It would be great if we could safely drink the tap water in our home but this probably isn’t possible without some water testing kits. It’s even unimaginable to use untested tap water for the plants. So, drinking it for ourselves is certainly out of the question.
A water testing kit can provide numerous benefits. It can detect the water contaminant that might be in your tap water, well water, pool, or any other source. This eliminates the need to pay top dollar for professional consultation.
Plus, these water testing kits will help determine just what contaminants are lurking in your water. No waiting for lab test results; you get to know the problem and start working on it almost immediately.
It’s not hard to use a water testing kit on your own. The instructions are usually clear. That’s why you don’t have to worry about any complications.
Curious about these kits yet?
Let’s discuss them further below.
How Do Water Testing Kits Work and What Do They Test?
If this is the first time you’re hearing about water testing kits, you’d probably have this question in mind, “how do they work?”
Fortunately, modern chemistry now gives you the ability to test any kind of water without having to rely on a laboratory.
As you conduct these tests, the kit will show the chemicals that are present in your water. This even includes the substances that are only present in minuscule concentrations.
Thankfully, these water testing kits don’t cost an arm and leg either. With the right kit on hand, you can quickly check whether your pool water is safe to swim in or if your tap water/well water is suitable for drinking.
The contaminants that these water testing kits can detect include bacteria, iron, pesticides, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine, lead, etc. They also check the pH level, alkalinity, and hardness of the water.
The functionality of these tests depends on what kind you use. Let’s discuss these separately now:
Color disk kits
Color disk water testing kits work when you add a powder and some water to a reusable tube. You can then put the tube in a viewing box, which has a plastic disk with a color gradient.
When you rotate this disk, you can find the part that matches the sample. After that, it’s a matter of seconds to check what concentration of the chemical that particular shade means.
Disk tests are usually a bit complicated, which also makes them more costly than other options. However, they have the advantage of being more accurate.
Test strips
These strips are an affordable option for testing water. They’re single-use strips that can change color when dipped in water. The resulting color indicates what chemicals are present within the liquid.
There should be a color card in the packaging for the test strips as well. Once you’ve waited long enough after dipping the strip in the sample, it should be possible to match the color to the chart.
Hand-held digital instruments
Digital devices might give you the most accurate results of all. However, these are also the most expensive option and require both batteries plus correct calibration.
How to Choose a Water Testing Kit
Though you can install the right shower head to protect your hair and skin from hard water, you’ll need to go a step further when it comes to drinking water that’s free of harmful minerals. That’s when you should choose the water testing kit that fulfills your need.
With the various options out there, it can be challenging to choose a specific water testing kit. The following factors will help you decide:
Know the source of water
The first consideration is the kind of water you want to test. Most water testing kits are formulated and designed for specific water sources.
For instance, a kit for testing well water might be different from one that tests a public water supply.
The kits will test for the common contaminants in that specific source of water. Before you place any orders, make sure your kind of water is mentioned in the description.
Finding out about the testing method
Water testing kits take different time periods to show a result. If you’re not too concerned about time, you may settle for a kit that takes longer but is more accurate.
If you’re in a hurry, though, you should go for the at-home kits.
Know your requirements
If you just want to test for a couple of contaminants instead of every single substance in your water, a less expensive test might do.
A more expensive option will give you a whole list of possible contaminants. So, you can reassess what you need.
Recommended Read: The 8 Best Water Softener Shower Head Options for 2020
The Best Water Testing Kits Today
We now come to the best water testing kits one can find on the market today.
One of these could be your path towards safe drinking water no matter where you are:
HoneForest
This HoneForest model is a great all-rounder water tester. It can test the quality of your water along with assessing the aquaculture, water purification applications, water treatment, etc.
The model here is quite easy to operate and reliable as well. That’s why you might want to make it part of your household arsenal.
You also get a 3-year warranty, automatic locking, and a backlit function. The model will turn itself off after two minutes if not in use, thus, saving your battery.
We especially like the carrying case with this option. It offers some protection and also has a belt clip for convenient carrying.
WaterSafe
The WaterSafe water testing kit is also a leading choice when it comes to ensuring safe H20. It’s a DIY model that can help to identify the common contaminant in your tap water.
Some possible substances you can find here include lead, chlorine, pesticides, copper, etc. You can also determine the pH level of your water and its hardness level.
This kit works with test strips. Therefore, it’s one of the more affordable options out there.
You’ll also get test vials and detailed instruction on using the strips plus interpreting the results. However, such a choice might not be too easy to use in the beginning.
Health Metric
If you have well water to test, it’s worth checking out this Health Metric option before consuming a single drop. Private wells aren’t under EPA regulation, so you’re on your own when it comes to proper testing.
Fortunately, tests like these will help you identify any harmful bacteria and other substances in such water sources.
This water testing kit will ensure that your well water is good enough to drink. It will give you information about nitrates, nitrites, hydrogen, manganese, and several other potential contaminants in the water.
What’s even better is that the kit is simple to use, with straightforward instructions and lab-grade results.
Hach 2745250
The Hach 2745250 is one of the less expensive products on this list. But that doesn’t mean it compromises on quality. You can easily detect the water hardness level with this kit without the need to break the bank.
If you do find that a certain kind of water is very hard, that means it has a high level of magnesium and calcium ions.
You can then take steps to get rid of these issues and make the water fit for drinking as soon as possible.
This kit also provides test strips that change color according to the water hardness. By consulting the color chart in the package, you can easily figure out your next move to get clean, safe water.
Safe Home
The Safe Home water testing kit has topped many lists that talk about such items. It requires a bit of effort on your part: gathering water samples and sending them to a lab for testing.
The law in question here is certified by the EPA. So, you’re in good hands.
With the lab results from this kit, you can get to know and analyze around 200 contaminants. This option might be a bit more expensive than the others we’ve discussed so far. But it does seem to deliver.
You get the results within 10 business days while the sample sending is free of charge. Don’t worry about the tests not arriving soon; if the time slot passes, you get another test completely free!
SJ Wave
The SJ Wave water testing kit is meant to test no less than 16 parameters. This will give you a thorough analysis of the water, either confirming or dispelling your contamination concerns.
In the package, you get a hundred test strips along with a dropper and a testing tube. There’s also an instruction booklet that’s color-coded for easy perusal.
Other great additions include an eBook about safe drinking water and a testing record chart with information from the WHO.
Overall, we’re impressed with the wide coverage of this test. It measures pH levels, chlorine levels, and the presence of lead along with copper, nitrate, lead, nitrate, and several other substances.
The procedure for using the kit is simple enough but the manuals will make it a breeze even for novices.
PurTest
The PurTest water analysis kit is an EPA-based option that gives comprehensive results. That way, you can quickly test the drinking water you have at home without much hassle.
It’s essential to drink safe and clean water at all times, and this is one of the tests that can help you out.
There’s also a free handbook included with the testing kit here. This will give you pointers in basic water knowledge, which might be useful in the long run.
The test itself is lab-certified and its results are no less accurate than the ones from a laboratory. You can get to know about 11 of the most common contaminants and rule them out before taking a sip.
Test Assured
The Test Assured kit is formulated especially for ensuring that your drinking water is safe. Overall, the testing procedure might take 10 minutes.
In the end, it will inform you about the presence (or lack) of pesticides, lead, harmful bacteria, iron, and copper in your water.
This kit has 10 tests in one package. After running this, you may hope to be free of the common and most harmful contaminants that can get into your water.
It’s also reassuring to know that the kit was made in the United States. This gives us some guarantee of high quality and accurate results.
What’s even more fortunate is that you don’t have to mail in any samples but can get the result almost immediately.
You can use this kit with tap water, municipal water, groundwater, spring water, residential drinking water, and even well water.
Ideal House
The Ideal House water tester kit is great for testing the water in pipes, aquariums, pools, and so on. It’s a convenient testing kit that can detect hardness and pH levels as well as the presence of several common contaminants.
All in all, this impressive water testing kit has whopping 16 functions in one go. You can get results in as little as 60 seconds and can then take the steps as needed.
You also get a warranty for 180 days here. That should be enough to assure yourself of the item. Using the stripes might be a bit difficult at first but practice makes perfect.
JNW
The JNW water testing kit will help to determine whether you’re surviving on hard or soft water. Once you’re able to assess this correctly, you can see whether your water softener is functioning properly.
This test also gives you the signal to recheck large appliances like hot water heaters, dishwashers, etc. Reading the results could be a challenge for some. But the company is more than happy to help out.
When you know that the water hardness is something to worry about, you’d be more likely to take the required precautions. This could potentially increase the lifespan of your expensive appliances and prevent a major loss in the future.
So, Which One Is the Best?
While all the water testing kits above seem to be quite comprehensive, we’d choose the Safe Home option at the end of the day.
While this testing procedure might take a longer time than other options, it does provide the most accurate results. Since we’re looking for safety above all, this will probably be our highest recommendation.
So, which of the above water testing kits fits your requirements? We’d love to know your opinion.
Recommended Read: Water Softener Installation – The Complete Guide on how to Install a Water Softener