As more and more people learn about our site and spend time poking around its content we find ourselves answering more and more inquiries from overseas — that’s perfectly fine with us!
Today’s question came to us from a reader hailing from Sweden who asked, “can I use this in sweden as well? is this for european standards as well? in that case I want one right away.”
Regrettably the submitter of the inquiry did not inform us of the test kit they had their eye on, but we can still address the underlying point of their email: Will water test kits made for use in the United States work overseas, as well?
Simple Answer: Yes, but one will have to read the instructions carefully and, when necessary, do some quick mathematics (i.e. unit conversions for temperature and/or sample volume).
As examples, some water test kits may come with instructions that say to dip a test strip for a different length of time depending on the temperature of the water sample while others may say to use a certain volume of water for testing. Here in the US we would use degrees F and ounces as the units of measure but in Sweden you would need to convert those units of measure over to degrees C and milliliters.
More complex answer: Yes, but the allowable MCL’s (maximum contaminant levels) for specific water contaminants may differ from country to country. So, while water test kits ought to function the same no matter where one chooses to use them, the ‘action levels’ indicated on the color charts may not match those set forth by a specific country’s environmental regulations.
As an example, some countries have outlawed the use of fluoride in drinking water but municipalities here in the States may still add it to the public water supply if they choose.
What about the Austin Springs Water Filters?
As for whether or not the Austin Springs water filtration units we carry will work overseas, we suspect that you would need to use additional fittings to connect the units into your plumbing since here in he United States we use fractional sizes instead of metric sizes.
As for whether or not any of the units meet European standards and can get sold in Europe, we have not had reason to check with the manufacturer up until this point but will gladly look into the matter if anyone would like for us to do so.
