders, crush tablets, or have a degree in chemistry to figure out the directions.

Considered by some the most complete do-it-yourself Water Quality Test Kit on the market, this water test kit tests up to 2 water sources for 15 critical water quality parameters and allows you to quickly and easily test your drinking water and/or check to see if your water filter does a good job.

In this particular drinking water test kit you will find the only available USEPA Approved Free Chlorine Test Strip as well as color-coded, visual, on the spot tests for 13 other parameters. The bacteria test kit, however, requires 48 hours, just as it does in kits manufactured by all other companies.

Need to test more often?

If so, then should definitely look at contents of the Well Driller Standard and Master test kits which contain a minimum of 25 tests for most parameters and come packed in a convenient, hard plastic carrying cases

Well Driller Master

Well Driller Standard

In total, the Water Quality Test Kit contains the following:

Included with the kit you will receive a chart so that you can compare your results to USEPA recommended levels is included.

And remember…

Despite the great price on this home drinking water test kit, no at-home testing can ever take the place of having a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs analyze your drinking water if you have serious reason to suspect contamination.

Test Kits for Bacteria in Drinking Water

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:03:25 +0000

Recently post we provided links to three different bacteria in water test kits in the same blog entry and since then we have received a number of emails asking us to please explain the differences between them.

We will begin by re-posting the links to the three kits:

Test Kit for Coliform Bacteria

Bacteria in Water Test Kit

The first bacteria test kit does the most complete testing for potentially harmful bacteria in drinking water. It can provide presence/absence test results in 24 hours for coliform bacteria down to 1 cfu per 100 milliliters, the current low detection limit enforced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Additionally, use of a light source with a wavelength of approximately 365nm on the sample after the passing of 24 to 48 hours will let you know if you have E. Coli present in your test sample. The ability to provides presence/absence results for E. Coli. results in this test kit having the highest cost.

Sold in cases of 12 and manufactured by SenSafe.
The second bacteria test kit provides presence/absence test results in 48 hours for coliform bacteria down to 1 cfu per 100 milliliters, the current low detection limit enforced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It does not provide information on the presence or absence of E. Coli. in a water sample.

Sold as individual tests and manufactured by WaterSafe.
The third bacteria test kit performs the same task as the second test kit, providing presence/absence test results in 48 hours for coliform bacteria down to 1 cfu per 100 milliliters, and comes packaged in cases of twelve or as individual tests.

The kit’s manufacturer, SenSafe, claims that Bacteria Check “follows the APHA, Standard Methods, 20th Edition, 9221 D, screen test for total coliform in potable water”.

No matter which test kit you decide upon, always remember that only a water analysis performed by a certified water testing lab such as National Testing Laboratories can give you a definitive answer regarding the safety of your drinking water.

You should use At Home and Do It Yourself Water Test Kits from WaterSafe and SenSafe should serve as screening tools only.

NSF Certified Chlorine Filter

Water Testing Blog — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:03:06 +0000

The Omnipure Inline Water Filter CL10ROT33-B received certification by NSF against NSF/ANSI standard 42 for the reduction of Chlorine, Taste and Odor. This filter uses granular activated carbon to reduce chlorine, taste and odor from your drinking water.

Economically priced at around $14, the Omnipure CL10RO T-33 Inline Filter has a 0.5 Micron, a water flow rating of 0.5 gallons per minutes, can handle water pressure up to 125 PSI, and has a life expectancy of 1,500 gallons or approximately 12 months.

You can use the Omnipure CL10RO T-33 Inline Filter in place of the Ametek INCF-10, Omnipure K2533 BB, and P3916.

This filter also replaces the following inline filters: Honeywell RF-66, Kenmore 46-38447 and Kenmore 4638447. The Omnipure CL10RO T-33 Inline Filter also works as Stage 5 of the 5-Stage PuROLine 5000 Reverse Osmosis System.

How Do I Know if I Have Chlorine in My Water?

Most often we hear, “How can I get rid of the chlorine taste/smell in my water?” but sometimes people have such low amounts that they cannot tell for sure if they have ANY chlorine in their drinking water and/or they have an impaired sense of smell and cannot detect the chlorine odors… but know they don’t want to drink it regardless of whether or not they can smell or taste it.

The easiest way to test chlorine levels in drinking water, Chlorine Test Strips, and at this time we recommend using test strip products from two manufacturers: SenSafe and Watersafe.

SenSafe Free Chlorine Test Kit

SenSafe Free & Total Chlorine Test Kit

WaterSafe Chlorine & Hardness Test Kit

Wisconsin Water Department Wins Tap Water Taste Test

Water Testing Blog — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:51:47 +0000

For some people the idea of a ‘tap water taste test’ makes no sense — because THEIR tap water tastes like chlorine (test for chlorine), smells like rotten eggs (test for hydrogen sulfide), has a metallic taste to it (test for heavy metals), and/or leaves deposits on fixtures (test for water hardness).

Hydrogen Sulfide Test Kit

Chlorine & Hardness Test Kit

Water Metals Test Kit

For the folks in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, though, this year the idea of a tap water taste test means honors and accolades because a panel of judges appointed by the American Water Works Association (AWWA.org) deemed their water the best tasting water (from a public water system) in North America.

(CHICAGO) – The American Water Works Association (AWWA) today announced that Wisconsin’s Stevens Point Water Department won the annual “Best of the Best” Water Taste Test. The event, composed of regional winners from water-tasting competitions across North America, was held at AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE10) in Chicago.

Stevens Point Water Department, now known throughout North America for its tasty water, has reliably provided Stevens Point residents with groundwater since 1922.

Second place in the competition was awarded to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection while Lincoln Water System of Nebraska and Silverdale Water District of Washington tied for third place. ( source )

So… if an area has the best tasting tap water, does that mean ever person on that water system has great water? Absolutely not!

The water used in competitions like the one above came straight from the water treatment facility… and did NOT travel through miles of water lines and the plumbing in a person’s house — and in those miles or in that plumbing any number of contaminants could enter the water.

As a general rule, most incidents of municipal tap water contamination occur because of a ‘failure’ between the water treatment facility and the faucet.

Older water lines used metals now known to cause health issues so if your city has really old water mains, well, you do the math — and by do the math we mean wonder if your city still has lead in the walls of its service lines.
Older homes used copper plumbing… which required solder that contained lead.
Tree roots can have a tendency to ‘grab hold’ of buried piping and eventually some roots grow strong enough to create hairline fractures in water lines through which bacteria can enter the water supply. Tree roots can also weasel their way into water lines, thus introducing unwanted bacteria.

So whether you live in a town with the best water SUPPLY in the country or an area whose water didn’t make the final cut for this year’s competition, the end responsibility for making sure the water coming from your faucet contains no dangerous contaminants rests squarely on YOUR shoulders.

Granted if you find a problem and can show negligence on the part of the city, town, state, or some business the law will require that party to correct the problem, but rest assured they will not drop by your house periodically to test your water for potential problems.

You will have to do that.

Lead in Water Test Kit

Bacteria in Water Test Kit

Copper in Water Test Kit