Hello, Marilyn, and thank you for your inquiry. The SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit contains the following:

• 2 Alkalinity, Total
• 1 Bacteria,Coliform in Water
• 2 Chloride
• 2 Chlorine, Free
• 2 Chlorine, Total
• 2 Copper, Total
• 2 Hardness, Total
• 2 Hydrogen Sulfide
• 2 Iron
• 1 Lead
• 2 Nitrate/Nitrite, as Nitrogen
• 1 Pesticide
• 2 ph
• 2 Sulfate

The kit does not contain tests for manganese but that kit is available on its own. We do carry a manganese test as a standalone kit, though.

Regarding magnesium, that value is included in the total hardness reading given by the total hardness test included with the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit. Note: The test gives a sum of calcium hardness and magnesium hardness levels, not individual concentrations.

And finally, regarding performing testing for the purpose of determining the quality of your water so you can figure out the best treatment option, if you suspect that your water has potentially significant problems and/or health risks, then home water test kits should serve as a preliminary tests only and you should probably use the services of a certified water testing laboratory before investing in a water filtration system.

If you do not wish to use the services of a local water testing laboratory (which your local health department could help you locate), then companies like National Testing Laboratories offer mail-in water testing services that provide results from a certified water testing laboratory usually within 10 business days.

Hello, Margaret, and thank you for your inquiry. Of all the at-home drinking water test kits that we carry, the one named SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit offers the largest different tests and its WaterWorks and SenSafe brands of included water test strips have an excellent reputation -- and are manufactured here in the United States.

If you want a more complete testing of your well water, or have good reason to suspect contamination, we suggest taking a look at mail-in test kits from National Testing Laboratories. In particular, the Well-Check Water Testing Package covers a great number of the possible contaminants a person may possibly find in their well water.

Thank you, 1228sol, for your inquiry. Each WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit tests (1) one time for the following:

• (1) x Bacteria Test
• (1) x Lead Test
• (1) x Pesticide Test
• (1) x Nitrate Test
• (1) x Nitrite Test
• (1) x pH Test
• (1) x Hardness Test
• (1) x Chlorine Test
• (1) x Copper Test
• (1) x Iron Test

If you want a test kit that performs more than one test per water quality parameter, we suggest looking at the COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit or the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit. Both of those products include (2) two tests for most of the tests they can perform.

This announcement comes as part of the Department's recognition of March 9-15 as National Groundwater Awareness Week in the Granite State (and the rest of the country!)

Environmental officials in the state estimate that more than 40 percent of New Hampshire residents get their drinking water from private wells. Those same folks ALSO say many of those wells may contain unhealthy levels of naturally-occurring Arsenic Test Kits, radon, and/or other contaminants like Water Metals Test Kits.

In the case of contaminants like arsenic and radon, those contaminants cannot get detected by taste, odor or the appearance of the water.  Therefore only testing will alert a private well owner to the presence of those contaminants.

Officials and well water professionals recommend that well owners have their water tested regularly (most agree that annually is a good idea) by an accredited lab and:

• When well water develops an unusual or different color, taste or appearance
• After service gets performed on the well or well head
• After an event such as flooding causes the well head to become submerged under surface water

Looking for a water testing laboratory in the New Hampshire area?  The DES website contains a list of accredited laboratories at www.des.nh.gov.

“Do you sell a complete well water test kit? I see you have several on the site. I want to test for arsenic and other heavy metals as well as bacteria. I do not know what else I need to test for though. If you do not have a complete test which do you recommend for a complete test? It is my personal well so no chlorine or other added chemicals. Thanks, Pam”

Regarding the matter of a ‘complete’ test kit for well water, we do not believe such an animal ‘truly’ exists… because one could ALWAYS think of more tests to perform — depending on the circumstances.

Technically speaking, literally HUNDREDS of possible tests COULD get done on well water… but most usually only need doing in rare and very unusual circumstances, as we implied previously.

Now, getting back to your question with a more real world perspective, the Water Quality Test Kit offers a good selection of normal tests for well water and also includes a lead in water, a (basic) pesticides in water test, and an arsenic in water test.

If looking for an even more comprehensive test for well water, then you may want to consider the WaterCheck Well-Check Water Test Kit from National Testing Laboratories.

Specifically: The Watercheck Well-Check Test Kit from National Testing Laboratories makes having your well water or spring water tested for bacteria (total coliform and e-coli), 19 heavy metals and minerals (including lead, arsenic and mercury), 6 inorganic chemicals (including nitrates and fluoride) and 5 physical factors (including pH and hardness).

Good evening, Mandy, and thank you for contacting us about your well water concerns. As for what you may want to consider testing for, that all depends on the exact nature of your concerns as well as several factors which include:

1) Proximity of well head and well to septic systems and septic system components (i.e. tanks, drain lines, leach fields, etc.). Possible contaminants include: Bacteria, Nitrates, Nitrites.

2) Proximity of well head and well to agricultural activities (i.e. farming, raising of animals, etc.). Possible contaminants include: Bacteria, Nitrates, Nitrites, Pesticides.

3) Proximity of well head and well to industrial activities (i.e. machine shops, manufacturing, any process that uses chemical solvents). Possible contaminants include a HUGE for the imagination to comprehend. Identifying the types of industries in your area will help you determine what sorts of chemical compounds and solvents your well water may contain. Note: Testing for most of the contaminants from industrial processes will more than likely require the services of a water testing laboratory.

4) What sort of naturally occurring minerals and compounds exist in the ground where your well draws its water from? as an example, does the ground contain high levels of things like Iron, Copper, Arsenic, Hydrogen Sulfide, etc.?

By no stretch of the imagination have we touched on all the possible drinking water contaminants that could have found their way into your well water, but hopefully we have at least given you an idea of some things to consider.

Once you have pondered the above points, please feel free to contact us, again, and we will make a recommendations at that time. Testing options we offer range from very basic:

… to a lot more thorough:

… and the kits can get even more thorough. If you believe a more comprehensive test kit will fit your needs we have some listed in the National Testing Laboratories section of the Water Test Kit Store.

Taking place on July 2nd, 2013 between 11 AM and 5:30 PM at Coronado Hall at the Taos Convention Center, the New Mexico State Departments of Environment and Health will provide free drinking water testing for the following water quality parameters:

• Dissolved Arsenic
• Electrical Conductivity
• Fluoride
• Iron
• Nitrates
• Sulfate
• pH

If interested in taking advantage of this great offer, the Department of Health asks that you follow these simple guidelines when collecting your water sample:

• Collect a sample approximately 1 liter in size and do so in a clean plastic or glass container.
   
• Refrain from using any container that once contained substances with strong or otherwise pungent odors. Also do not use containers that once contained chemicals like bleach, ammonia, lemon juice, etc.
   
• Make sure you collect the sample before the water goes through any sort of filtration, treatment, or softening system.
   
• Allow water to run for a few minutes before collecting the sample so that the water collected has not had time to sit stagnant in your plumbing for any period of time.
   
• If possible, collect your water sample right before heading down to Coronado Hall at the Taos Convention Center and do not allow the water to sit in a hot car for any length of time.

Curious as to why the Department of Health would offer such a full suite of testing for free? The answer involves their desire to get an idea of water quality all across the region without having to go out and drill/take a bunch of well samples themselves.

To help the Department of Health get the best overall water quality picture, if you can, please record your well’s depth, the water table level (if known), the material your well casing is made out of (i.e. iron, steel, PVC, etc.), and the distance from your well to the nearest septic tank and/or leech field area.

Interested in having your well tested… but not a resident of Taos County?

First, we suggest contacting your own local health department to see if they have any free or discounted water testing programs available. If not, then ask if they can recommend a qualified (certified) drinking water testing laboratory in the area. And finally, if neither of those options work, you may want to consider the mail-in water testing services of a company like National Testing Laboratories that manufactures the Watercheck Water Test Kit Packages.

Interested in performing spot checks on your well water quality?

Well water and health officials urge ALL private well owners to get their water thoroughly tested on an annual basis and immediately after natural disasters such as flooding or any other event that could cause a breach in wellhead integrity.

Those same folks ALSO suggest performing spot testing for critical water quality parameters (i.e. heavy metals, nitrates/nitrites, coliform bacteria, etc.) on a semi-regular basis… just in case… because the quality of water coming out of a well could change overnight and sometimes it can do so with no apparent change in taste, color, or odor.

Example: Heavy rains could raise the level of the water table and cause water in the aquifer to come in contact with exposed inorganic arsenic which then gets dissolved in to the water.

Looking for advice on testing kits for spring water we drink. We fill up 5 gallon carboys every few weeks and wanted to find out most economical kits to test and what you recommend we test for. Are their all-in-one kits for chloroforms (sp) like e coli as well as metals and pesticides. Basically, just need some advice. Thanks you.

Good afternoon, ‘Thomkat’, and thank you for your inquiry.

Since you say the water comes from a spring we believe your list of things you have considered testing, for the most part, makes perfect sense and we would just add one or two things… as you will see below:

* Heavy Metals
* Coliform Bacteria
* Arsenic
* Pesticides
* Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
* Nitrates / Nitrites

As far as all-in-one test kits go, we carry the SenSafe Drinking Water Test Kit which contains the following tests:

+ 2 Alkalinity, Total
+ 1 Bacteria (Coliform in Water)
+ 2 Chloride
+ 2 Chlorine, Free
+ 2 Chlorine, Total
+ 2 Copper
+ 2 Hardness, Total
+ 2 Hydrogen Sulfide
+ 2 Iron
+ 1 Lead
+ 2 Nitrate/Nitrite Nitrogen
+ 1 Pesticide
+ 2 pH
+ 2 Sulfate

We also carry a test kit called the COMPLETE Water Test Kit that tests for a few less parameters and costs about $10 less.

If you plan on testing more frequently then we suggest taking a look at the Well Driller Master Test Kit which includes as many as 50 tests for a larger number of water quality parameters.

No matter which testing route you choose, we think it a very good thing that you have decided to keep tabs on the quality of the water you and your family drink.

Let us know if you have any other questions and we will gladly answer all that we can for you. Also, the following web site provides all sorts of useful information about environmental and water quality issues worth monitoring: http://www.ewg.org (Environmental Working Group)

We hope we have helped at least a little and please feel free to contact us again with any other questions you may have.

We think you have excellent taste water test kits, Ramprakash, because the Well Driller Master Test Kit puts the power to perform multiple samplings on water sources right where it belongs: In the hands of private well owners.

The Well Driller Master Test Kit comes with 50 Free Chlorine Test Strips, 50 Ultra Low Total Chlorine Test Strips, 50 Hydrogen Sulfide Tests, 50 Total Hardness Test Strips, 50 Nitrate/Nitrite Test Strips, 50 pH Test Strips, 24 Manganese Tests, 50 Water Metals Test Strips, 10 Arsenic Tests, 25 Iron Tests, 50 Copper Test Strips, 2 Lead in Water Tests, 2 Pesticide Tests, and 1 bottle of Bacteria Test.

Where to buy the Well Driller Master Test Kit?

At this time we know that FilterWater.Com carries both the Well Driller Standard Test Kit and the Well Driller Test Kit.

The Standard kit has a few less tests and costs around $160 while the Master kit has a cost of around $240.

Regardless of which option you choose, we suggest picking up extra Coliform Bacteria Tests since both kits come with only one test for bacteria. You can acquire extra Coliform Bacteria Tests in our Water Test Kit Store for around $7 per test.

CLINTON TWP. — The Clinton Township Environmental Commission and the South Branch Watershed Association are sponsoring well water testing for township residents. Residents can have their well water tested for commonly occurring bacteria and other contaminants at reduced cost.

A basic test for coliform bacteria and nitrates costs $50. Other testing options are available for additional cost. Arsenic is one of the most pervasive contaminants found in this area of New Jersey and the state recommends that you test for arsenic if you live in Hunterdon.

The well-testing kits contain easy-to-follow instructions and containers approved by a state-certified laboratory. Kits may be purchased on Saturday, Oct. 17 between 9 and 11 a.m. at the Clinton Twp. Public Safety Building at 1370 Route 31 North. The water samples may be dropped off Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the same building between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. No cash will be accepted; checks only. For information, call the municipal clerk at 735-8800. ( source )

Time and time again we have mentioned that Health and Water Professionals suggest well owners test their well water on a regular basis. We also suggest that people with serious reason to suspect contamination, such as flood victims, have their well water tested by a certified water testing laboratory.

For routine testing, though, test kits such as the following work quite well:

The WaterWorks Well Water Test Kit Contains: Coliform Bacteria – an indicator of pathogenic organisms that cause disease Pesticides – from agricultural uses/ linked to increased cancer rates Nitrates / Nitrites – from fertilizers and animal waste that can cause development problems Lead – causes developmental harm, neurological and kidney damage Iron – can cause reddish brown stains on appliances, toilets, and sinks Hardness – cause lime scale buildup in pipes and higher detergent use pH – can cause heavy metal leaching and plumbing damage Copper – can lead to gastrointestinal disease and other health issues Chlorine – while not common to well water, a good test to have because by-products can increase cancer risk

The SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit includes: Sulfate Test Strips (2) Chloride Test Strips (2) Nitrate Test Strips (2) Nitrite Test Strips (2) Iron Test Strips (2) Copper Test Strips (2) Free Chlorine Test Strips (2) Hydrogen Sulfide Test Strips (2) pH Test Strips (2) Total Alkalinity Test Strips (2) Total Chlorine Test Strips (2) Total Hardness Test Strips (2) Pesticide Test (1) Bacteria Test (1) Lead Test (1)

]]> http://watertestingblog.com/2009/10/16/local-government-offers-reduced-water-testing-costs/feed/ 0