Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with
Man uses water daily. With it, not only useful, but also dangerous substances can enter the body. Water is a universal solvent, so it is not usually found in a chemically pure form. Together with bacteria and viruses, it can also carry many different impurities. All this affects the taste of water, its smell, transparency and color. And even by these simple signs, one can determine that its quality has changed.
polluted water is the cause of about 70–80% of all known diseases and accelerates the aging process by 30%. That is why it is so important to check its quality. And if it is not possible to give water for analysis to the laboratory, initial testing can be carried out at home.
1. Storage
This test allows you to determine the presence of foreign impurities. Pour water into a clean transparent bottle, close the lid and leave in a dark place. If at least one of the suspicious signs appears after a few days (a film on the surface, plaque on the walls, sediment), then the quality of the water leaves much to be desired: it contains a large amount of metal salts.
2. Boiling
This experience allows you to determine whether metals are present in high concentrations in water. Bring the water in a saucepan to a boil, then let it simmer for another 12 to 14 minutes. Wait another 20 minutes for the water to cool and then pour it out. The presence of lime deposits and scale on the walls of the pan is not a good indicator. If the color of the scale is gray, then the concentration of calcium is exceeded, brown-yellow - iron.
3. Potassium permanganate test
Ordinary potassium permanganate allows you to determine whether the water is drinkable. Dissolve a small amount of it in a glass of test liquid and evaluate the reaction. The water should turn light pink. If the water has acquired a yellow tint, then it is of poor quality and should not be drunk. Potassium permanganate discolors when it destroys organic matter.
4. Brewing tea
Tea can be brewed differently in different waters, even if all of them are of good quality. But special attention should be paid to the transparency of the drink. Pour 40–50 ml of raw water to be tested into a glass with freshly brewed tea. If the contents of the glass become lighter in color, the water quality is acceptable. If the tea is cloudy, you cannot drink such water: it may contain an excess of salts or other harmful substances, including organic ones.
5. Weighing
It is believed that good quality water is lighter. With an accurate kitchen scale, 2 water samples can be weighed. The first sample is a reference (water from a cooler or filtered water can act as a reference), the second is a test sample. It is better to use the same measuring cup. A good indicator is approximately the same mass of samples (the difference should be no more than 1–2%).
6. Mirror test
Perhaps everyone should think about how to check the quality of water at home. Few people go to the laboratory due to being busy, and our people do not like to spend money on tests, to wait a long time for the results of examinations. This is how we are arranged: we want fast, accurate and ... for free.
The main criterion in assessing the quality of water is its hardness, or the content of potassium and magnesium salts. High concentrations of these substances worsen the taste of water and adversely affect human health.
After all, as you know, harmful salts tend to accumulate in the body, disrupt the processes of digestion and metabolism, and cause chronic diseases. Therefore, quality control of the daily water consumed is a must if you want to stay healthy for many years.
How to check water hardness at home using a device
The fact that the water from the tap is quite hard will tell the kettle and the boiler: the more scale is formed, the more salts are dissolved in the water. However, you will not be able to get a quantitative indicator without having a measuring device.
Salt meters have been on the market for a long time, but few people know about these useful household meters. I propose to consider the process of assessing water quality using the example of the SOEKS Ecovisor F4 device - a multifunctional environmental control device. You can find out about all its useful functions. Now let's consider in more detail only the salt meter function.
The built-in TDS meter measures the content of dissolved solids TDS - total dissolved solids in relation to a million ppm (parts per million) water particles. In the ecovisor, the process of checking water quality is simple and intuitive, and the result is immediately compared with the norm.
To make measurements, it is necessary to remove the protective cap from the measuring probe and enter the “salt gauge” mode.
After that, the device is ready for measurements: just dip the probe into the water to get ready-made readings in a matter of seconds with a color indication warning whether the water is suitable for consumption. If the rate is exceeded, the installation of a filter for cleaning is required.
How to test drinking water at home if there is no device
Water quality can be assessed by visual testing.
Let's heat the water from the tap
If the water heated to 20 ° C has acquired an unpleasant taste and smell, it is not recommended to eat it without pre-treatment (cleaning, boiling).
When heated to 60 ° C, the taste perception is further enhanced. It is important that there is no taste of bitterness or salt, metal or acid. A slight tingling on the tongue indicates a high alkali content.
Pour water into a glass
Transparent glass will allow you to assess how clean the water is. The presence of even a slight cloudy shade indicates the presence of unacceptable solid impurities and the need to install a filter. The exception is samples of well or well water, which may contain useful mineral salts and a solid residue that settles during a short settling.
Let's try to wash or cook soup
In hard water, soap and washing powder foam very poorly, boiling takes longer, vegetables boil less, meat remains tough even after many hours of boiling. If these signs are noticed, preliminary cleaning with special aqua filters is mandatory before consuming water for food or drink.
Let's make tea
Prepare your favorite drink and see: if a film has formed on the surface of the liquid, the hardness of the water used is higher than normal. Muting the pleasant aroma of coffee and tea also indicates poor water quality.
Let's cook.. boiling water
If, after a single boil of water in a perfectly clean pan, limescale and sediment immediately form, the water is too hard.
Harmful effects of daily drinking of poor quality water
A one-time excess of the norm will not bring significant harm, and the body will cope with a stressful situation. However, with the constant exposure to harmful factors, the protective systems fail and serious problems appear: salt deposits develop in the joints, there is a slow slagging of tissues and the digestive system.
The main negative consequences of poor water quality for the body:
- Deterioration of the skin condition: clogging of pores, disruption of the sebaceous glands. The skin becomes dry and prematurely fades.
- Unhealthy, unkempt appearance and stiffness of the hair, dandruff, irritation and itching of the scalp.
- Gradually, urolithiasis develops, as the kidneys cannot cope with the abundance of harmful salts entering the body.
- Osteochondrosis develops, the full functioning of the joints is disrupted.
Chronic diseases are only aggravated over time, the body will experience increasing stress on the cleaning organs. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the problem of water quality in a timely manner in order to stay healthy as long as possible.
The best solution to the problem is to install a reverse osmosis filter that will purify all the water entering the apartment. So the health of the whole family will be safe, and household appliances (washing machine, kettle, coffee maker, boiler, etc.) will last much longer. In addition, the consumption of detergents will be reduced by 30-50%, which will be a significant savings for the family budget.
If such a solution is not yet affordable, it is quite possible to limit yourself to the inexpensive option of installing a carbon filter so that at least drinking water and the one that goes to cooking do not contain excessive harmful impurities.
stay healthy
Daily use of soft water improves the condition of hair and skin, which has a positive effect on overall health. The taste of cooked dishes and drinks is much more pleasant, their aroma is better manifested. This improves the quality of life in every way. It is worth checking how hard the tap water is and taking care of its purification in order to enjoy life without a bitter aftertaste!
A person needs to drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day. At the same time, it must be clean, not include foreign impurities. How to test water at home? Popular methods are presented in the article.
Norms
It is required to regularly check the quality of water, as this directly affects the health of people. According to SanPiN 2.1.4.1074-01, the following indicators are established:
- Hydrogen activity - 6-9 units. pH.
- Mineralization - 1000 mg/l.
- Hardness - no more than 7.0 mg-eq / l.
- Nitrates - not more than 45 mg / dm 3, iron - up to 0.30, manganese - up to 0.10, surfactants - not more than 0.50.
- Phenolic index - 0.25 mg / l.
These are just some of the standards to consider when testing water quality. Their total number is up to 1000 standards. It is on them that specialists in laboratories are guided.
Danger of tap water
Tap water is called water that comes from a tap. It is delivered to housing through water pipes. Water supply has been actively developing in large cities of Russia since the end of the 19th century. Typically, the liquid comes from river water intakes. Then it is subjected to several stages of purification: mechanical filtration and sand. Next is disinfection.
Only after that the water is allowed through the pipes. It collects the dirt that accumulates in the pipeline. Russian pipes have long needed a major overhaul, they need to be changed. Insufficiently purified water negatively affects human health. Because of it, there are such health problems:
- The risk of oncology increases.
- There is a negative effect on the work of the heart and blood vessels.
- Urolithiasis may appear.
- Itching, peeling, allergies appear.
How to determine the quality of the liquid flowing from the tap? Laboratory research is considered a reliable method. This requires sampling. But there are home methods, which will be discussed later.
Organoleptic method
With the help of organoleptic indicators, it is possible to determine whether the water is suitable for drinking. It will be possible to carry out the analysis with the help of the sense organs - sight and smell:
- The liquid must be collected in a transparent glass and look at its color. The standard is a colorless liquid. If it has a color (bluish, greenish, yellow-brown), then this means the presence of a chemical component. Sediment should be absent. It should be looked at from the well and the spring is unclear, because it includes salt and iron. But the liquid for drinking from the tap should be clear.
- The water should be odorless. If it has a hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, ammonia smell, then it cannot be used for drinking. Swampy, putrid, grassy odors are not allowed.
- If the first stages of the organoleptic analysis of water at home did not show deviations from the norm, you can proceed to further research. The water must be tasted. It shouldn't have any aftertaste. If it is, then it contains organic or inorganic components. Salinity appears from dissolved salts, iron gives the liquid a metallic taste, acid gives sourness. Pure water has a refreshing taste.
These are all organoleptic indicators by which the analysis can be performed independently. So you can check the liquid from any source.
Using a mirror
Home water analysis can be done in another efficient way. A clean mirror or glass is required. A drop of water is applied to it. The surface must dry.
Then you need to evaluate the result. If the mirror is perfectly clean, then the water was free of impurities and salts. If there are stains and traces, then the water is not suitable for drinking.
Boiling
You can test your water at home by boiling it. It is necessary to take a clean pan, pour water into it, put it on the stove and boil. Let the liquid boil for 10-15 minutes. Then it must be drained and inspect the walls of the container. If there is a light yellow precipitate, then this is evidence of the presence of calcium salts. When the water contains a lot of iron oxide, the precipitate turns dark gray.
You can test tap water for hardness. It is necessary to wash your hands or boil the kettle: if the soap does not foam well under the stream, and a lot of scale instantly appears in the kettle, then the water is hard. You can also boil a kettle and brew strong black tea. Then raw water is added to the drink. If it turns peach, then the liquid is clear, and if it becomes cloudy, then the water quality is low.
Long term storage
At home, water analysis is carried out using another simple method. Fill the bottle with a clear liquid, close the lid and hide for several days in a dark place. Then you can evaluate the result. There should be no sediment or plaque on the walls in the container. It is important that there is no film on the surface. If there is at least one sign, then the water quality is low.
The use of potassium permanganate
Perform a water analysis at home with the help of potassium permanganate. You will need a liquid from the tap (100 ml), in which a little potassium permanganate is diluted. It is necessary to pour some water into another glass, the quality of which you want to check. Next, you need to mix the liquids, observing the reaction. If the water turns yellow instead of pink, then you should not drink it.
shellfish
If there are Unionidae mollusks in the aquarium at home, then with them it will be possible to check the quality of drinking water. If they close the sink when they are in such a liquid, then there are foreign impurities in it.
All home methods provide an approximate result. You can get accurate data in a special laboratory. They will conduct the required analyzes and provide information on them.
Test kits
For express analysis, there are kits and devices for determining water quality. Usually they are compact and can be easily placed in a backpack. In ph-testers for water, there are litmus papers that are impregnated with special compounds. When placed in water, they react with a certain type of chemical element, causing the piece of paper to change color. On this basis, it will be possible to determine the presence and quantity of certain components.
There are kits where there are vials with chemical reagents. To get results, you need to draw water into the container, add a reagent and observe the reaction, which manifests itself in a change in the color of the water, consistency. After this procedure, you can not drink this water.
The following sets are used for analysis:
- "Natural Waters". Detects and determines the amount of salts, the presence of chlorine and acidity.
- "Spring". The kit allows you to check the presence of nitrites and nitrates. It also detects the level of iron and the amount of manganese.
- "Well". Used to determine the amount of iron and aluminum impurities. Sets the presence of certain types of nitrates.
- "Well". This kit is universal, as it allows you to install all the above elements and fluorides in groundwater.
All kits are used for independent determination of water quality. They have instructions on how to use them.
It is important that the liquid complies with SanPiN 2.1.4.1074-01. They are the ones who control water quality. Regulatory authorities should regularly take samples and perform checks. But you can also independently contact special services for additional research.
Where is the water tested?
Now there are many institutions that do this work. The investigated liquid must comply with the standards of GOST. For examination, you can send not only drinking water, but also waste, technical, mineral, purified. Each type has its own standards.
Verification is possible in the following institutions:
- Waterworks laboratories.
- Laboratories of sanitary and epidemiological stations.
- Independent private laboratories.
- Rospotrebnadzor.
It is required to check the availability of accreditation and license from the organization, otherwise there are no guarantees of high-quality work. If problems arise, such a water test will not be legally valid. It is also necessary to check the modernity of laboratory equipment.
After the verification procedure, a protocol or act is provided, which indicates all the detected indicators. The document includes data on the composition of the liquid, concentration of components, suitability conclusions and tips. If the results are not satisfactory, you can visit another laboratory.
In order for the test to be of high quality, you need to take the sample correctly. If detection of harmful components is required, it is advisable to call a laboratory employee. If you do it yourself, then you need to follow simple rules:
- A sample container for bacterial analysis must be taken from the laboratory. If this is done on your own, then you need to take a bottle of plain water. It is important that it be glass, clean.
- The liquid should drain for 5-10 minutes, and then it can be collected.
- The bottle and cork should be washed several times with the same water that is taken for analysis.
- The liquid must be poured carefully along the wall of the container. This is required so that oxygen bubbles do not appear in the water, which lead to oxidation. This fact affects the test results.
- The bottle must be filled completely. It is important that there is less air in it.
- It is best to send the sample to the laboratory immediately. If the liquid stays in the bottle for a long time, then its composition changes, as different chemical reactions are observed. When this is not possible, the container should be put in the refrigerator.
The sample requires at least 1.5 liters, but it will be possible to find out exactly this information in the laboratory. Each check may require a certain amount. Some experts recommend taking a water sample only in a glass or plastic bottle. If you follow these rules, then the test will give an accurate result.
Water analysis should be performed in a laboratory. But you can find out its quality at home. All the methods mentioned in the article are effective and safe.
A well for drinking water in a summer cottage completely solves the problems with the water supply of a private house. However, there is a quite reasonable question about the purity of water. After all, it can be overly saturated with minerals and trace elements, the content of which must comply with sanitary standards.
And besides them, it may contain contaminants that have entered the aquifer from the surface. Therefore, before using the well for its intended purpose, it is imperative to check the quality of the water from it.
Assessment of the state of water at home
Of course, the best option is to take the sample to the laboratory for analysis. So you can be sure of the accuracy of the result. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to do this, therefore, you can try to do an analysis of water from a drinking well at home.
First, you need to take the sample correctly. To do this, you need to turn on the pump and let it run for about an hour. Otherwise, settled water may enter the sample, and therefore the analysis results will be invalid. The liquid must be collected in transparent and clean containers. It is desirable to pre-treat them with boiling water. The analysis itself is carried out immediately.
Pure water (right) and water with iron content in the liquid (left)
visual analysis
If you do not take water to the laboratory and do not use special tests, then there is only one option left, how to check the quality of water at home. It is to trust your senses and appreciate:
- taste;
- color;
- smell.
Color
To accurately determine the shade, a clean white sheet of paper must be placed behind the liquid container. By the way, small deviations from ideal transparency are allowed for wells. Analysis of well water for color can determine the following indicators:
- the liquid is cloudy with a brown tint, a large amount of sediment falls out - this indicates a high content of iron oxide;
- if, when heated, the color of the water begins to change and a reddish tint appears, this also indicates the iron content;
- when there is no sediment in the container, but the liquid has a light yellowish color - this indicates a mixture of organic matter with iron;
- cloudy milky water indicates the content of gases;
- grayish color - evidence of high manganese content.
Thus, it can be concluded that any deviation from the transparent color indicates a high content of impurities.
Smell
Checking the water from the well for contamination will help and its smell. For such an analysis, you just need to smell it:
- unnatural chemical odors, such as plastic or fuel, indicate serious external pollution. Most likely, their reason is in the sources located on the surface, for example, not far from the site, there is an industrial enterprise that produces hazardous waste. In most cases, it will not be possible to clean it, and the well can only be used for technical needs;
- a common case is the presence of hydrogen sulfide. In this case, there will be a distinct smell of rotten food;
- a damp smell will be with a high organic content.
Those. Drinking water must be neutral in odour.
Taste
In general, the analysis of water from a well for taste can be done only if it is transparent and does not have foreign odors. At the same time, you do not need to swallow it - just put a little in your mouth.
By taste, you can determine:
Another point - if the water is clean, without foreign smells and tastes, you can do another check. To better determine the quality of water, you just need to heat it up to a temperature of 50-60 degrees. At the same time, the intensity of taste and smell will increase and all impurities will be more pronounced.
Using Tests
A more reliable way to check the composition of water is to use special tests. Moreover, they are freely available and quite affordable.
They can be divided into 2 groups:
- Express tests.
- Reusable devices.
Of course, for a private house it is better to purchase special devices:
- tds-meter - to determine the hardness of water and the presence of salts in it;
- ph-meter - acidity is determined.
Their cost depends on functionality, on average it is 1-2 thousand rubles.
Another option, how to test water at home, is the use of express tests. They are litmus papers that react to various impurities.
Doctors advise drinking two liters of ordinary water a day. It improves digestion, helps the body detoxify and function normally. But what if tea-colored water flows from the tap, and the purchased product smells of rot? It is unlikely that such water will have a positive effect on the body.
If everything is clear with the visible signs of “bad” water, then what about more subtle indicators: acidity, hardness, mineral content, and others? MIR 24 figured out how to safely quench your thirst and turn a liquid full of harmful substances into water.
Why is it important to test water quality?
Citizens, especially in metropolitan areas, have long gotten used to the idea: you can’t drink from the tap. Parents have been teaching this since childhood. The information, however, is not entirely correct: in some houses, a completely drinkable liquid flows from the water supply, and it does not even need to be boiled. But this is true only for a certain percentage of Russian regions.
The fact is that water quality is affected by many different reasons. It is deteriorating, for example, due to the development of zones located in the ecosystem of artesian wells. The poor condition of the water supply network or treatment facilities also affects. In particular, part of the main pipes are depressurized, rust and corrode. Because of this, the water is polluted, bacterial colonies start up in it.
However, it will have to upset the residents of private houses. The myth of pure spring water, especially in modern conditions, is absolutely untenable. Groundwater is littered with emissions and waste, numerous landfills poison the soil. Water from springs and wells needs to be examined no less than pouring from a tap.
How to test water at home?
You can, in principle, be 99% sure of the quality of drinking water on your own. To do this, it is worth conducting a simple test consisting of several steps:
1. Check the transparency of the water. If we are talking about an urban environment, then a drinkable liquid must be absolutely transparent. Pour water into a glass, put a white sheet under it and look at the liquid in the light from different angles. Nothing should “float” in the water, and the color of the paper underneath should be crystal white. At the same time, it is worth remembering that groundwater should be slightly (but not too) turbid. Even in this state, it can be drunk.
2. Check the taste and aroma of the water. This must be done in two states: when it is heated to 20 degrees Celsius and when it is heated to 60 degrees Celsius. In the first case, the liquid should have absolutely no smell and taste. Even with the slightest deviation, it is worth boiling the water or passing it through the filter. In the second case, a slight aftertaste is allowed. At the same time, a sweetish taste indicates the content of gypsum, bitter - magnesium salts, tart - iron salts, and putrefactive -.
3. The easiest way to test water for foreign matter is to apply a drop of liquid to any transparent surface. When it evaporates, not a single trace should remain of pure water.
4. It is equally important to check the water for hardness. This can be done in several ways: for example, try foaming laundry detergent in it. In hard water, this will be worse. You can also simply boil water and check the kettle for sediment. The more it is, the higher the rigidity.
What is hidden from the naked eye?
Even though you can quite accurately find out the whole truth about water quality at home, some tests can still be done only in the laboratory.
So, scientists can measure the redox potential of any liquid. It affects the activity of electrons in the processes of oxidation and reduction. Simply put, the lower the ORP, the more electrons in the water. They help the liquid acquire antioxidant properties, slow down the aging process, improve metabolism, activate the immune system, increase the overall tone of the body and cleanse it.
However, the low content of electrons also does not make water "harmful". It simply acquires oxidizing properties, helps to reduce pressure, calms the nervous system and acts as a good antiseptic.
At the same time, silver can even become dangerous to human health. It is better to avoid water with "silver ion content". The thing is that they kill absolutely all bacteria, including harmful and beneficial ones. Sterile liquid will not bring any benefit to your body. By the way, in Russia, the maximum allowable content of silver in water is 0.05 mg per liter. Anything more is pure poison.
A proven way to purify water is boiling. If you heat the liquid to 95 degrees Celsius, then most harmful microorganisms will die, but this method will not get rid of the content of various harmful elements and stiffness.
You can pass water through any filter containing carbon. This is not a quick process, and not cheap: filters need to be changed constantly. But coal helps to purify water from almost all harmful elements.
Water is an expensive method. In addition, only professionals can carry it out, because ozone is a toxic gas. In just a few seconds, ozonation can remove any microorganisms and harmful substances, leaving only useful ones, as well as improve the taste of water. True, ozone does not last long - in just a few hours, microorganisms will begin to appear in the liquid again.
Water is the most commonly consumed liquid in the world. Be more attentive to what you drink, and do not be lazy to once again check the quality of the water and purify it.
