water at home

I'm skeptical about the water quality in our home. Sometimes it smells and sometimes looks brownish (not ideal, right?) I looked into a few different water filters, and need to do more research on them. But it has raised the question of, is my water really bad and what exactly is in it? Obviously there could be contaminants from the water supply as well from our home's pipes.

Fortunately there are do-it-yourself test kits available. I plan to try one and see what the results are. The deluxe test kit includes a 75 item check for: Bacteria (presence/absence for coliform and E.coli), heavy metals and minerals, other inorganic chemicals, physical characteristics, trihalomethanes and volatile organic chemicals. There is also an option to test for additional pesticides, herbicides and PCB’s. You take samples and send them to their lab. Results are typically completed and mailed within 10-15 business days from the date samples are received at the laboratory.

In the meantime I will try to educate myself about what levels are safe, and continue to research the plethora of purification options. There seems to be everything from the easy brita filter to a 14-step mega filter system. Until then, bottled.