The Ultimate Guide To Home Water Testing

Are you getting weird odors and taste in your drinking water? Don’t ignore this, as your water can be dangerously contaminated by hydrogen sulfide, excess chlorine, or harmful organic compounds.

Knowing about different water contaminants and proper testing methods through a water test kit can save you from serious health effects. 

And that’s why we present you with a detailed home water testing guide in 2024 based on CDC recommendations. Let’s dive in!

What Are The Most Common Contaminants In Drinking Water?

Drinking Water Source	The Most Common Contaminants Found
Well Water	Iron & Manganese, Sodium, Chlorine & chloramine, Hydrogen sulfide, Lead, VOCs, Nitrate, Radon, Coliform Bacteria, and others.
City Water	Lead, Fluoride, Cryptosporidium, Arsenic, Copper, Nitrate, Radon, and others.

EPA generally maintains a Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) to classify different contaminants found in wells and city water. The list is as follows:

Physical Contaminants	Chemical Contaminants	Biological Contaminants	Radiological Contaminants
Sediment	Iron & Manganese Chlorine & chloramine Hydrogen sulfide Lead Fluoride Sodium Arsenic Copper Nitrate Mercury Pharmaceuticals, Herbicides, VOCs, and others.	Coliform bacteria Cryptosporidium Giardia E.coli  Legionella and other microbes	Radium Radon Uranium along with others

Physical Contaminants

Sediment: 

Sediment is a collective name for soil particles, dead animal & plant matter, loose sand, clay, or silt. They get into the surface or groundwater from soil erosion, surface runoff carried by rain or snowfall, and wind and can be detected through water testing kits.  

Excess sediment deposition in water or water bodies, as detected through the water test kit, results in

Besides, they disturb the food chain, reduce fish population, alter river water flow, and affect river depth. 

Chemical Contaminants

Iron and Manganese: 

Both iron and manganese are frequently found in groundwater. However, the concentration of iron is usually much higher than that of manganese. 

If the test results come positive, you must install an iron/manganese filtration system to prevent the harmful effects of more than 0.3 mg/L of iron+manganese, which include:

Chlorine & Chloramine: 

Chlorine, a potent oxidant used in treating various microbes in water (in diluted form), and chloramine, a secondary disinfectant, are usually used by multiple municipal water systems to fight the microbes present in the local water supply.

To avoid these issues caused by chloramines and chlorine, you should perform your home water test using a water testing kit. 

Hydrogen sulfide:

It originates from decaying plants or other decomposing underground deposits. It is brought in water by sulfur-reducing bacteria that chemically transform the natural sulfates into it. 

The presence of hydrogen sulfide in water as detected by water quality test:

Lead:

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause coma and even death if ingested in small doses. 

The following factors determine the lead amount in your home water:

The lead attacks your central nervous system, and children can suffer from behavioral disorders and impaired brain development.

Fluoride:

Whether fluoride in water is safe or not is debatable. 

However, considering its benefits, it is used (kept within a limit of 0.7 mg/l) for treating contaminated water and preventing tooth decay. 

Sodium:

Sodium and chloride are formed as a byproduct when you dissolve salt in water. The sources of sodium in water include:

Sodium in drinking water might not be suitable for people on low-sodium diets or who have high BP, heart disorders, liver issues, or any kidney condition.

Excess sodium can lead to several health issues:

Arsenic:

Arsenic is a toxic and tasteless element in various midwest US regions like Michigan. Even a small dose of arsenic in your drinking water may turn fatal for your health. Its harmful health effects include:

Copper:

Copper enters drinking water from copper pipes & fixtures and can cause various complications if present over 1300 ug/L:

Nitrate:

Nitrate usually comes in water from:

If present over 10 ppm in water can cause:

If you have an infant below six months, they are at a higher risk of nitrate poisoning. 

Mercury:

Mercury, a liquid metal, mainly arises from natural deposits and gets into the water by either erosion or landfill and cropland runoff.

The EPA safe limit for mercury in water is 2 ppb or 0.002 mg/L. Exposure to inorganic mercury can cause:

Infants and toddlers are most vulnerable to its adverse health effects.  

Pharmaceuticals, Herbicides, VOCs, and others:

Pharmaceuticals (like antacids, antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, steroids, antibiotics, therapeutic medicines, and veterinary medications), herbicides (like Atrazine), and Volatile Organic Compounds are all synthetic chemicals that enter the drinking water supply from:

They can cause:

Biological Contaminants

Coliform Bacteria: 

EPA classifies coliform bacteria as non-risky to public health. However, its presence in drinking water may indicate the presence of harmful pathogens, which in turn can cause diseases. 

The primary source of coliform bacteria is the surface runoff of animal or human feces into water sources.

Cryptosporidium: 

Like coliform bacteria, EPA doesn’t recognize Cryptosporidium (“Crypto” for short) as a health hazard. However, its long-term exposure can lead to:

Giardia: 

Better known as Giardia Iamblia, this microscopic parasite can cause giardiasis, a small intestinal infection that is characterized by:

It usually travels into your home water through fecal waste. However, EPA classifies Giardia as zero MLC (meaning no health risk), just like coliform bacteria and Cryptosporidium. 

E.coli: 

It enters your drinking water from:

If you consume E. coli bacteria along with water, you will face:

Boiling your water before drinking for 1 – 3 minutes, disinfecting it through the spread of chemicals, or installing filters saves you from E.coli. 

Legionella and Other Microbes:

Another zero MLC, Legionella, is found naturally in water and thrives in water heater tanks below 120^o F with nutrients like sediment, scale, sludge, and some water organisms. 

Its long-term exposure can cause:

Radiological Contaminants

Radium: 

Radium naturally occurs from rocks and soil in the earth’s crust. 

80% of radium ingested through drinking water is passed off as feces, whereas the remaining 20% can get absorbed in bones, which can lead to:

Radon: 

Radon is an odorless and colorless radioactive element that emerges naturally in the atmosphere and exists in various rocks or soil within the earth’s crust. This inert gas has many isotopes and can spread rapidly outdoors. 

Showering or washing laundry in radon-contaminated water is more dangerous than drinking it. It is because these activities trap radon within the indoor atmosphere and make you prone to lung cancer (through its long-term exposure).  

Uranium: 

It is another radioactive element that arises naturally in groundwater and through human activities. High levels of uranium in water result from nitrate pollution and undue groundwater table deterioration. 

EPA prescribes 30 ug/L as the safe limit for uranium in drinking water. Its long-term exposure beyond the safety limit can lead to serious kidney diseases.  

Read: How To Remove Uranium From Well Water

When Should You Do a Home Water Test?

If you use city water, we recommend going through CCR to check the water quality in your area. 

Contact state-certified labs for the water test if you find anything unusual in CCR or your water supply, like the weird taste, smell, lather soaps not producing lather, etc.

Also, consider water testing if:

Home Water Testing FAQs