There has been much in the news in recent times regarding the use of fluroide in the process of water treatment. Many people have many varying opinions on the benefits versus the downsides of using fluoride. Fluoride is dosed into the water, typically by a local authority during the treatment stage of the water for drinking. It was originally added to improve the dental health and reduce cavities of the persons consuming the water. We at The Water Lab can test your water for fluoride levels if you are concerned and you can then decide the appropriate course of action. The typical fluoride level in drinking water is between 0.6 and 0.8mg/l.
The Water Lab suite is a reduced version of the EU drinking water regulations suite. It still covers the more commonly found parameters in drinking water including Iron, Manganese, Hardness, E-Coli.
This suite would typically be suitable where regulatory control or guidelines are not an issue but the customer just wants to get a general of idea of water quality.
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This suite is for those who only want to determine whether there is any bacteria in their water supply. It covers both Total Coliforms and E-Coli. There is no chemical analysis as part of this suite.
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Manganese occurs naturally in many groundwater supplies and many types of rock.
High manganese levels in water can manifest itself as causing brownish-black precipitate and staining.
At concentrations exceeding 0.1mg/l, manganese can impart an undesirable taste to water. At concentrations as low as 0.02mg/l, it can form coating on pipes.
The European limit for manganese in drinking water is 0.05mg/l.
Manganese can be removed from water supplies from by either by way of an oxidising filter to bind up the manganese, chlorination or aeration/filtration system.
Lead typically enters the water supply through corrosion of plumbing materials. It will rarely enter the supply from groundwater. The plumbing materials made from lead will leach over time into the water supply.
Drinking water with excessive lead levels can result in kidney problems or high blood pressure.
The European limit for lead is 25 µg/l but is due to reduce to 15 µg/l on 25th December 2013.
To reduce the amount of lead consumed, it is advisable to flush the water pipes before drinkinh and only use cold water taps for consumption.
Total coliforms indicate the general level of microbial contamination of a water sample. Total coliforms include both bacteria of faecal origin and also those which originate in the soil and are non-faecal. They may be present in a water supply where the well is not properly capped and screened letting in surface water and insects. Drinking water with total coliforms present can cause health issues as they indicate that other pathogenic bacteria may be present.
E-coli are present in warm blooded mammals. They enter the water from sewage contamination and their presence indicates recent heavy pollution from animal or human waste. The consumption of water with E-coli present would possibly cause risk to human health as there are potentially other pathogenic bacteria present in the water supply.
Clostridium Perfringens are gram-positive bacteria that grow in anaerobic conditions. They are typically introduced into water supplies through contamination with human and animal faeces. They are typically much more resistant that either E-coli or coliforms. The presence of Clostridium indicates faecal contamination of the water sample at some time in the past.
Iron occurs naturally in many groundwater supplies and many types of rock.
Iron in water can present itself in either ferrous or ferric form, with ferrous being dissolved and ferric being a precipitate of reddish brown colour.
High iron levels in water can manifest itself as causing reddish brown staining on domestic fittings. It can also impart an unpleasant taste and odour leaving water with a slightly metallic taste.
Two types of problems may occur when water containing iron is used in doing home laundry. Both problems are most noticeable on white or light-colored fabrics, but the iron actually affects all colors of fabrics. Some fibers, nylon for example, are more susceptible than others to iron discoloration.
The first problem is gradual yellowing of items after several washings. This occurs when the soluble form of iron is gradually oxidized (exposed to oxygen) during the laundry process. This process is called aeration. If iron is present in the water, it will oxidize during the laundry process. As the iron oxidizes it precipitates (forms particles which are no longer dissolved in the water) and becomes fixed on the closest available fiber in the washing machine. Because the washer agitates items through the wash water, all items in the wash load are exposed to about the same amount of iron as it precipitates out of the water, thus the overall dulling or yellowing of items washed.
The second problem is caused when chlorine type bleach is added to the wash water containing iron. Chlorine bleach is an oxidizing agent --- it adds oxygen molecules to the iron particles in solution in the water. Because chlorine bleach is a strong oxidizer, it causes more iron to precipitate out of the water than naturally occurs with aeration. The iron precipitated by chlorine bleach can cause noticeable yellow or rust-colored spots on items in the wash.
The European limit for iron in drinking water is 0.2mg/l.
Iron can be removed from water by the use of either a chemical to cause it precipitate out and then filtered or alternatively using a greensand filter or reverse osmosis.
Hydrogen sulphide is released when naturally occurring sulphate is degraded by bacteria in groundwater. Sulphur in drinking water usually manifests itself as a rotten egg smell from your supply. This is because the hydrogen sulphide gas dissolved in the water, escapes to the air when a plumbing line is opened.
The hydrogen sulphide gas is created by sulphur reducing bacteria. These bacteria do not cause disease but they impart the bad taste and odour.
Water with as little as 1mg/l hydrogen sulphide is corrosive and may stain laundry.
Activated carbon filters can usually remove small amounts of hydrogen sulphide.
Chlorination and a polishing filter may be used for water with higher amounts.
Having hardness in your water means in laymans terms having limescale.
This will manifest itself as scaling of washing machines, kettles, irons etc. It will also reduce the lathering formation from soaps and shampoos.
The hardness is created by calcium and magnesium carbonate. These are expressed as CaCO3.
Water with hardness up to 100mg/l can be considered as soft, between 100 and 250mg/l moderately hard and over 250mg/l is excessively hard.