Regular well water testing is important to maintain your supply of clean, fresh water and to keep your family safe and healthy.
When To Test Your Water
As a prospective homebuyer, you should always test the water when considering a home with a private well. After you buy the property, check for bacteria and nitrates yearly and perform other tests every three to five years. More frequent testing may be required if there has been a flood, suspected contamination or if the water smells bad, taste strange or is discolored.
Contact a water specialist for advice on testing your water. Skillings & Sons offers well water testing kits that you can pick up at the company’s 9 Columbia Drive office in Amherst. After you take a water sample, you bring it right back to Skillings & Sons. Tests are conducted by Granite State Analytical, a lab accredited by the state to provide well water testing services; Skillings & Sons will help you interpret the results and suggest a course of action, if necessary.
What To Test Your Water For
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services offers guidelines for how often water should be tested for particular substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) and radon.
Listings of accredited labs that provide water testing services are available for New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Once you get your tests results, knowledgeable water treatment experts can help you to interpret them. They can tell you what substances were found in your sample and what, if any, further steps should be taken. Remember: Finding contaminants in your well water doesn’t automatically mean there’s a problem – some of these substances occur naturally and don’t pose a health risk if they are below recommended levels. Only when levels exceed state or federal health guidelines will corrective action need to be taken.
