Testing Water For Drinking / Bathing

[BucketBack]

Is there a DIY way to check out well water without buying a kit.

I remember my Dad testing our well water at home 50 some years ago. Probably Navy specs for Marine barracks....

[SOCOM42]

Is there a DIY way to check out well water without buying a kit.

I remember my Dad testing our well water at home 50 some years ago. Probably Navy specs for Marine barracks....

What do you want to test for, organic or inorganic?

There are no easy ways to test without using specific things.

If you have a microscope and some stain, you can do one thing, but then you would already know that.

They have a test strip for E.coli, but you have to buy it.

Those test strips if positive, can also mean that there are possibly other pathogens resident..

Again, there are litmus strips for PH test, but at a cost.

Heavy metals and chemical compounds require a lab to find.

I know of nothing "off the shelf" in the average home to test water.

[BucketBack]

I can see the organic things, shallow well, no tile field, etcv

[SOCOM42]

I can see the organic things, shallow well, no tile field, etcv

There are more that you can't see, and they are extremely dangerous, you need a microscope to see them.

Chlorination will take care of the problem in most wells, once you bring it up and treat it.

I had a good friend die a couple of years ago from contaminated water, they treated him, but to no avail.

[Box of frogs]

Try your county extension service.
Ours does soil sample for a few bucks
I think they will test water too.
BoF

[T-Man 1066]

Try your county extension service.
Ours does soil sample for a few bucks
I think they will test water too.
BoF

Yep, or see if your area has a Culligan guy...

Yea, water quality needs to be tested...

[BucketBack]

It would be condemned. I'm making coffee with water from my parents home.

[MountainGirl]

We decided 3 months ago to start filtering the water that goes in our mouth (drinking, coffee, soups, etc) and decided on the LifeStraw pitcher system. We really like it, it's a simple system, and the coffee tastes better lol.

After using it for a month, and being really happy with it, we bought a second pitcher & 3yrs worth of filters - for preps.

https://lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-home?variant=31151090270319

21141

[bigwheel]

There are more that you can't see, and they are extremely dangerous, you need a microscope to see them.

Chlorination will take care of the problem in most wells, once you bring it up and treat it.

I had a good friend die a couple of years ago from contaminated water, they treated him, but to no avail.

Dittos on the chlorination should kill most of the living critters in it. Cant help poison water.

[Mad Trapper]

@SOCOM42 has some good ideas looking for microbes. Some culture media, stains and a microscope will give some ideas what is in there. I'd also get microbiology and biochemistry lab manuals.

Not an easy way to test for organics and inorganics. A GC/MS (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer )would be the choice for organics and Atomic Adsorbtion (AA)for inorganics.

Neither are inexpensive but will detect and quantify trace amounts of material. You would also need equipment for sample prep and some known standards.

Boiling then using a quality filter would get most water potable while waiting get it tested.

You can make your own slow sand filter using a food grade barrel. You need, a selection of clean washed sands/gravels of various sizes, a valve for the bottom and containers/barrels to collect the water. Another set of barrels to feed the system and some hoses/plumbing. A layer of activated carbon will also remove many organics. You also need to let the top layer "setup"before filter will remove pathogens and periodically clean this layer. The barrel should be used periodically to maintain the system. These can be small 5-gal buckets or 55-gal barrels.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/slow-sand-filter

https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/ShahLab/Projects/Project_List/slow-sand-filters

County extension service would be a good place start looking for testing. In the northeast both Cornell and University of Massachusetts have soil and water testing.

Mass has a searchable site for testing labs.

https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/DEP/Labcert/Labcert.aspx

The Mitten is among the states