When we purchased our house one of the first things we did was install a custom whole house water filtration system, with reverse osmosis (RO) in the kitchen to filter our drinking water. Because we drink so much water, I am always very concerned about its source. When we first moved to our city, we noticed that the water smelled heavily of chlorine. I also learned that regular tap water can have all sorts of nasties in it, from lead to pharmaceutical drugs. We alternate between drinking and cooking with the RO water, and drinking bottled water.
When the company TestAssured reached out to us with news of their easy, at-home water testing kits, I thought it would be a great idea to test our RO water as well as the bottled water we consume. I was curious to see how good a job our water filtration system was doing and to verify the safety of our bottled water. Their Complete Water Test Analysis Test Kits appeared to be simple to use and also comprehensive, with 10 different tests included.
Because its results take two days to obtain, I began with the bacteria test. This test required me to obtain a water specimen in a vial containing a testing powder. After shaking vigorously I was instructed to leave it in a warm place for two days.
Next I tested for lead and pesticides. This test comes with a pipette, which I used to take a small sample of water from each source. Next I was instructed to place two test strips into the water and wait 10 minutes before reading the results.
Finally, I opened the last packet, which contained a number of different tests. These were all very easy and straightforward tests to perform, each involving a dipstick and color coded results.
In the end, the results for both of our sources of drinking water were exactly the same. The test kits come with a handy guide to the (EPA) maximum contaminant levels, so that you can compare your results to the federal water limits. These were the results for our water:
Bacteria: Negative
Lead: Negative
Pesticide: Negative
Hardness: 40 ppm
pH: 6
Hardness: 0
Iron: 0
Chlorine: 0 – .5ppm
Copper: 1.3 ppm
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Aside from the pH, which was slightly more acidic than the federal guidelines, our water looks pretty good. Overall I found these test kits to be easy to use and fun, definitely a project you can conduct with younger family members with a curiosity about ecology (under supervision). I had a little difficulty differentiating between the colors as some of them are very close along the spectrum, however, I think this also had to do with the room where I was working in. I recommend reading the results in natural daylight or a room with very good lighting.
Would you like to test your household’s water supply? Leave a comment below that explains what kind of water you drink and how you go about purifying it (or if you don’t, why not). We will choose three winners at random to receive a free test kit from TestAssured. You must post your response in the comments below by Monday, November 28th by 7pm EST to be entered in the drawing. Open to residents of the United States only.
Disclosure: We received two free test kits from TestAssured in order to conduct a review for this post.
Monika Webb
I’d like to purchase one of these test kits, could you please advise where I would buy them from and how much are they?
Andrea Post author
You can get them at: https://watertestingkits.com/product-category/water-test-kits/
Connie W
I would love to have my well water tested. I have a home that was built in 1922 and am concerned about what might be lurking in those old pipes and in the water. I have suffered from different anemias for years due to being homozygous MTHFR. Would be greatly appreciative if I could test my water. Thanks much, even if I am not chosen.
Barbara K
I drink plenty of water, but I am curious about what is in my water. I do not test my water. Never really thought about it.
Shannon Elizabeth Kuhns
We filter all of our water. We live in Western KY and the water here is terrible. Zero water is what we use for filtration for drinking. We just moved into a new house and they have a well (rare for this area) and our water is yellow with scum….no idea what it is. Landlady says sulphur but there is no sluphur smell. We just bought a whole house filtration to see how that works. Would love to test it and see what it actually is.
Julie McDonald
We have well water…my husband has been terribly ill for the past 3 years and just tested as hetero MTHFR and after reading your post we think it would be a good idea to have the water tested. Thanks for the opportunity!
Thomas McDonald
We have well water in NW Wisconsin and it tastes great, so never treat it.
Teri Clanton
I drink water from the water filter spout in our fridge or I refill glass water bottles at Sprouts. I’d love to test my water so I know what’s really in it. I probably need a water filter on our shower head.
Kimberly
I used to live in Phx Arizona and was very concerned about my water. Now that I live in Hartford Connecticut, I am not as concerned. My numbness in my hands has decreased greatly since moving to Hartford. I still own my home in Phx.
I would be curious to know the quality of my water I’m drinking now, and may get another test to see the quality of the water at my Phx home as well.
Thank you for all you do! I love your blog!!!
Kimberly
Caroline Nathan
We have Adelaide town water. Its alot better than it used to be …it doesn’t run brown any more. We still filter it anyway.
Tabitha Ellett
Living in San Francisco, we get the touted Hetch Hetchy water from Yosemite. I’ve recently started wondering if the pipes in our house and whatever treatment the water company does to the water negate the benefits of the source. I’ve bought a case of bottled water from Costco, but feel guilty about the waste of buying bottled. This test would confirm or deny my suspicions with our tap water.
Traci
I would love to try a test kit as I by bottled water for drinking and cooking. I am terified of drinking our tap water as our apartment owners do not fix the apartments. I have had leaks in my apartment and have mold growing in several spots.
Barbara
I currently drink tap water in reusable bottles or buy alkaline bottled water. I also have a filtered pitcher.I’d love to be able to test fit tap water to see if I should be purchasing more water. I dont always I don’t always purify (or buy) because i honestly thought my water would be ok :/ ….but maybe not
Melanie
What a great idea, I’d love to test my tap water as well! I used to use a britta where i’d filter the water we got through the Whirpool fridge dispenser (which is already filtered), but I didn’t like the taste when I was pregnant and found the only thing I could drink without getting sick (or just not drinking) was Deer Park bottled water and I still drink it. But I’d like to go back to the filtered fridge water, if I can stand the taste now.
Melinda
We have well water that is in the middle of a grass seed field where they spray who knows what. We have bottled water to drink just in case.
Taunia McDonald
I am homozygous mthfr c27t plus my family and I all have Lyme disease and are currently in treatment for that as well. I would love to test my water to see if it’s healthy for my family and I to consume! Thank you for considering us!
Carol P
I drink well water that goes through a whole house carbon filtration system. I live in MN where 3M has polluted the water and the city now says our water (that is coming from the unfiltered part – they only part they tested) is unsafe to cook and drink with. They are offering bottled water until they can supply the houses with whole house filters. I would like to know if our filter is doing the job or not.
Debbie
Amazing kit ! Although I would suggest that your comment “pretty good” overall is not so accurate. I have a problem with my copper being too high, and I am shocked to learn that it is in the water. Who would even know ? As you know, copper is incredibly hard to get rid of, and affects other balances in our bodies.
As well, being too acidic is also not ideal. We want to lean towards Alkaline to allow for a happier balance and to dis encourage cancer and other infections to spread.
Always love your info and site. Thank you for being so helpful.
Nadia
We sometimes get big jugs of (RO I think) water from our grocery store very inexpensively. And otherwise we drink tap water filtered through a culligan filter in the spout. I wish I knew if it was any good. How come fluoride isn’t one of the things this tested for? I wonder if either of my water options is more or less fluoridated.
Rich
I’ve already experienced the brutal consequences of contaminated drinking water, and discovered my MTHFR vulnerability during the subsequent struggle to regain some measure of health. I could really make use of the water quality testing to verify my water well remediation effectiveness and also the quality of the water from my new Berkey countertop filter for drinking, cooking and my dog. My poor dog also suffered from the contaminated well water and was thrown into the abyss of autoimmune disease along with me.
Sharon Davidson
We have well water with a filtration system on an old Cornish farmstead. I tested positive for toxic levels of many heavy metals including lead, mercury, arsenic, cobalt, copper, cadmium, and aliminimum. I have since tested positive for MTHFR C677T, had all mercury amalgam removed from my mouth and underwent an extensive heavy metal detoxification regimine. It would be great to confirm that our water is free of toxic heavy metals, especially Cornwall is in the heart of historic tin and copper mining industry with high levels of each and arsenic in the soil.
Eugenia
Our water comes from our own well, so I’ve been lugging glass bottles back and forth to a store selling RO water. Chlorine isn’t added to our water, but we’re close to other homes (1/2 acre lots) each having their own septic systems, and in the heart of wine country I worry about nitrate fertilizers and pesticides used in the surrounding vineyards. At 74yo, it would be great to find my water is actually safe for drinking and not have to tote water in bottles! Also, I understand that contaminants in water might even be absorbed through the skin when bathing, and wonder what we’re dealing with. Thank you for this offer and all the trusted info on your website!
Regina
I live in one of the top 6 locations for Chromium-6, the highly carcinogenic chemical found in our drinking water. Also smell the chlorine and understand that everyone’s pharmaceutical drugs, hormonal creams, antibiotics, etc. contaminate our water.
Lorraine Russ
We have a reverse osmosis water system, and I would love to test our drinking water, due to my MTHFR and many health issues.
Cheryl
We have our own well and the water is extremely hard. I have been trying to figure out how to test my water. The city has been helpful to an extent but not easy to get what you want. This kit looks ideal!
Evan
I drink tap water from the city that I live in. I do not try to purify it at all because I have heard that Massachusetts has excellent water filtration regulations and can be cleaner than some bottled waters. There is a certain bottled water brand that is essentially taken from Massachusetts “normal” water. All I do is tap water from the sink and I also use tap water at work as well. I don’t purify water at work because there aren’t any filters available. At home we don’t purify because again, I’ve heard Massachusetts is so good with this that I haven’t made an effort to buy a Brita filter. I’m not in a place where I can spend money on buying bottled water either. Lately I have become increasingly concerned about whether I am drinking water that is healthy for me, so the opportunity to test it would be fantastic!
Dawn Wilmot
We use well water and have a whole house filtration system.
Aimee McNew
We filter our drinking water, but it has been on my list to test all water and then likely filter showerheads, too. I’ve seen so many conflicting reports on reverse osmosis, that we have been looking into other whole house filtering options. Would be fascinated to test all of our water though, to see what we are working with.
Norm B.
I only use water filtered through GE Refrigerator filter which is changed Jan 1 and Aug 1 religiously!
Katie Hancheck
I would love to test my water! Living in a big city and not able to afford a filter system for my house, it sure would be nice to see what I am ingesting! Especially since this MTHFR stuff is all so new to me! Thanks!
Jessica
We have well water and have used an Aquasana under the sink filter for a few years. We live in the middle of cotton fields and oil wells, so I would love to check our water for pesticides and petroleum related contaminates. I had our water tested for bacteria a few years ago, and it was positive. So, this test would be helpful for that, as well.
Shauna V
This looks like a great kit! I would be interested , as I have the MTHFR issue as well. When we bought our house, we installed a whole house filtration system. It’s the kind with the tank that is installed in the garage or on the side of the house. We live in Central a Florida where the water is very chlorinated and very sulfuric. It turns buildings orange, so who knows what to does to our insides! I would be interested to see how our filtered water compares to non-filtered water.
Lisa P
I have well water and have a whole house filtration system. I know that the water is contaminated with chemicals from a local company, so a filter is a necessity. Thanks for the very informative post on this test kit – it sounds great!