WaterAnswer.com

Testing your water sounds complicated. It doesn’t have to be.

You don’t need to test for everything. You need to test for the things most likely to be present in your water given where you live and what your water source is. That narrows the list considerably.

Two Ways to Test

At-home test kits give you results in minutes using colorimetric test strips or liquid reagents. They’re good for quick checks of common parameters: hardness, pH, chlorine, iron, nitrate, lead (at higher concentrations), and sometimes bacteria.

Their limits are real. The detection threshold for lead test strips is typically 15–20 ppb — at or above the EPA action level. Below that, strips won’t tell you anything useful. PFAS can’t be measured this way at all. For a quick triage or a general water health check, they work fine.

Mail-in laboratory tests send your water sample to a certified lab. The lab uses EPA-certified analytical methods — gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, ICP-MS for metals. Results come back as numerical concentrations across dozens or hundreds of parameters.

The written lab report shows each contaminant’s measured level against the EPA MCL, so you can see not just whether something is detected, but how far above or below the limit it falls. This is what you need for PFAS, arsenic, VOCs, and any contaminant where the health concern is at very low concentrations.

How to Choose

A few questions narrow it down fast.

Do you have a private well? Start with a mail-in lab test covering bacteria, nitrates, iron, manganese, hardness, pH, and arsenic. This is the baseline every well owner needs.

Are you in an area with known PFAS contamination (near a military base, airport, or industrial site)? A mail-in test with a PFAS panel is the only option. Look for EPA Method 533 or 537.1.

Do you have an older home (pre-1986) with copper plumbing? Test for lead with a mail-in lab. First-draw sampling protocol matters for accuracy.

Do you just want a quick check of your tap water quality and live in a city with modern infrastructure? An at-home kit covers the basics.

Understanding Lab Certification

When you send water to a lab, certification matters. A lab with NELAP (National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program) certification meets EPA standards for analytical methods, quality control, and chain-of-custody procedures.

Some states have their own equivalent certification. The EPA’s website lists certified labs by state: EPA Certified Laboratories.

Results from a certified lab are legally defensible if you ever need them for a real estate transaction, tenant complaint, or regulatory issue.

Reading Your Results

Lab reports list each parameter with:

  • Your measured concentration
  • The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) — the legal limit
  • The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) — the health-based target, which is sometimes lower than the enforceable limit

A result of “ND” (not detected) means the contaminant wasn’t found above the lab’s reporting limit. That’s not the same as zero — it means below the detectable threshold.

Any result above the MCL is a regulatory violation for utility water and a clear action flag for well water. Results between the MCLG and MCL (like lead between 0 and 15 ppb) are legally compliant but may still warrant a filter, especially for children.

What to Do With Your Results

A clean test doesn’t mean you’ll never need to test again. Conditions change — new neighbors, drought years, aging pipes, nearby development. Testing gives you a snapshot, not a permanent answer.

If you find a contaminant above your comfort threshold, treatment decisions should be based on what’s actually present. See:

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an at-home test kit and a mail-in lab test?
At-home kits use colorimetric strips or reagent drops. Results in minutes. They cover a limited number of parameters and have detection limits well above what labs can measure — you can't detect PFAS at 4 ppt with a strip test. Mail-in labs use EPA-certified analytical methods. They detect far more contaminants at much lower concentrations and provide a written report.
What should I test for first?
For city water: lead (especially in pre-1986 homes), PFAS if you live near a military base or industrial site, and nitrates if you have a private concern. For well water: bacteria, nitrates, and iron as a baseline, then expand based on your location and land use nearby.
How often should I test my water?
City water customers: every 2–3 years for peace of mind, or whenever you see changes in taste, odor, or color. Well water owners: bacteria and nitrates annually at minimum, comprehensive panel every 3–5 years or when conditions change.
Does my utility's CCR tell me everything?
No. The CCR reports results from the treatment plant exit point. It doesn't capture what happens in your building's plumbing, and it covers only regulated contaminants. PFAS testing under the EPA's UCMR5 program may not yet appear in your CCR.