We received the question of “Do total hardness strips test for iron?” over the weekend from a woman named ‘DodgeGirl’ and before any of you say that’s a silly question, please remember that not everyone has had a chance, or possibly even a reason, to learn about water hardness.
So, with that in mind, we would like to thank DodgeGirl for having the courage to ask a question about water hardness that many other folks may also want the answer to.
What does total hardness include?
While it may sound reasonable, and possibly even logical in many ways, that water hardness would include ‘hard’ substances like iron, copper, chromium, zinc, and various other water metals, a total hardness reading includes only a combination of the following two elements: Calcium & Magnesium.
Testing for total hardness?
Several methods for total hardness testing exist and the easiest method, dip-and-read total hardness test strips, usually take less than a minute to use, do not require the use of potentially dangerous or hazardous reagents, and cost very little — usually less than $10 for a bottle of 50 tests.
Testing for iron?
Earlier in this article we posted an image that will take you to our online store where you can purchase the WaterWorks Total Iron Visual Test Kit which, as its name implies, allows you to visually determine the amount of total iron in your water source — unlike a number of other iron tests which detect only dissolved iron.
