If the home has a private Well it is highly recommended that you have a water quality test. If it's within your budget, you may even want to do a test on a system that is called public, but is actually on a common well(s). Just to know what's coming into your home!
We correctly take a sample and drop them off to Seacoast Analytical Services or Granite State Analytical Services. Results are usually ready in 3 days, not counting weekends.
Water quality is probably the most common concern and the one most often tested for when the home has a Well for water source. Since levels can vary over time, you should have a test taken when purchasing or selling a home. This insures that not only is the test up to date, but that the proper type of test was completed.
The test we recommend to all clients is an FHA maximum plus Arsenic. It includes the following:
| Test | EPA limits |
|---|---|
| E coli Bacteria | Absent |
| Coliform Bacteria | Absent |
| pH | 6.5 - 8.5 su |
| Arsenic | 0.010 mg/L |
| Lead | 0.015 mg/L |
| Copper | 1.30 mg/L |
| Iron | 0.300 mg/L |
| Manganese | 0.050 mg/L |
| Sodium (1) | 250 mg/L |
| Flouride | 4.0 mg/L |
| Chloride | 250 mg/L |
| Hardness (2) | No Limits |
| Nitrate-N | 10 mg/L |
| Nitrite-N | 1.0 mg/L |
| Radon Water (3) | No Limits |
- Sodium levels should be as low as 25 mg/L for those on a salt restricted diet.
- While no level is set for Hardness it is commonly known that levels over 125 to 150 mg/L should have a water softener installed.
- Radon water is not part of the water quality test and has an additional fee.
OTHER TEST: There are so many other tests that can be done. Some are practical, some are specialized based on your concerns, the area (farm or gas station near by) or your mortgage type.
There is a VOC (volatile organic compounds) test, these are items you can't even pronounce. This test is so sensitive that we must pick up empty bottles, go take samples and return right to the Lab. We can't even stop at a gas station!
The newer concern is PFOA's. Due to the legal issues with these compounds and the fact that they are on everything (making obtaining a truly proper sample too difficult to take) we have chosen to have nothing to do with this test and the issues related to it!
There is also a "standing water" test for public system. This is usually done in very old homes. The idea is to have the water sit in the plumbing for 12 hours. Then take a sample. This helps identify Lead or Copper leaching out of pipes, into the water from the homes plumbing. This is almost impossible to do in an occupied house.
If you are going VA or other restricted type loan, the lender will typically want Lead, Nitrates, Nitrites and Bacteria results. In those cases we can get the Lab to separate the report into two pages. One with those four items, then the other page with the rest of your results. You just have to tell us before we drop the samples off.