Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

I did the search but didn't turn up anything. I have never tested my well water since I bought this place 4 years ago. i recently bought some blue barrels to store water in and before I fill them I figure I should see what is in the water and if it needs filtered and/or treated. i know we have a lot of calcium because the faucets build up a white scale.

Along the same line, I have been thinking of installing either an electromagnetic ionizer or a water softner on the main supply and I figure a test kit will help decide which will be the minimun needed.

I already checked but our county/state ag extension doesn't seem to offer water testing - they refer you to a commercial lab. No Thank$$$$

So I have looked online and there are a few kits available and have narrowed it down to either the 9 test kit by watersafe or the 13 parameter kit listed on H2Okits.com

Has anyone used any of these or another one they can recommend?

Do you have any tips on how you would treat water you plan to store long term for emergency use?

thanks
CG

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

Cybergold, I just tested our well water recently. I used this kit.

http://www.h2okits.com/site/1286521/product/WS-425B

I was impressed with the kit. I used to work in a Medical Lab and the kit was very similar to certain tests we did. My guess is a Professional water testing Lab uses the same or similar tests for a lot more money.

I called the county about testing our water. Be glad your country does not do it...They wanted $150.00 per site sample. :rant:
The test kit is on sale for $20.00. I paid $30.00 when I bought is few months ago. I am going to order another one and check the pond water. Be aware that each kit only does one water sample.

Our well water tested out really good. Besides some PH imbalances it is very clean. One more thing to be aware of. If you have the county or state test your well and there is a problem they have the right to shut your well down...

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

Installing a what?

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

I would not count on being able to drink stored water with any sort of treatment after more than 6 months.

Get yourself a water purification system, and count on that for drinking water. Other uses can use the unpurified.

I recommend First Need.

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

A scam-device that "purifies" your wallet of money.

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

This is the 2nd time I have heard the 6mo storage limit on drinking water. I was under the belief that clean water could be stored indefinitly - or at least for a long time - like the Civil Defense of the 60's had prepositioned drums of water in fallout shelters.
What is there to go bad in water?
When storing a years supply of dehydrated/freeze dried food - it all needs water to cook and reconstitute - where is that going to come from whe the power goes out? (I am in the desert - on a well so water isnt just running in a brook nearby).
As to the water treatment softner vs ionizer - yeah I hadnt heard of them either and am skepticle. I need something to keep the calcium from clogging my water heater (they need replaced every 5 years around here due to calcium builup on the heater) so that is where that need is and I read that the so called ionization prevents the calcium from sticking to the pipes, heater, faucets etc. So I was asking if anyone has any experience with that.
and yes, I plan on using a filter for emergency water sources but had planned on putting away a couple hundred gallons to cook all those mountain house cans.

Re: Anyone review the home Water Test Kits?
 

Water contains bacteria regardless of the chlorine addition (which itself is a problem over time).

Unless you have RO'd and steam distilled the water, and then placed it in 100% sterile, hermetically sealed barrels, the bacteria will grow, slowly, over time. Further, chemicals in the water can interact with the container, either leaching stuff out or forming new undesirable compounds.


I always advocate people have a stock of both shelf-stable, ready-to-eat food ("ordinary" stuff - canned beans, soups, pasta, etc.) along with dehydrated/freeze-dried.

If you have a large stock of dehydrated/freeze-dried, I suggest you carefully calculate what you'd need to reconstitute it, then add 50%, and store that amount just for the food. Due to your desert situation.


Water softening is the way to go. The "ionized" water claims are bullshit. Calcium is not magnetic (nor is Calcium Oxide, Lime), so such process will not work.