Is “Free” Water Testing Good Enough to Ensure Safety?

If you have a private water well on your property, you may have been tempted by “free” water tests you see offered in stores or online. Are these tests adequate to protect the health of your family? A closer look at them reveals that they may only benefit the company offering the tests and not the well owner. 

Who Offers Free Well Water Tests? 

If you shop in the big home improvement stores located across America, you may find small water testing kits offered at no charge. Just fill a vial and send it in. Home improvement stores and water treatment companies also offer free in-home tests and inspections. A specialist will come to your home to test your water and tell you what’s in it. You can sign up for this in-home test on their websites. 

In checking the test inspection page on the website of one of the big home improvement stores, the purpose of the test is clearly stated: It’s to help the homeowner find out if they have hard water. One water treatment company’s free test only checks for:

  • Hardness (calcium and magnesium)
  • Chlorine
  • Total dissolved solids (TDS)
  • pH (acidity or alkalinity)
  • Iron
  • Odor

It is pretty obvious that the primary purpose of in-home services is to acquire prospects who can be sold water softening systems. Because the majority of America has water that is moderately to extremely hard, there are plenty of prospects in this country for water-softening systems. However, only testing for this one characteristic of water is shortchanging all those Americans whose water is contaminated with toxic minerals, human or fecal waste, industrial chemicals, radon, uranium or hundreds of other undesirable substances.

What a Private Well Owner Should Look For to Protect Their Family’s Health

If a private well owner has never tested their well, the first test they have done should be as comprehensive as possible. This will inform the well owner of the substances that may be entering the well from surrounding soil and rock, or that might be spreading from gas stations, airports, firefighter training facilities, industrial sites or agricultural operations. 

Here are some of the kinds of undesirable substances that may be found in private wells that can be detected in a comprehensive water test:

  1. Microorganisms that leak from septic systems or that drain from animal operations including kennels and feed lots. Microorganisms can also enter a well when small animals or insects make their way through the well’s seals.
  2. Nitrate and nitrite can be added to well water from fertilization of crops or human sewage. Nitrate and nitrite can leak into the well at the surface or be carried in by groundwater movement. 
  3. Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, selenium, chromium, antimony, cadmium and copper can be carried from industrial or mining sites or municipal waste operations into wells via surface water or groundwater. 
  4. Industrial chemicals used to manufacture non-stick items, paints, inks, sealants, pharmaceuticals, electronics and thousands of other products. These include PFAS and PFOA, chemicals used in making non-stick or stain-resistant items and fire-fighting foam; perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel and fireworks; glyphosate, an herbicide; and trihalomethanes, a by-product of municipal water disinfection. 
  5. Radioactive substances such as radon, radium and uranium. 

Health Risks That Are Associated with Common Contaminants

In general, lengthy exposure to substances like heavy metals, industrial chemicals and radioactive substances increases the risk of many types of cancer. Many of these substances can also cause anemia, liver, kidney and nervous system damage. 

Microorganisms can cause digestive upsets which for some people can include life-threatening dehydration and bloody diarrhea. Nitrate and nitrite can be particularly dangerous to babies. Some heavy metals can harm a developing fetus, in particular, lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. 

Providing a family with a safe, healthy supply of water requires professional testing on a regular schedule. After the first comprehensive test, annual testing can inform a well owner of any changes that might need a closer look. To get a fast, thorough test of your well water, choose from ETR Laboratories’ most popular water tests today.