Water chemistry differs in every home, municipality and well. A water test is necessary to determine your home’s water chemistry and your family’s water demand. Water Depot offers complimentary in-home or in-store water tests to determine what the best course of action is to provide your family with clean, clear water. During the water test, your raw tap water will be examined for a variety of factors and you will be asked a series of questions about your family’s water usage.
What Factors Are Looked at During the Water Test?
Whether you choose to have a Water Depot Water Treatment Expert come to your home to perform the test or bring a sample of your raw tap water into your local Water Depot location, your water will be tested for the following.
- Hardness – The hardness level of water is measured in grains per gallon and determines the amount of dissolved calcium, magnesium and/or limestone found in your raw tap water. Hard water is what causes scale build-up on your bathroom fixtures, making them harder to clean. This same scale builds up in your appliances and water heater resulting in a shorter life span and less efficiency. Another common complaint of hard water is dry skin, nails, and hair.
- Iron – Iron-laden water, which leaves rust stains in your sink, toilet, and tub, is a common problem. If your water has high levels of “red water” iron, the water coming out of your tap may range in colour from yellow to brown and your water may have a metallic taste or odour. With “clear water” iron, you may not notice at first, but over time you will begin to see staining on your bathroom fixtures, which occurs when the clear water iron is exposed to the air. In addition to the unpleasant look and taste iron has on your water, both clear and red water iron can build-up inside your pipes, causing many long-term issues.
- pH Level – The pH level of water determines whether your water is acidic or basic. The higher the number on the pH scale the more basic your water reacts. The lower the number, the higher the level of acidity in your water. Changes in water pH levels can affect proper function of water treatment systems and must be considered in determining the proper system required.
- TDS – The Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) found in your raw tap water is an indicator of the level of organic and inorganic material present in your water. These solids can include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulphate, and nitrates. TDS levels are one of the main indicators of water quality. As TDS levels drop water quality typically improves, as these levels rise water quality deteriorates.
- Clarity – The clearer your water the more appealing it is for drinking, cleaning, and bathing. It is always better to analyze water clarity directly from your faucet. Opaque water should be taken into consideration during system design to avoid potential obstacles in system performance. Clarity of larger water volumes can be measured by the depth, in centimetres, that can be clearly viewed in a well or water storage tank.
- Odour – Unpleasant odours in your water can be attributed to several factors. For instance, an excess of iron in your water will create a metallic odour, while an elevated level of Hydrogen Sulphide will produce a rotten egg smell. Although most odours are not an indicator of harmful water conditions, they do make your water unappealing.
- Colour – We all picture water as pure and clear without any colour, but many times our drinking water can be tinted by minerals or other factors. The most common complaint is that your water will appear brown or rusty in colour.
In addition to testing for these 7 factors, your local Water Depot Water Treatment Expert will access your family’s water demand, based on the number of people living in your home and the estimated number of gallons of water used per person, per day. This information will factor into the size of the water treatment required to obtain the optimal results.
While the Water Treatment Expert is in your home, they will also assess your plumbing to confirm the size of pipes, location of drains, age of plumbing and determine the optimal location to install your water treatment equipment. Additionally, they will inspect your current plumbing for the presence of galvanized pipe or fittings, leaky or damaged piping, old redundant equipment or any issue that may not meet applicable Plumbing and Drinking Water Standards.
All these factors are looked at when determining your water treatment plan. Your Water Depot Water Treatment Expert will recommend the appropriate equipment at the required size to solve your water issues and ensure you and your family have safe, clean, clear water for many years to come.
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Did you find the information in this article useful? Water Depot are your local water treatment experts, carrying a large selection of water treatment products. Contact us today for your free water test.
