|
Buy this item and earn 13 points valued at $0.26.
In less than a minute and a half, you can discover if your water has dangerous or high levels of nitrate, nitrite, hardness, alkalinity or pH using SenSafe's Eco-Check 5 in 1 Test Strips.
Each bottle contains 25 test strips, which are ideal for use in aquariums, aquacultures, ponds, lakes and streams.
Also known as Industrial Test Systems part number 481345.
How to Test Your Water
Step One: Dip one test strip into water for two seconds.
Step Two: Remove the strip and shake once to remove excess water.
Step Three: Wait 25 seconds and compare your pH, alkalinity and hardness results with the chart on the bottle. After a minute, compare your nitrite and nitrate results.
Nitrates
Nitrate is one of the most common groundwater contaminants in rural areas. It is regulated in drinking water primarily because excess levels can cause methemoglobinemia, or "blue baby" disease. Although nitrate levels that affect infants do not pose a direct threat to older children and adults, they do indicate the possible presence of other more serious residential or agricultural contaminants, such as bacteria or pesticides.
Nitrate in groundwater originates primarily from fertilizers, septic systems, and manure storage or spreading operations. Fertilizer nitrogen that is not taken up by plants, volatilized, or carried away by surface runoff leaches to the groundwater in the form of nitrate. This not only makes the nitrogen unavailable to crops, but also can elevate the concentration in groundwater above the levels acceptable for drinking water quality. Nitrogen from manure similarly can be lost from fields, barnyards, or storage locations. Septic systems also can elevate groundwater nitrate concentrations because they remove only half of the nitrogen in wastewater, leaving the remaining half to percolate to groundwater.
Hard Water
Water is such an extremely versatile liquid and one the reasons for this is that water can dissolve many different substances. And that includes the many minerals underground that water come into contact with before it is pumped from the ground. The most common minerals found in hard water are calcium and magnesium.
Rainwater has no minerals in it, and so is naturally a very soft water. Water drawn from a well is likely to have hardness problems because the water is drawn directly from the earth with no processing. Many residents of rural areas have water softening systems. People who use regular 'city water' have had their water already processed (which typically includes softening, as well as the addition of chlorine and fluoride).
Unless it's really hard, you can't really notice any difference in taste and it won't cause your body any harm. Though the water itself may not have any adverse flavour, the minerals can effect your coffee or your tea. Coffee can develop a bitter undertone when brewed with hard water, and delicate green teas can end up with a completely flavour altogether.
There are several other negative effects that come from hard water, one being that soap and detergent won't foam up which can make washing difficult. Another related problem is that the insides of your coffee maker, espresso machine or tea kettle will get a crusty buildup on minerals on the insides. These deposits are called 'mineral scale' and can be a pain to clean.
If you have hard water and find that it's causing your coffee or tea to be distasteful, you may want to switch to bottled water for your brewing. Or get a water softening unit.
Water Alkalinity
Alkalinity of water may be due to the presence of one or more of a number of ions. These include hydroxides, carbonates and bicarbonates. As discussed in previous articles, hydroxide ions are always present in water, even if the concentration is extremely small. However, significant concentrations of hydroxides are unusual in natural water supplies, but may be present after certain types of treatment. Small amounts of carbonates are found in natural water supplies in certain sections of the country, rarely exceeding 3 or 4 gpg. They may also be found in water after treatment, such as lime soda ash softening. Bicarbonates are the most common sources of alkalinity. Almost all natural supplies have a measurable amount of this ion, ranging from 0 to about 50 gpg.
Alkalinity. The alkalinity of water may be defined as its capacity to neutralize acid. Alkali substances in water include hydroxides or bases. They can be detected by their acrid taste and by the fact that they cause red litmus paper to turn blue.
Phosphates and silicates are rarely found in natural supplies in concentrations significant in the home. Compounds containing these ions may be used in a variety of water treatment processes. Moderate concentrations of alkalinity are desirable in most water supplies to balance the corrosive effects of acidity. However, excesive quantities cause a number of problems. These ions are, of course, free in the water, but have their counterpart in cations such as calcium, magnesium and sodium or potassium.
|
