How to Test Your Water at Home

Why Should I Test My Water Quality?

From drinking to cooking and cleaning, water is something you use every day. And while your water may appear clean to the naked eye, you can’t always detect contaminated water by just looking at it.* While some problems surface in the form of foul odors, tastes or residue, others may go unnoticed. That’s why it’s important to regularly test your water so that you can provide your loved ones with fresher, cleaner water.

You should test your water quality if you:

• Moved into a new home
• Obtain your water supply from a private well
• Notice foul tastes or odors in your food or water
• Spot stains near faucets, drains or on water-using appliances

How often should you test your water quality? We suggest once a year, if not more often, to account for changes in your local water supply that may go unannounced. Whether you receive your water from a public water supply or from a private well, it’s susceptible to contaminants. Be sure you know exactly what’s in your water by getting it tested.

What Water Problems Should I Be Looking For?

Below are some of the most common issues and concerns you may come across in your home’s water:

• Hardness: Hard water has a high concentration of components like magnesium and calcium, which can cause skin irritation, spotty dishes, stiff laundry, and plumbing and pipe corrosion
• Chlorine: While not an immediate health concern, chlorine in your water is a common cause of unpleasant tastes and smells
• Total dissolved solids (TDS): High levels of dissolved minerals in your water, like calcium, lead, and iron, can make your water look cloudy and have a bitter, metallic taste
• pH: If your water’s pH level becomes too low or high, it can have a sour taste, reduce water pressure, feel slimy or leave deposits on surfaces
• Nitrates: Difficult to detect by taste, sight or smell, nitrates can have a negative impact on your family’s health
• Iron: Iron is a common component of hard water and can cause damage to your appliances, pipes and fixtures; rust-colored stains in sinks are a telltale sign
• Hydrogen Sulfide: The trademark sign of this issue is that rotten-egg, sulfur-water smell, most often affecting homes with well water

How Can I Test My Water Quality?

The best approach is to have your water tested by a trusted professional. Your local Culligan Water Expert can conduct an in-home water test at a date and time that’s most convenient to you. Choose from our basic test or our lab test.

A basic consultation is free of charge and can test for  levels of hardness, chlorine, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, nitrates, iron, and more. For harder-to-identify water problems, your water also can be sent to our IL EPA-certified lab for in-depth analytical testing. These tests can identify lead, hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, copper, bacteria and other contaminants.

Ready to get started? Contact your local Culligan expert to learn more.

*Contaminants may not necessarily be in your water.