There are many reasons to test your water, even if your city’s water plant already treats it. Most of these reasons have to do with your safety. Those of us living in the United States are lucky enough to have treated water provided to us through the technically safe tap to drink. Or is it? According to Penn State, 50% of private water systems fail at least one water drinking standard.
There are often articles in the news showcasing different chemicals or minerals that become overwhelming in the local water supply. This is just another reason you should consider testing your water. At the Science of Water, we start every evaluation with a water check, so we can see what’s lurking in your water and offer a customized solution.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of reasons why you should test your water, plus a solution that ensures the water you and your family enjoy is safe and clean.
Your Water Looks Cloudy
Does your water have a hazy or cloudy appearance? If you turn on the tap and your water isn’t crystal clear, or has debris floating in it, this is the first sign you should test your water. Cloudy water can signal the presence of iron, sediment, or chemicals in your water supply. Unfortunately, the only way to get your water contaminant-free is to filter it.
You’re Replacing Your Appliances Sooner Than You Should Be
There is nothing more frustrating than spending thousands of dollars on replacing equipment that should have years of life left. When you have hard water or other contaminants present in your water supply, your appliances are among the most expensive casualties.
Your coffeemaker, water heater, and even your dishwasher will suffer wear and damage from calcium buildup. If you’ve had to replace an appliance or something even more expensive like a water heater years before you should, hard water might be to blame. Take it from us; you should absolutely test your water.
Your Water Has a Funky Odor
Nobody wants to drink a glass of water that smells like mud, or worse, rotten eggs. If your water has a foul smell, it could mean hydrogen sulfide or other heavy metals are lurking in your tap water. And if your water also tastes odd, you absolutely shouldn’t drink it. An excess of heavy metals like lead can lead to serious harm or even death if ingested, so you should test your water to protect you and your family from potential long-term health issues.
Your Towels Feel Like Straw
One of the many drawbacks of having hard water is that it affects your laundry’s overall life and quality. It will wear down the color and quality of the fabric, but the most significant sign of hard water is your bath towels. Towels that have been exposed to hard water will come out feeling scratchy, dry, and like sandpaper when they come in contact with your skin. Gross. Nobody wants to dry off with those!
Your Soap Doesn’t Lather
Another side effect of hard water issues is that your soap just doesn’t lather as it should. Homes with hard water generally use twice the amount of laundry detergent to get their clothes clean. Additionally, when you wash your hair or dishes, you may find that your dish soap or shampoo doesn’t lather as much as advertised, or it doesn’t lather at all.
The same struggle goes for getting your body clean too. The reason for this is an excess of minerals in your water supply, and when they interact with the chemicals in soap, it creates soap scum and removes all the elements that make our clothes feel soft and our skin and hair feel moisturized.
You Live Near a Landfill or Gas Station
Living near a landfill or a gas station is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons you should test your water. Living near certain types of factories, processing plants, or dry-cleaning operations also fall under this umbrella of potentially dangerous places to live. Why? Often chemicals from these industries will leach into the ground soil, which later finds its way into your water supply. You could have volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfates, chlorides, and even metals in your water and be none the wiser!
You Live Near a Farm
Farms use pesticides to keep their fruits and vegetables clean, ripe, and pest-free, but unfortunately, these pesticides have to go somewhere. Where do they go? The soil. When it rains or after the pesticides are distributed, the runoff gets absorbed by the surrounding dirt and eventually ends up in your water supply. That leaves your water likely containing not just pesticides but also coliform bacteria and nitrates.
You Have a Water Softener
You would think all water softeners would be created equal, but unfortunately, that’s not true. Here at The Science of Water, we’ve performed water tests on dozens of homes that already had water filtration systems installed, only to be horrified when they found out their water still contained high levels of chlorine and iron.
Before installing a water softener, you should test your water to ensure you resolve your water issues instead of just masking them. You also want to test your system often to ensure the softener is working efficiently. Thankfully, when installing one of Puronics’ residential home treatment systems, we monitor it to make sure it always operates at peak efficiency.
You Should Verify the pH Levels
Those of us who completed high school chemistry remember that the pH level of any substance tells us how acidic or basic it is. The contaminants that sometimes land in our water supply can change the pH levels of your water, and if it becomes too acidic or too basic, this can mean trouble. Water with lower pH levels (read acidic) can cause damage and corrosion to your pipes and can even cause the metals to seep into your water supply. This is not only dangerous. It could potentially be toxic.
You Have Well Water
If you have a water source from a municipality, they will, on some level, ensure the safety of your drinking water, but you have no such protection with well water. This alone is a reason you should test your water. Private water supplies are solely the homeowner’s responsibility, and there are thousands of chemicals, minerals, and other pollutants that can contaminate your drinking water. As we discussed before, 50% of private water supplies fail at least one drinking water standard, so if you have well water, getting your water tested is an absolute necessity.
The Science of Water
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to test your water regularly to ensure safety for you and your family! At The Science of Water, we believe in the importance of water safety for everyone, which is why we begin every consultation with a free water test. After your free water test, we can offer you customized solutions no matter what pollutants are sneaking around in your water supply.
If you’re interested in taking one of our free water tests or learning more about our services, contact us at (352) 745-7070 or (904) 580-0000.