A water test depends on the draw: which tap, how long it ran, which bottle it went into and how quickly it reached the laboratory. The collection is as much of the job as the analysis.
Water that sat overnight in a line reflects the pipe and fittings; water taken after a flush reflects the supply. Both are valid samples that answer different questions, so the fixture, the draw and whether treatment equipment is in the path are decided before a bottle is opened. Wells add the pump, the pressure tank and any softener or filter to that decision.
Samples go into the laboratory's own containers - sterile bottles for bacteriological work, preserved bottles for some metals. Many analyses have a hold time and require the sample be kept cold, so sampling is scheduled around the laboratory's intake.
Samples leave the property under a chain of custody: a signed record of each sample, when and where it was collected, who has held it, and the analysis requested. That record is what lets a lender, buyer, landlord or insurer rely on the result.
The analysis follows the question: microbiological analysis for contamination of a well or supply, metals for what plumbing adds between the main and the glass, a broader baseline for private wells (including nitrate near agriculture or septic systems), and hardness, iron and manganese for staining, odor and taste complaints.
Test strips are a rough indicator read by eye. A laboratory reports what it measured, by what method, with detection limits - including what it looked for and did not detect.
We do not sell filters, softeners or treatment systems. If treatment is warranted, the report describes what the water is doing, and what you install is your decision.
For some questions, yes. Common problems are the wrong bottle, a sterile bottle rinsed out, the wrong draw, or a sample that missed its hold time. If the result needs to satisfy someone else, the collection and chain of custody matter.
It depends on the question. Tell us what changed and what you are concerned about, and Kris will suggest what would answer it.
Not necessarily. Microbiological contamination and dissolved metals are often not noticeable by appearance or taste.
No. We sample and report; we do not sell treatment.
