Comments on: DIY: Checking You Home Drinking Water Quality

By: Danny Mavromatis

Danny Mavromatis — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:28:21 +0000

Mark,
Looks like that one is the same… yes, they also make a Ph tester… thinking about getting that one too!
Danny

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:04:03 +0000

Would it make sense to pay $47.49 + $7.99 shipping from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/COM100-WATERPROOF-TEMP-COMBO-METER/dp/B000VVVEUI/ref=pd_sim_k_title_1)? The same company also makes a Ph tester.

By: Terry

Terry — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:11:35 +0000

Water nerds!

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:06:40 +0000

If you can’t afford your own meter, and you are on a municipal or community water source (i.e. you don’t rely on your own well) You can look at your system’s CCR (Consumer Confidence Report) which will give you an overview of water quality for the past year and let you know if any tests were over an EPA maximum contaminate level for things like heavy metals, bacteriological contamination, radionuclides ect. Most cities will have theirs posted on their website.
Of course, the only way to know the quality of the water coming specifically out of your tap is to test the water out of your tap. However bacteriological contamination, Volatile Organic Compunds and harmful byproducts from chlorination disinfection (trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid) won’t affect TDS or EC readings. But those should be on a CCR if they are present in the water supply.