Make sure your home’s water supply is clean, healthy, and free of contaminants.
Having your well water supply inspected is crucial. While some contamination issues are obvious to determine either through tastes, scents or discoloration, there are those that are difficult to detect without a professional water inspection. At Florida’s Favorite Home Inspections we offer high-quality well water inspections and testing, ensuring to deliver accurate and timely results every time.
Whether you’re buying a new home or think that your own home’s water quality may not be up to par, water testing is a good way to check for dangerous contaminants and bacteria which could be harmful to your health. Water testing is particularly important in older homes, which may use copper pipes and solder that contain high amounts of lead.
The water testing process.
The process of water testing is quite simple. Your qualified inspector can take a sample of your water during your full home inspection, or can come out to take a sample if a full home inspection isn’t requested.
Then, these water samples will be sent to a certified laboratory. At this laboratory, your water will be tested for certain contaminants like lead and other minerals, as well as bacteria and any other dangerous contaminants. Once the testing is complete, you will receive a full report about your water quality, including any notable dangerous substances that were found.
What the lab tests for.
Primarily, your water will be tested for two types of contaminants: minerals and bacteria. Specifically, the minerals the lab looks for are nitrates, nitrites, and lead Bacteria tested are coliforms (including e coli).
While trace amounts of minerals in your water are not harmful, The EPA has identified about 80 different contaminants that can impact water quality. Heavy metals and minerals, such as lead, are dangerous. Lead, in particular, can cause long-term damage to the brains and nervous systems of children, and also contributes to issues like low birth weight. In adults, lead can cause kidney dysfunction, heart disease, and infertility.
Bacteria are also a concern. Common waterborne pathogens like giardia lamblia and other bacteria and microorganisms like protozoa can be dangerous in your water supply, and cause serious illness in both humans and animals.
Water testing from a professional lab will test for all common bacteria, microorganisms, and other contaminants, and allow you to read a full, comprehensive report outlining everything that has been found in your water supply.