Water Testing Overview

Well water requires water testing for full chemical and bacterial evaluation to check for unknown contaminants prior to choosing water treatment equipment to ensure correct selection and so manufacturer warranties remain valid.

Deal directly with accredited water testing laboratories to ensure accurate, impartial, professional and verifiable tests are carried out and avoid any possible conflict of interest with water treatment equipment suppliers.

• Ideally water testing laboratories should be HSE labs and/or INAB approved water testing laboratories.
• Water testing sample bottles are provided by water testing laboratories (1 litre chem. test / 0.5 litre bacterial test).
• Run mains taps for two minutes and fill water testing sample water to top of the bottle to expel air.
• Ensure bacterial water testing samples arrive at water testing laboratory by noon, on the same day of taking sample.
• When making payment of water test at laboratory, confirm the description and location of sample tap and water source.
• Bacterial water testing is carried out quickly, chemical water testing may take two to three weeks.

Onsite Water Testing

For a quick test of general hardness ask for Hach test strips.  These strips turn green on soft water or orange on hard water.  If your water softener has Axal Pro salt filled in the brine tank and electrical power connected and the treated water is still hard, please call for a check on your mains water pressure or minor toilet leak problems affecting the water softener.

To test carbon filters, fill half a glass of water, add a chlorinetablet to glass.  If the water stays clear then carbon filters are OK.  If a faint pink colour isseen, chlorine is present and indicates filter cartridges are notworking efficiently and require replacement.

Use a handheld TDS meter to check RO efficiency.  The test range for quality water is 0 to 40 ppm.  Without a special meter, run the RO on hard water for a day (check for bypass valve on the water softener) and test RO using a Hach soft water test strip.  If a reverse osmosis system is used on hard water, filters will need to be replaced more frequently, especially membranes.  Pumps will also suffer more wear and tear on hard water.

The telephone number of the Galway - UCHG Public Analysts Chemical Laboratory is - 091 544002 - ask for reception or one of the chemists for further information on chemical testing - iron, manganese, heavy metals, nitrates, hardness etc.

The telephone number of the Galway - UCHG Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory is - 091 544 954 / 544404 - ask for any microbiologist in the water testing section for testing E.Coli and Coliforms, or if you have an untreated well and suspect recent sickness has been due to cryptosporidium, ask for an on site HSE water sampling visit.