Just got drinking water tested

[Aidomoss]

I don't like the idea of product sellers also doing the testing. Given the current hiatus here, is there an independant lab in the West?

I got my water tested in UCHG. It's an independent lab at the back of the hospital beside the morgue. It cost 50 euro for the bacterial test and 25 euro for the mineral test. They have the bottles needed for both tests and they send out the findings in the post. The water treatment company I used recommended that I get the water checked myself first and that they would treat whatever it shows up.

 

[Haille]

Got my water tested by an independent lab in Raheen Industrial Estate,Limerick. I got a salt filtration system installed[private well] about 6 years ago Hard water was mainly the problem but in a previous test manganese was mentioned. I got a grant of £600 from Clare County Council.

The Council were only interested in granting if it was on health grounds,not interested in your kettle elements or copper cylinder. Not sure if such grant exists nowadays.

I ran a separate line from well that was not filtered as the lab told me that for young children and people with heart conditions drinking water from the salt filtration system was not good.

They also told me that there is as much calcium in water as milk,so by filtering [depending on which system] you could be doing more harm than good.

Thinking back on the water charges controversey in the past it used to annoy me greatly that some urban dwellers objected to water charges when us rural folk had to pay for boring private well,installing pump and maintenance of well.

Thats history now.

 

[Vanilla]

Think the grants are only for improving or installing well to an existing house. Not for new builds.

 

[Satanta]

In relation to the frequent requests on where/who will independently test water....

If you visit the INAB (Irish National Accrediation Board) website (www.inab.ie) it will give a list of all ILABs (INAB accrediated labs) in Ireland. Here you can check/verify which labs have been certified for the testing of drinking water by INAB.

There are plenty of great labs which are not INAB accrediated, it is simply one means of verfying the (potential) quality of the results.


I know in Cork a company called Acorn Water (www.acornwater.com) do a lot of specialist drinking water testing and while not ILAB accrediated - apparently do produce good results.
I have previously worked with, not specifically on drinking water testing but in similiar types of work, CLS in Galway (complete laboratory solutions - previously mentioned) and always found them excellent, but not always the most competitively priced.

(no connection with any of the bodies/companies mentioned above)

 

[shootingstar]

i got mine tested about 3 years ago. Just got chatting with a UCC student who offered to test it in their labs at the College. might be worth a phone call to your local college... see if any student is willing to check this out for you.

 

[ajapale]

Southern Scientific in Killarney quoted me:
€50 bacti only
€50 Chemistry/Metals only
€90 both

 

[hoopman]

I get mine tested every year by the local teagasc office.

 

[ajapale]

Does the teagsc office do Manganese and Iron or do they just do the bacti? How much do they charge?

 

[hoopman]

Does the teagsc office do Manganese and Iron or do they just do the bacti? How much do they charge?

pH 7.4
phosphorus 0.011 mg/1
Total oxidisable 5.49
Ammonium N <.1
Copper 0.02
Zinc 0.02
Iron 0.01
manganese 59.2
Calcium 5.6
Sodium 1.8
potassium 1.2
Total coliforms Nil
Faecal Coliforms Nil
Hardness 171 mg/1 caCO3
Conductivity 405 us/cm @25*
Nitrate N 5.49
Nitrate N <.001

Thats everything covered in mine i think it cost €35 last febuary, certainly no more than that. if theres any experts out there who would like to give me advise on my water results, please feel free to do so.

 

[ajapale]

€35 is excellent value for such a comprehensive report! Your results look like you meet the European Drinking Water regulations in every respect.

If it were my well I would check for Arsenic, Lead and Mercury as well.

Thanks for the Teagsc tip!

 

[Just the One]

I got the council to test my water and they told me that all checks were fine except for the Iron levels.

The max amount allowed is 200 micrograms of iron per litre

the reading from my water is 5 times that.

1008 micrograms of Iron per litre.


I have been told that there is no health risk to it.

what does it mean though?

 

[Satanta]

I have been told that there is no health risk to it.

what does it mean though?

The information below is taken from an American site, but the information is still relevant (and is a balanced overview).

Under Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rules, iron is considered a secondary or "aesthetic" contaminant. The present recommended limit for iron in water, 0.3 mg/I (ppm), is based on taste and appearance rather than on any detrimental health effect. Private water supplies are not subject to the rules, but the guidelines can be used to evaluate water quality.

For instance, when the level of iron in water exceeds the 0.3 mg/l limit, we experience red, brown, or yellow staining of laundry, glassware, dishes. and household fixtures such as bathtubs and sinks. The water may also have a metallic taste and an offensive odor. Water system piping and fixtures can also become restricted or clogged.