Knowing the water in your home is safe to use for everyday activities like laundry, washing dishes, showering, and drinking provides peace of mind, but how do you know when you need to test your home’s water supply? At Cornerstone Inspections, we want to help our customers identify key indicators that a water test is needed. If you notice any of the following signs, contact our team as soon as possible to get started with the water testing process.
- Odd Taste or Smell – Certain chemicals can produce an unappealing smell or taste in your water. Hydrogen sulfide can make your water smell like rotten eggs, copper and zinc can produce a metallic or bitter taste, and chloride, sodium, and TDS all produce a salty taste.
- Scaly Residue – Hard water, which has a high mineral content, often leaves behind a scaly residue on any surface it encounters. If your skin and hair feel dry or like they have a film on them after showering or washing your hands, or you notice that dishes always have “water spots” after you wash them, you likely have hard water.
- Stains – If you notice the plumbing fixtures in your home look rusty, especially around and under faucets, or that your laundry comes out of the washer looking stained, there’s a good chance you have high levels of copper, iron, or manganese in your water.
- External Factors –If you live in an area with heavy agricultural activity, there is a higher risk for nitrates, pesticides, and coliform bacteria in your water supply. Nearby dumps, junkyards, landfills, factories, and even dry cleaners can contribute to high pH levels, sulfates, chlorides, and metal content in water. Water testing will give you peace of mind you don’t have these things seeping into your drinking water.