Modern times require modern solutions. We have heard this sentence so many times, yet we rarely pay attention to what it really means. Modern times made a lot of things easier but made some really simple ones, like living a healthy life, much harder than they used to be.
We now have to monitor a lot of things we used to take for granted, and one of them is water. Besides the fact that there are organic things in our water, there are many many chemicals that are a result of global issues.
Let’s talk a bit more about the problem relating our drinking water and how you could possibly test your water to see if you are having this problem worse than others.
How Does Your Water Get Contaminated?
Unlike many conspiracy theories say, no one is actually poisoning our waters. At least not directly. Our waters get contaminated over the years, thanks to the daily use of many fuels, plastic, gases, and similar toxic compounds.
Let us name things that big companies and small people do that don’t help the situation at all: agriculture, fertilizers, pesticides, animal-based and plant-based waste, car and vehicle leftovers, septic systems, industrial disposal systems, leaking tanks in the world, etc.
Don’t forget that water often travels through ground and ground is impacted by many more contaminants. We are having much more trouble on our hands than we think we do.
How To Test Your Drinking Water Quality?
First, we have to disclose one thing, and that’s the fact that water is not just „clean or dirty”. Water quality has to be determined in many ways: taste, smell, chemical quality and many more. The whole process is often much more complicated than we think and that’s why we also need help determining the issue. Let’s go over certain ways that are a great starting point for your little research.
What is in my water?
The biggest issue is usually bacteria because it can cause health issues. You can feel sick or even get a stomach ache because of them. Worst case scenario, you encounter streptococci and get sick.
Too much iron can also be a health concern, but iron also significantly changes the taste and the smell of your water.
Manganese can cause black or purple changes in water and will make it bitter. It’s not that often to see it in water, though, and when there is some, it’s usually near chemistry labs or big industrial properties.
Sulfur smells like spoiled eggs and can be a result of too much bacteria. Lead is dangerous to drink and is caused by bad plumbing, while sand is just carried by water and can be an issue if you drink too much of it and it gets into your kidneys.
Find a local lab
You can do this both independently or by calling your local water supplier. If you don’t know who that is and you’re not sure where to start, Google your state/country and try to find a source written by the state.
When you contact them, they will probably be open to any inquiries and will check the water themselves for a certain price or will give you a test kit and analyze it themselves.
Get a test kit in your local supermarket
Water tests usually are just plastic parts that react to the hardness and pH of your water, but some have the ability to detect bacteria, lead, pesticides and much more. Some of them need to be sent to the lab to be checked out, while others can be used at home, with no professional help.
This is obviously cheaper and seems more convenient, but these kits are often not accurate at all. Although the packages of the products claim they do wonders, you mostly won’t be able to find anything special in your water with these.
Just make sure to follow the directions very clearly, otherwise, you may be the one making the mistake.
Use your senses
Many people find this funny, but using the equipment you already have: your eyes, nose and mouth, is sometimes good enough to notice harmful things in your water.
If the water smells like chlorine, you’ll smell a bleach-like sensation. Rotten eggs mean there is too much sulfur in your water. An earth smell says that there is a lot of organic compounds, which doesn’t have to be harmful, but is an alarm to check the water quality further.
When tasting the water, pay attention to the undertones. Salty water means there’s too much chlorine. Sometimes you can even teaste a bleach-like undertone from the excess chlorine as well. In most cases, water tastes like metal which is purely a pH problem, usually not sometimes to be bothered by.
Check out if there is any sediment: this could mean your water is very hard, which can lead to your pipes getting clogged soon. Colored water usually means pollution or rust, so make sure to get a plumber to check your kitchen/bathroom.
Check if anyone near you has done research already
There could possibly be websites or people that have already mastered the craft you’re trying to learn, so make sure to check them out to see if you can maybe benefit from someone else’s research and potentially save some cash as well.
The state should also have the water status online, but it can be a tough thing to find it, so make sure you Google all of the possible keywords and that you contact the state’s water office if you can’t find anything.
Summary
There are possible tests you can do to check if the water surrounding your house and your street is good quality or not. Sometimes you can’t do much so you will have to resort to what’s offered by the state. You should first try the cheapest option: talk to the state and search for the info online.
If that doesn’t work, you can go and buy a home test or you can get a professional to do it for you and analyze a sample in the lab. It’s really up to you and your preference. Most people like it when they don’t have to pay much, but in this case, it’s better to invest.
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