How to Check the Quality of Water?

Last Updated on May 6, 2023 by Kuldeep Bisht

This post will guide you on how to check the quality of water at home and lab.

Almost 70% of our body is water and this is why we call it as a liquid of life. So, I can say that we cannot imagine a life without water at all. Besides drinking, there are numerous other uses of water like irrigation, washing, generating electricity, etc.

So, water is important for our life and our planet earth. You should always try to save water and here i have given 50+ ways to save water in your daily routine. If you can save even a single drop of water my hardwork of writing these blog posts is worth.

No matter what the purpose you have in mind, you must always ensure the right quality of water for the given purpose. 

Definition of Water Quality

In simple words, you can define water quality as its capability to fulfill the desired purpose in the best manner possible. Whether you use untreated well water, have problems with hard water, or are connected to a public water supply, there are a variety of reasons you might decide to have your water tested. Moreover, it’s crucial to be aware of your options for testing your water as well as the indicators you should be looking for. 

Best Water Quality Testing Methods at Home

In the following section of this blog, we will list down the best testing methods to check water quality :

1 – Using Test Strips

Test Strips are tiny, single-use strips whose color changes to show the level of a particular chemical. Moreover, the user “activates” the paper or plastic strip by dipping it into the water sample and swishing it around, or by holding the strip in a stream of water, depending on the specific test. After a brief period of time, the user compares the color of the test strip with a color chart to determine the chemical concentration. Although these kits are very straightforward, they are less accurate than other approaches, particularly if users don’t adhere to the instructions for chemical tests for water quality.

2 – Using Color Disk Kits

 There are color disk test kits for a variety of chemical analyses to check water quality. Also, the user typically prepares a water sample in a reusable plastic tube by adding a powder packet or a few drops of a liquid reagent. Moreover, the sample tube is then placed in a little plastic viewing box by the user. Additionally, a plastic disk with a printed color gradient is inside this viewing box. Also, the user rotates the color disk until they find the region that most closely resembles the color of the sample, and then they read the chemical concentration from the disk.

3 – Handheld Digital Instruments

Talking about various water testing quality testing parameters, portable and lightweight digital meters, colorimeters, and photometers are available. Of these three testing techniques, they yield the most accurate results, but they are also more costly and delicate than the alternatives. Moreover, batteries and calibration are required for these instruments. On the other hand, digital tools may be useful to field technicians and a necessary component of any continuous or remote monitoring network, but they are probably not appropriate for “citizen science” or crowd-sourced water quality testing.

4 – Using a digital TDS meter to check the TDS of water 

The performance of your water filter, the quality of the filtered water, the water’s hardness, and the assurance that you are drinking clean water can all be tested using this cutting-edge digital TDS meter tester.

All of India’s top online retailers carry digital TDS meters, and for just a minimal cost, you can easily purchase a high-quality digital TDS meter to check the TDS of water.

How to Check the TDS level of water using a Digital TDS Meter?

• Take off the safety cap.
• Switch on the TDS meter. The ON/OFF switch can be found on the panel.
• The meter should be submerged in the water as far as it will go (2 inches).
• Dislodge any air bubbles by giving the meter a gentle stir.
• Wait until the reading stabilizes, which should take around 10 seconds.
• To view the reading, press the HOLD button and remove the device from the water.
• The reading must be multiplied by 10 if the meter displays the symbol “x10.”
• Replace the cap after using your water meter and shake off any extra water.

Best Chemical Tests of Water Quality

For chemical water testing methods, UNICEF advises giving fluoride, arsenic, and nitrate priority. Besides, Fluorine and arsenic levels in well water can be high enough to pose a risk to human health in regions where the earth is naturally abundant in these minerals.

Fluoride

There is at least one color disk test kit available for Fluoride chemical tests for water quality. However, due to worries about accuracy, portable digital colorimeters are frequently preferred. Moreover, a colorimetric fluoride test that can be read by a smartphone app was recently described by a testing system called Ackvo Caddisfly.

Arsenic

There aren’t many portable field testing options for this contaminant, which is best measured in a lab. Besides, there are test kits that can be purchased commercially, but they are fairly complicated and require several steps. Also, these test kits detect arsenic in nearly all samples greater than 100 micrograms per liter (ug/L), as well as in the majority of samples in the 50-99 ug/L range, even though the arsenic concentrations “measured” with these kits may be inaccurate.

Nitrate

Kits for testing nitrate are available in both color disk and test strip formats. Besides, digital meters can also be used to measure nitrate. Also, high levels of nutrients are linked to agricultural pollution from phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers as well as nitrogen from animal waste. Moreover, additional sources of nitrogen include sewage, landfills, industrial pollution, and latrines. That said, assessing the effects of agricultural and human waste on water quality can be done easily by monitoring nitrate. 

Iron and Manganese

Both color disk tests and test strips are available for the metals iron and manganese, which can also be measured with portable, digital instruments. For iron and manganese, field testing using digital equipment is regarded as reliable.

pH Level

 Color disk tests and pH test strips are widely accessible. Moreover, pH meters based on electrodes are a more expensive and high-tech alternative. Since pH is a measurement of hydrogen ion activity, it allows us to determine how basic or acidic the water is. Although it is a chemical master variable, pH is not a pollutant. Besides, it influences how other chemical components behave, including how well residual chlorine protects against microbial contamination.

Chlorine

 Test strips, color disks, and even kits made specifically for swimming pool testing are just a few of the simple ways to check for residual chlorine. There are also portable digital meters available that can deliver accurate measurements.

Final words

More chemical tests may be included in a water quality monitoring project, depending on the surroundings and its objectives. Moreover, alkalinity or hardness (including calcium, magnesium, etc.; field kits are available), chloride (an indicator of road salt or seawater intrusion; test kits are available), dissolved oxygen, organic carbon levels (BOD, COD, TOC), agrochemicals (certain pesticides or fertilizers), or mining/industrial contaminants (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, cyanide), are all possible to test for. Finally, local interests are frequently piqued by heavy metals like lead, mercury, copper, chromium, etc. 

However, given current technology, the vast majority of these additional tests are best carried out in a laboratory. That said, low-tech testing, frequently involving a smartphone, is a current area of research for substances like pesticides and mercury.

FAQs regarding how to check the quality of water?