BOREHOLE WATER
Borehole water may appear clear, but it can contain varying levels of bacteria, salts, metals, turbidity and minerals that cause problems such as scaling or corrosion. A water test may reveal harmful contaminants that are invisible, odourless, tasteless and undetected. Some contaminants cause immediate illness, while others can create serious long-term health problems.
Never assume a standard purification system such as a water softener or filter can be used on borehole water.
Almost all water problems can be addressed using selective treatment based on a proper water analysis.
Why test borehole water?
- Bacteria are present in all natural water systems
- Scale and corrosion due to poor water quality will shorten the lifespan of household heating appliances and pipes
- Salts and metals present in groundwater may be harmful to you and your family
What we test for:
- Bacteria (number and types of bacteria / harmful or naturally occurring)
- Corrosivity and scaling indexes to protect heating appliances
- Salts composition and presence of metals
TAP WATER
Our water services provider (generally the municipality) is responsible for providing us with safe and suitable water. They are required by law to periodically test the water to make sure that it complies with the Drinking Water Standard. This monitoring information is compiled by the Department of Water and Sanitation and you can find information for your region here.
Off the shelf filtration systems do not guarantee safe or pure water. Filters have a maximum capacity and lifespan, after which they may even contribute to poorer water quality than what you started with!
True peace of mind comes from taking responsibility for yourself and your family – that which you don’t test for, you can’t be certain of. The only way to know for sure that the water you’re using to drink, cook and wash with is pure and that you and your family are safe, is to have it tested periodically. If your water is contaminated in the future, you will have a historical record to prove your water quality.
For tap water, we recommend the seven basic tests required by the South African Drinking Water Standard, SANS241:2015.
What we test for:
- Microbiological quality refers to the presence of organisms that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Many of these microbes are associated with the transmission of infectious waterborne diseases such as gastroenteritis.
- Physical quality mainly affects the aesthetic quality (taste, odour and appearance) of water.
- Chemical quality – in tap water, it is required to test for Chlorine residuals as an indicator of disinfection levels.
Bottled WATER
Bottled water is regulated and monitored by the Department of Health which has set standards of purity and safety for the water bottling industry.
Test It LAB will provide you with a certificate to display proudly that you care about the quality of water that you sell to your clients.
More information on bottled water is available at the South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA).
What we test for:
- We perform each of the tests that are required by law to be on the label of your product, including the bacterial content. Once you have your lab report, you can use this information to design and print your labels.
effluent analysis
- Water quality is tested and compared to comply with the National Water Act General authorisation.
- We can also compare your results to any specific standard that is applicable to your industry.
recreational water
- Be sure that your sporting event is safe for participants to swim in.
- We can help you to fix your swimming pool.
agricultural use
- Optimise fertiliser use for your particular crop based on your water quality or determine if the water is suitable for livestock to drink.
OTHER SERVICES
We provide a range of supportive services to advise and ease workloads on technical personnel:
- Treatment options based on your test results
- Installation of filters
- Large scale treatment
- Sample collection and transport
- Resampling
- Sampling point determination
- Incident response and corrective actions
- Support team to assist on-site
- Uploading of data onto IRIS
- Tailor made reporting