According to the EPA web site, “Coliforms are naturally present in the environment; as well as feces; fecal coliforms and E. coli only come from human and animal fecal waste.”

That means coliforms will occur in the absence of fecal matter, or fecal matter contamination, but they may not necessarily indicate that a water supply will make a person sick. The presence of coliforms in a water supply do, however, give good reason for a person to have their water tested by a certified water testing lab — to check for the presence of E. Coli.

Testing for Coliform Bacteria

First and foremost we want to stress that you should trust the results of no test other than an analysis performed by a certified water testing laboratory to tell you that your water supply definitely contains no harmful E. Coli bacteria.

At-home drinking water test kits containing a product such as the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test still serve a purpose, though, since they allow well owners and concerned municipal water customers to perform on-the-spot field tests for coliforms without having to come out of pocket for expensive lab test each time they would like to check on the quality of their water.

Basically speaking, if an inexpensive test kit like the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit yields positive results, concerned parties should then seek the assistance of a certified water testing lab.

Can at-home test kits detect E. Coli, too?

As a matter of fact, the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit can positively identify E. Coli in a water supply when used in conjunction with a UV light source such as the Sensafe NVF-4 Handheld UV Light.

If after the 24 to 48 hour waiting period the sample gives off an iridescence when exposed to ultraviolet light, it contains E. Coli.

One could also use something called a Kovacs Reagent with the to EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit confirm the presence of E. Coli in a water sample.

Sensafe EZ Coliform Cult E.Coli Test Kit

Many times you have seen us post articles urging private well owners to test for the presence of bacteria in their wells on a regular basis — ‘cuz no one else will ever volunteer to do it for them. We have even given links to a basic bacteria in water test kit from two different companies (SenSafe & WaterSafe) and to a more advanced bacteria test kit from SenSafe that lets a person find out not only if they have coliform bacteria present in their water, but also if they have E. Coli present.

Today we have information about the ‘tools’ required to take full advantage of the advanced bacteria test kit from SenSafe and how to properly use them to test for the presence of coliform bacteria in water samples.

How to use the Sensafe EZ Coliform Cult E.Coli Test Kit

• First of all, make sure to keep the test kit dry and in temperatures of 15-27 C (59-81 F).
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before gathering your water sample. Dry hands completely.
• Carefully remove the bottle cap from the Sensafe EZ Coliform Cult E.Coli Test Kit.
• Add 100 milliliters of sample water but make sure not to overfill.
• Quickly put the cap back on the test bottle and secure it tightly.
• Shake test bottle vigorously until all of the media (solids inside the bottle) dissolve. Solution should turn a clear yellow color at this point. Turbid samples will have a less clear appearance.
• Either incubate the sample for 24 hours at 35 deg C/95 deg F — or — for 48 hours at 25 deg C/77 deg F.

• At the end of incubation period, look at the color of the sample. A yellow color indicates a lack of coliforms while a bluish green color indicates the presence of coliforms.

For those who wish to learn if their water sample contains E. Coli, two options exist:

1. Shine a UV light with wavelength 365nm from the bottom of the sample. If bright blue fluorescence occurs, the sample contains E. Coli. Where can you obtain a UV light source to perform this test? WaterFilters.Net carries the Sensafe NVF-4 Handheld UV Light.

2. Addition of Sensafe Kovacs Indole Reagent will also let you know if the sample contains E. Coli. Unfortunately we do not, at this time, have specific information regarding how this process works.