What’s in your Drinking Water?

Have you ever gone to a friend’s house in a different area, or even on the other side of town, tasted their tap water and wondered: “What am I drinking?!”

It is always interesting to see how water quality, and even taste, varies from one water tap to another.  Whether or not you are on well water or city water, it is critical to understand what is actually in the water you are drinking from the faucet.  After all we all need water, and none of us are able to determine the actual water quality of what we are drinking without water testing analytics.  Understanding what we are putting in our bodies and what it may contain is critical to the health and wellness we expect of ourselves.

Isn’t all Water Created Equally?

So why does water taste different everywhere you go? This is because as the water makes its way from where it started, to the point where it comes out of your faucet, it has been on quite a journey.  The journey from source to tap is long and creates an opportunity for the water to travel through multiple mediums and treatment centers.  Along this journey the water can mix with different minerals, compounds, and contaminants. These could be from a variety of sources like poor municipal infrastructure (lead pipes), poor water supply systems at your own home (galvanized pipes), or municipal water treatment centers which inject additives to clean the water of bacterial contaminants.  If your water supply is sourced from a well, the nature of the ground water around that well, such as iron, limestone, and other earth elements, may impact the water quality and can even create a sulfuric effect.  Which makes your water smells like rotten eggs. (Everyone’s favorite, right?!) Many of the things that make your water taste or smell differently are harmless and just a characteristic of the area you live in. But sometimes your water is carrying along with it a high level of contaminants and bacteria that can be harmful for you to ingest.

What is Water Quality Testing?

To find out exactly what is in the water you are drinking, we recommend having water quality testing done. This test can be done on private wells and also on city supplied faucets. It tests for any potential contaminants and overall assessment of water quality. This involves having Southern Brothers Inspections come out to your home or place of business and collect water samples for a complete water quality analysis.  After your water quality samples are collected, Southern Brothers Inspections will send them off to a specialty lab for further testing. Your test results will give you a full breakdown of exactly what is found in your water supply.

Testing can include:

-Total Coliform           – Turbidity                  -Nitrate

– E. Coli                        – Iron                          – Nitrite

– Lead                          – Maganese               – pH

Once your water quality analysis is completed by the lab, you will receive a detailed breakdown showing you what elements make up your water.  No natural water source is completely free of contaminants, but water quality testing helps to ensure that your drinking water is safe for consumption.  If the water quality analysis comes back negatively, Southern Brothers Inspections will guide you through next steps on how to determine the appropriate actions for water quality treatment.

Schedule your Water Quality Test Today!

Southern Brothers Inspections is ready to help you discover what’s in your water. Visit our website to schedule online, or call us at 904.747.0888 to schedule today!