We recently heard from ‘Kari’ who asked, “Hello! I was wondering if the Water Works Water Quality Test Strips keep longer if refrigerated? Or would this ruin them? Best way to store? Thanks! Kari” Believe it or not, we have heard this question quite a few times in recent years. It generally costs less to […]
Although many parts of the country have recently received enough rainfall to replenish reservoirs, lakes and streams to pre-drought levels, some areas still have drought warnings in effect and whether in a drought or not, the following simple pointers will help to keep your pool water where it belongs and the environment free of pool […]
As soon as water mains break or some other ’emergency’ gets declared by your local water company or water utility, those companies notify the media and ask them to announce boil water advisories for affected areas… but what does that mean to the average person? Without getting too detailed, it means the folks living in […]
This morning we received an email from ‘DanF’ who asked, “Interested in having water samples tested for vinyl chloride. Would like to have a sample from tap and one from filtered tested. As well as some of the more common contaminant tests. Thanks.”He…
Whether you live near the ocean, a lake, a river, or ANY body of water that rises and falls causing flooding over your property, health officials and water quality professionals all agree that well owners should take a few minutes to consider the po…
We recently heard from ‘Brad’ who emailed, “Looking to test for THMs.”
Thank you, Brad, for the inquiry. At this point we know of no at-home water test kit exists that test for THM’s (trihalomethanes) or other DBP’s (disinfection byproducts). Testing for those sorts of substances/compounds requires laboratory techniques and equipment.
With that said, companies like National Testing Laboratories offer mail-in water testing services that include tests for THM’s. The most basic one we know of is called “Watercheck City-Check Basic” and you can read more about it in the Water Test Kit Store.
Results of testing carried out by National Testing Laboratories typically get emailed to customers about 10 business days after the lab receives samples for analysis.
What are THM’s?
The term trihalomethanes describes a class of compounds in the disinfection byproduct family which get created when a disinfectant (example: chlorine in the form of hypochlorous acid) interacts with and/or neutralizes organic contaminants in water.
Scientists and health officials have determined that consuming water with elevated levels of THM’s poses a threat to human health and therefore the EPA regulates the amount of THM’s that public water supplies may possess. If a water system’s internal testing reveals higher than allowed levels of THM’s the water system must immediately remedy the situation and in most cases must also report the failed tests to its customers within a specified period of time.
Filtering THM’s Out of Drinking Water
Can home water filters remove or drastically reduce THM’s in drinking water? Yes, some do have that ability. As an example, several of the home water filters in the Multipure product line have been
tested according to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for the reduction of a number of potentially harmful drinking water contaminants including THM’s.
During that testing Multipure’s Drinking Water Systems’ Aquaversa, Aquaperform and Aquadome water filter systems effectively reduced concentrations of unwanted contaminants to less than
or equal to the permissible contaminant limits for filtered water leaving the systems.
If you’d like to see the full list of potential drinking water contaminants Multipure filters remove or reduce, you can view that information here.
‘B.L. Pena’ asked, “Can I use the waterworks hardness test on pool water?”
Thank you, B.L., for your inquiry. The
WaterWorks Total Hardness Test Strips (480008) CAN get used to test pool water.
Importance of Water Hardness in…
‘Tina’ recently asked, “Can I use the hydrogen sulfide test kit you sell on aquarium water? What about saltwater aquariums?”
Thank you, Tina, for your question about the Hydrogen Sulfide Low-Range Test Kit (481197-20) and its testing ca…
This morning we heard from ‘RobertM’ who asked, “Does your water testing include testing for iron, hardness, hydrogen sulfide, and manganese?” Thank you, Robert, for the inquiry. At this time we carry two kits that contain MOST of the items in your list. See below for details: COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit includes tests for: […]
