Water is a vital part of our well-being. It’s essential to understand where your water supply comes from and what measures are taken to ensure it is safe.
Whether your home has city or well water, it’s essential to test your water for these five reasons.
Old Plumbing Infrastructure
If you have city water, your home has pipes to supply water, and you receive a monthly water bill. All city water is treated daily, usually with chlorine to kill bacteria and fluoride to improve dental health.
However, while the water supply is tested daily, there can be potential dangers from your home’s infrastructure. If your home has old pipes, that could contaminate your water supply with copper or lead. But you don’t need to wonder what’s in your water – your Culligan Man can provide a comprehensive free water analysis if you have any concern.
Test Well Water Annually
If your water supply comes from well water, you are the one responsible for ensuring it’s safe to drink. Just because your water looks clean, doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Private well water should be tested every year for E. coli and Coliform.
Every three years, water should also be tested for pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
Along with that, consider what the land around you is used for and consider testing for local conditions such as mining, gas stations, and industry use. All of these could affect your water supply.
If your home uses well water, you will want to test more often if your household includes vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and women who are pregnant or nursing.
Scale Build-Up on Fixtures
Another sign may be scale build-up or calcium deposits on your fixtures, indicating hard water. Hard water contains calcium, sulfate, magnesium, and carbonate. While hard water is fine for drinking, it’s harmful to plumbing and for use in household chores.
It affects how well your soap lathers, the softness of your laundry and can cause spots on dishes.
If you feel your water may be hard, contact your Culligan Man for water testing. We have a variety of water softeners available that will remove undesirable excess minerals in your water.
Just Because Your Water Looks Fine, Doesn’t Mean It Is
Many water pollutants have no perceptible odor or visible signs. Meaning, while your drinking water looks clear and tastes okay, it could have harmful materials only shown through laboratory testing. Especially if you use well water, testing falls under your direction. 50% of private water systems fail at least one water standard.
Conditions or Nearby Activities:
- Recurring gastrointestinal illness
- Household plumbing or service lines that contain lead
- Radon in indoor air or region is radon rich
- Corrosion of pipes, plumbing
- Nearby areas of intensive agriculture
- Coal or other mining operations nearby
- Gas drilling operations nearby
- Dump, junkyard, landfill, factory, gas station or dry-cleaning operation nearby
- Odor of gasoline or fuel oil, and near gas station or buried fuel tanks
- Objectionable taste or smell
- Stained plumbing fixtures, laundry
- Salty taste and seawater, or a heavily salted roadway nearby
- Scaly residues, soaps don’t lather
- Rapid wear of water treatment equipment
- Water softener needed to treat hardness
- Water appears cloudy, frothy or colored
Water Tested for:
- Coliform bacteria
- pH, lead, copper
- Radon
- Corrosion, pH, lead
- Nitrate, nitrite, pesticides, coliform bacteria
- Metals, pH, corrosion
- Chloride, sodium, barium, strontium
- Volatile organic compounds, total dissolved solids, pH, sulfate, chloride, metals
- Volatile organic compounds
- Hydrogen sulfide, corrosion, metals
- Iron, copper, manganese
- Chloride, total dissolved solids, sodium
- Hardness
- pH, corrosion
- Manganese, iron
- Color, detergents
The above bullet points shows conditions and symptoms you may notice in your water, and what to test for. If you are concerned about your water exhibiting these signs, send a request to our Solution Center, where we can provide personalized advice to solve your problem.
Peace of Mind
Finally, one of the best benefits of getting your water tested is knowing the water that your family uses to drink and bathe with is clean. You don’t want to wonder whether there are any harmful materials in your water. Testing your water can provide peace of mind, and allow you to treat any potential problem.
Give us a call at (707) 545-1330. A licensed water expert can do a complete analysis of your water and visually inspect your fixtures and plumbing. There’s no obligation. Our knowledgeable staff will be happy to address any concerns, and the options available to ensure your family is receiving the best quality water.