If you live in the country, you probably pride yourself on self-sufficiency, and with good reason. Country life is a very different proposition than city life. There aren’t as many services and conveniences, which leads to greater self-reliance. You may not have access to garbage pickup. You probably have a septic system which you have to maintain yourself, rather than having the convenience of a city sewage connection, and odds are excellent that you get your water from either a well or a spring located somewhere on your property.
Those aren’t bad things at all, but since there’s no government agency that comes around to check and ensure the quality of the water coming from private wells and springs, it means you’ve got to do that too. That’s why performing regular water tests on your Manassas, VA property is so important.
Testing acts as an early warning system, and there are all sorts of things that can influence the quality and safety of the water you rely on that are totally out of your control. For example, if you live in the country, you almost certainly live around lots of farming and ranching activity, even if you’re not engaging in it yourself, and runoff from those activities can seep into the water you’re pulling from your well, which means it winds up inside you. That can lead to serious illness or even death.
Your family’s health is not something you want to take chances with, so if you even suspect there’s a problem with the water coming out of your tap, then you owe it to yourself to take advantage of our water test service in Manassas, VA as soon as you can arrange it.
If it happens that testing reveals no issues, that’s outstanding! There’s tremendous peace of mind in knowing that the water you and your family rely on for drinking, bathing and cooking is absolutely safe.
On the other hand, if one or more problems are revealed, then at least you can take comfort in the fact that you know what you’re up against and can use the information gleaned from the tests to begin putting together a remediation strategy.
In terms of the water tests we offer in Manassas, VA, here’s a quick overview:
Here’s a quick overview of the:
Total Coliform Bacteria
Coliform bacteria are bad news any time they’re found in local water supplies. They can make your family sick, and in some cases, they can even kill. If you, or a member of your household are suffering from some type of gastrointestinal problem and you can’t seem to shake it, it’s probably being caused by continued exposure, which is exactly what happens if it’s in your water.
This test will either confirm that your water is the source of the contamination, or definitively rule it out. It’s also worth mentioning that for all practical purposes this is the ‘standard’ water test. The one most people rely on first when some type of water issue is suspected.
It’s also worth noting that if you send us a sample and it fails this test, we will automatically test for the presence of E-Coli bacteria.
Lead
Flint Michigan crisis exposed the dangers of lead in water. Lead in our homes can come from old lead pipes on our property, so testing for lead is a good idea.
This test is something to consider even if you live in town as you could have old lead pipes. Also remember that the EPA states there are 100,000 communities with water as bad or worse than was in Flint during the water crisis, when it comes to lead.
Nitrates
High nitrates are typically found in homes around farms and agriculture, where runoff can contaminate the water supply. Increased concentrations of nitrates in drinking water can cause serious health issues, please be aware. This test tests for Nitrate levels so you can take appropriate actions in case it is positive.
It should be noted though, that we offer a number of other water tests in Manassas, VA that are centered on quality and taste issues. While these aren’t as serious as health-related concerned, they still matter, because if you’ve moved around over the course of your life, you know that water taste and quality varies greatly from one location to another.
Maybe your water tastes fine and doesn’t leave discolored rings around the rim of your toilet or stain your clothes when you do laundry. Maybe it tastes cold and fresh and bracing. Or maybe it smells like rotten eggs and has a bitter aftertaste.
The good news is that all of the issues we mentioned above are completely fixable but again, testing is the first step. Until you test, you don’t know what the root cause of the issue is, which means you can’t put together a plan to improve your water’s taste and quality.
Here’s a quick overview of the water tests we offer in Manassas, VA that relate to water taste and quality:
Hardness
You’ve probably heard or know about “hard water”, it causes residual stains and scales on surfaces of tubs, sinks etc. You can find it difficult to lather soap also with hard water. Testing for it, then eliminating it would improve your life.
Iron
If your sinks etc. are stained with reddish-brown stains, the cause could be high iron levels in your water. This test will help you with that.
Manganese
Just like iron, manganese can also cause stains, but not just in sinks and tubs but also on your clothing. If you have these symptoms it’s best to get tested for manganese as well. Give us a call, we’ll help you figure out what to test for.
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!
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.
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.
As you can see, we offer a staggering variety of tests that cover just about every conceivable issue or situation, so whatever problem you’re having, we’ve got you covered on the testing front, and again, if you don’t understand what’s causing whatever issue you’re having, then you can’t map out a strategy to correct it. That’s why testing matters.
The question then, is how happy are you with the water coming out of your tap? Is the taste appealing to you, or do you find yourself picking up cases of bottled water so you can avoid drinking the water coming out of the tap?
Are you concerned that one or more members of your family might be suffering from some kind of waterborne illness and the water source you rely on, whether it comes from a municipal system or from a well or spring located on your property, might be the culprit, or at least a contributing factor?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you owe it to yourself to have your water tested as soon as possible so you can get a baseline, then have your water re-tested at periodic intervals—we recommend about once a year—so you can track the changes to your water profile over time. Earlier, we mentioned that testing can act as an early warning system allowing you to spot problems while they’re still small and relatively inexpensive to correct, and regular testing represents the how.
If you’re not sure which tests you need, that’s not a problem either. We employ some of the finest analysts and technicians in the industry and they’ll be able to ask good, probing questions about your water to help guide you toward the tests you need. Call us today.