The Difference Between Our Water Tests and Do-It-Yourself Tests

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By James Wisler
Customer Service Water Treatment
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Last blog post, I talked about the invisible stuff in your water and the importance of water tests. This time, let’s talk about how a do-it-yourself water test is different from what’s offered at Wisler Plumbing.

First of all, it’s important to know what items you need to test for. Some areas are more prone to certain types of contaminants in the water. A do-it-yourself test may be testing for the wrong things. You need to know what your particular region/area may be prone to in order to hone in your testing criteria. If you don’t know for sure, I would definitely recommend getting a comprehensive test.

Some things need to be tested for in-home, while others require sending a sample to a third-party testing facility. For instance, if you might have sulfur in your water, it won’t do any good to send off a sample for testing. Sulfur is a gas, and if there’s not much in the sample to begin with, it’s going to dissipate to the point where there won’t be any left once it reaches the offsite facility. There are definitely things that you can test for and things that you can’t.

It’s also very important to have someone to help read and decipher the report once testing is done. For example, if I was to tell the average person that they have 3 parts per million (ppm) of iron in the water, what exactly does that mean, and where does that fall on a scale of good to bad? If you take a sample for testing in a lab or third-party facility, you’ll get results that you want to discuss with a well-trained person. That way you’ll know what your options are, and whether or not the materials in your water are within harmful levels.

When we do a comprehensive water test, it really has nothing to do with Wisler Plumbing. The third-party that does the lab test will give an unbiased report. They have nothing invested in the results, and the document is made by the laboratory themselves (not Wisler Plumbing). Some of the tests do need to be performed in-home, and it’s impossible for the average homeowner to have all the proper testing equipment for a comprehensive in-home test. Remember, it’s important to test for some materials at the point of use, so that you get the most factual reading.

It’s also important that you have equipment that you understand if you’re trying to perform a do-it-yourself test. If you decided to go to a big box store or Walmart to buy a testing device/strip, then you would have to make sure that you’re choosing the right equipment and understand its capabilities. All testing equipment has certain ranges, capabilities, and accuracy, and you could get a false report if inadequate equipment was chosen.

If you want to get accurate water testing done and want to have someone who can tell you exactly what the results mean, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382. Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to read the previous blog post where I talk about the invisible stuff in your water. Even though it might look clear to the naked eye, it’s still very important to get your water tested.