People who live in the country tend to be a self-sufficient lot. They have a lot of responsibilities that city folk simply don’t have to bother with. Things like septic system management and well water testing. When was the last time you heard someone who lived in town talking about having the city water tested?
Probably never, or pretty close to never, but if you live in the country and rely on a spring or well for your drinking water, then you know how important private water testing in Middleburg, VA is. It’s just one of those details you have to see too once a year or so, to make sure the water you’re drinking and giving to your family is safe, and stays that way.
As one of the biggest and most respected independent labs in the region, you can count on us to meet all your private water testing needs in Middleburg, VA. Nobody offers a broader range of tests than we do.
Broadly speaking, our tests can be divided into two groups: Tests related to health and safety, and tests related to water quality.
Naturally, the tests related to health and safety are of vital importance because nothing matters more than the wellbeing of your family, but quality counts for something too, and if you don’t like the way your water tastes, it’s almost always possible to do something about that. Below, we’ll take a quick look at what we offer in both categories:
Private Water Testing In Middleburg, VA – Water Quality Tests
pH – A very high or very low pH level will not only impact the taste of the water you rely on, but high pH levels will actually corrode the pipes in your home over time, which can cause a variety of dangerous metals to leach into the water your family relies on. This is an extremely important test!
Hardness – You’ve almost certainly heard at least some people talk about how ‘hard’ their water is. The reason it’s a problem is that it causes an unsightly scaly residue to build up in your shower, tub, and sinks and hard water prevents soaps from lathering up properly.
Sulfates – Does your water smell like rotten eggs? Sulfates are almost certainly the reason why. This test will confirm it for you and tell you how big the problem is.
Iron – If your sinks, toilet and tub are stained with a reddish-brown discoloration, the likeliest culprit is a high concentration of iron in your water. This test will confirm that to be the root cause of the issue.
Manganese – Like iron, a high concentration of manganese in the water coming into your home will stain your sinks, toilets and tub, along with any clothing you wash.
And Total Dissolved Solids – A small amount of minerals in your water can be a good thing, or at the very least, doesn’t actively work against the quality of your water, but too many dissolved solids can definitely be problematic. This test will tell you what minerals are present, and in what concentrations.
Private Water Testing In Middleburg, VA – Health Concerns
Lead – This is the same issue that Flint, Michigan had with their water supply when the town made national news. In their case, the lead was introduced by automotive plants in the area, but many older homes in our area may have lead in their water leeching in from older pipes inside the home itself. This test will tell you exactly what the lead levels in your water are.
Total Coliform Bacteria – Coliform bacteria is one of the most common causes of gastrointestinal illnesses. If you, or members of your family are experiencing chronic gastrointestinal issues, the water you’re drinking may be the culprit. This test will either confirm that or rule it out.
This should be considered the standard water safety test. Note that if the sample you send us fails this test, then we will automatically test further, for the presence of E-Coli bacteria.
We’ve even seen a few cases where farms that relied on the heavy use of vehicles that ran on leaded gasoline in decades past wound up with high lead content in their private water supplies.
And Nitrates – If you live in an area where there’s lots of agricultural activity, you could easily have a high concentration of nitrates in the water you are drinking. The results of this test will tell you if the level of nitrates in your water is a problem. A high concentration of nitrates can lead to a variety of serious medical conditions and in extreme cases can even be fatal.
As you can see, we offer a wide range of tests! So many, in fact, that you may not be sure which one is right for you. If that’s the boat you find yourself in, not to worry, just give our office a call and talk to one of our technicians about your water.
He or she will ask you some good, probing questions which will help us narrow the field and ultimately make a good recommendation about which tests are the best fit for you and your specific needs.
The bottom line is that testing matters. When it comes to your family’s health and safety, you don’t want to leave anything to chance, and there’s just no reason to live with water when you don’t like the taste.
Give our office a call today and we’ll help you fix both of those issues!