Every adult needs to drink at least one and a half liters of water per day. This is the norm that will allow your body to work like a clock. But not always the water that comes from the tap will correspond to the desired quality. It is in this case that you should check all the characteristics in order to protect your health.
Why is it necessary to check the quality of water?
Water is consumed daily. It is very difficult sometimes to identify all the flaws, because they may not have a pronounced smell or taste. The main distinguishing features are the following:
- Change of characteristics. If you notice some differences in color, smell or taste, then you need to immediately conduct an examination. This does not mean that the water has become contaminated and dangerous. But to avoid subsequent problems, it is best to play it safe.
- Construction of an industrial enterprise. If any industrial facility is being built near your home, then in most cases the water is polluted.
- An accident of a technogenic appearance near the house. In such a situation, it is necessary to immediately check whether toxic waste has leaked into the soil and whether they have infected the water.
- Water purification. If you install filters, you need to know the composition of your water.
- Buying a plot. If you acquire a site, and there is a well on it, then first you need to check the condition of the water from it. You should have knowledge on how to check the quality of water from a well.
What are the regulations?
If you do not know how to check the quality of water at home, then first you need to determine its type. For each species, there are any specific characteristics.
In Russia today, a number of regulatory documents have been developed that just regulate the drinking water quality system. The list includes the following:
- State type standards.
- Technical conditions
- Hygiene standards and more.
Each of them carries any specific data.
What water is checked for quality?
Moreover, among the main types of drinking water, the following can be noted:
- Tap water. This is the main source of fluid for settlements. For her, mineralization, rigidity, the presence of various elements and much more are established. All this can be found in 1000 regulations.
- Bottled water. Very often it can be found from various manufacturers. And not always the quality will be perfect. Therefore, water is divided into two categories: the highest and the first. The first category does not do any harm to the body, but does not enrich it with any elements. But it meets all the characteristics. Water of the highest category is usually produced in various natural sources. When installing water quality of any category, the composition of salt, gas, as well as the presence of various harmful elements are used.
- Water from natural sources. These include wells, rivers, wells, springs and much more. When checking, first of all, the presence of various chemical impurities is taken into account.
Where can I check water for quality?
If you do not know how to check the quality, then you need to think about specializing in this company. Among the organizations involved in verification, the following can be noted:
- Rospotrebnadzor.
- Private Lab.
- Laboratory from a water utility.
- Laboratory of epidemiological stations.
It is best to contact those organizations whose activities are confirmed by a license. This will allow you to get a competent check, which will help you in the future.
How to check the quality of water at home?
Before taking water to some highly specialized organization, it is better to carry out the process at home. To do this, you need to know some properties:
- Smell. Everyone knows that water has no smell. But when any unnecessary substances appear, the smell will become grassy, marsh or any other. If there are dissolved gases in the water, there will be an ammonia or chlorine odor. Saturation will be measured on a five-point scale.
- Taste. It will depend on how much and what kind of organic substances in the water are available. If it has a brackish taste, it contains dissolved salts. If the taste is metallic, then a lot of iron. An acidic taste will indicate that acids are present. If there are no impurities in the water, it will taste fresh.
- Color. It indicates that there are any impurities in the water. Pure water has no color. But it can be bluish or greenish. If there is a large amount of impurities in the water, it may be yellow-brown.
- Turbidity. In clear water you can see turbidity. This suggests that it has a high content of suspended particles.
- Mineralization. The concept indicates how many dissolved salts are in water. When checking, you need to know that good water should have data on this characteristic from 200 to 400 mg / l.
Check quality with improvised means
How to check the quality of water at home? If you suspect that the water has any harmful impurities, then you can use several methods to check.
If you do not know how to check the quality of water at home, then you should use the following methods:
- Dilute the water. There is an opinion that the purer the water, the less it will weigh. To do this, take water from the cooler and from ordinary water supply. Measure the same samples and then weigh.
- Brewing tea. To do this, you need to brew tea and pour ordinary tap water into it. If the color has become peach, then do not worry. If the tea is cloudy, the water is not suitable for drinking.
- Water in a bottle. This is the most basic way. You just need to pour water into the bottle and put in a dark place for 2 days. After that, check the contents of your bottle. If the water became greenish, and a plaque appeared, then it is not suitable for consumption. If there are no changes, then the water is clean.
- Boiling. Boil water in a perfectly clean container. Do this for 15 minutes. Then drain and look for suspicious scale. If there is a large amount of iron oxide in water, then the scale will be dark gray.
- Mirror or glass. In order to conduct an experiment, you need to drop water to the surface and wait a few minutes to evaporate the liquid. If a trace remains, then the water has some impurities.
- Potassium permanganate. You can check the quality of water at home using potassium permanganate as follows: dissolve a little agent in ordinary water and look at the reaction. If the water turns yellow, it should not be consumed.
- Hand washing. If the soap does not foam well, then the water is very hard. Before use, it is better to boil it.
- Dip the soap in hot water. If it dissolves completely, the water is clean.
There are other ways to check the quality of water at home - a testometer. This device allows you to quickly set all the data and find out the necessary information.
Why is water quality checked?
Many are used to the fact that you can’t drink tap water. This was said by parents in childhood. But today it is not. Many houses are equipped with various devices, and water can be drunk directly from the tap without boiling.
Very often, water in many areas is clogged from nearby businesses or landfills. That is why it is not always necessary to drink it raw, otherwise you can catch the disease.
How can water be purified?
Many grandmothers used the silver spoon method. They simply threw such an object into the water and thought that the water would be purified. But this is not so. Silver reacts poorly with ordinary water and does not change anything.
One of the most commonly used methods for purifying water is boiling. Water heats up, and most microorganisms die in it.
In addition, water can be passed through various filters. One of them is coal. This is quite an expensive slow way. But coal allows you to purify water from almost all elements.
Several methods can be noted on how to check the quality of water at home after the filter.
Ozonation of water is a method that has recently entered the life of many people. But it is expensive. In just a few seconds, you can destroy all microorganisms and harmful substances from the water. In addition, you will leave only useful elements, as well as improve the taste.
conclusions
If you do not know how to check the quality of water at home using soda, then you should contact the professionals. All methods for cleaning at home give only approximate results. Therefore, if defects are found, you should immediately contact special organizations.