Real and proper water testing is a complex undertaking! It requires the use of sensitive instrumentation, highly sophisticated chemical reagents and certified standards, specialized laboratory equipment as well as the interpretive skills of a qualified water quality analyst.

Real and proper water testing is also time consuming! A certified professional water quality analyst will require 1.5 to four hours (sometimes longer) depending upon the complexity of the complaint, to properly diagnose the water problem, identify the specific contaminant(s) and determine the probable source.

So… the question is:

Can a free in home water test, usually completed in a matter of minutes, using only the most basic demonstrative equipment really be a water test?

Or, is it more likely a carefully crafted sales presentation, designed specifically to convince the client to purchase the water treatment equipment that the person testing the water is actually selling?

Consider this:

Help wanted ads, similar to those pictured left, can be found regularly in local papers and on Internet job posting sites across the country.

Many, if not most people performing “free” water tests;

1. Have very little or no real water testing and treatment experience.
2. Have no credible certification (often, they rely on membership in one or more professional organizations to enhance their level of credibility and infer that they are, in fact, qualified to test water).
3. Use only the simplest and most basic testing equipment, which is more often better suited to sales demonstrations than proper water testing.

On the other hand, most of these people are;

1. Experienced sales professionals, well skilled in the “art of the close”.
2. Well trained in the proper presentation and demonstration of their equipment’s ability to deal with the contaminant that the “free water test” has identified.
3. Generously paid on a commission basis (No sale / No pay). (This ratchets up the pressure to make the sale considerably, regardless of whether or not the equipment will solve the entire water problem or simply address the issue that has been identified through the minimal free test).

What to Look For:

At Mountain Stream Resources, we believe that water treatment dealers who do genuinely and adequately test water prior to treatment are few and far between, but they are out there. If you are considering accepting one of these “free water tests” offered by virtually every dealer in the water conditioning business, there are a few things you should look for.

1. Is the person offering to test your water actually certified to do so? A person properly qualified to test water will have and display a Water Quality Analyst certification issued by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) or at an absolute minimum, some lesser certification from one of the credible professional water organizations, for example; The Canadian Water Quality Association. (CWQA) Note: A simple membership in a professional organization does not in any way constitute certification by that organization.
2. Is the person testing the water properly equipped to test for all of the potential contaminants that may be causing the particular problem that you are concerned about? It is not necessary that all of the equipment pictured above will be required to conduct the appropriate test, but certainly, several key pieces should be present (a basic water test is comprised of, on average, 15 separate parameters, not simply water hardness and perhaps the presence of iron or hydrogen sulfide).
3. Does the income of the person conducting the “free water test” depend on making a water treatment equipment sale? All too often, commission based sales people will place their pursuit of an income ahead of all other concerns or considerations. This may or may not be the case but, it is something to think about! After all, your families’ health and safety are very likely your most important concern and probably the reason you are seeking a water test in the first place.

At Mountain Stream Resources, our water quality analysts are fully certified, properly equipped and paid a salary. We do not sell any water treatment equipment and are therefore, not bound up in any conflict of interest, as are most of the companies who do offer free water testing! We do present our clients with an accurate analysis of their water supply and recommend a practical solution to remedy the problems identified, if any.

We also work with and recommend water treatment companies who are, certified, qualified and professional, including suppliers, installers and service people. The majority of the firms we work with will rebate most if not all of the actual cost of our water testing, having found; an accurate water analysis done before hand makes their job easier and helps to keep their costs down, often leaving the net cost to the consumer at zero.

For more information please contact us at info@mtnstreamres.com