Water Testing Guide: What to Check Before You Buy Anything
You cannot fix what you have not measured. Start here.
By Danny Lachhman · Owner, 360WATER Systems Inc. · Orangeville, Ontario
Why Testing Comes First
Two neighbours on the same street can have completely different water — especially on wells. Buying treatment without a test is like buying glasses without an eye exam: you might get lucky, but the odds are bad. Every recommendation we make starts with a water test, because your water problems are unique and your system should be too.
What We Test for Free
Bring a sample to our Orangeville showroom — or book free in-home testing — and we will check:
- Hardness — the calcium and magnesium behind scale, spots, and soap that will not lather.
- Iron — the culprit behind orange stains and metallic taste.
- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) — the overall mineral content of your water, which affects taste and helps us size the right treatment.
- pH — how acidic or alkaline your water is, which affects corrosion, taste, and how well treatment performs.
- Sulphur (H2S) — the rotten-egg smell common in well water.
- Manganese — often found alongside iron; causes black staining and a bitter, metallic taste.
- Nitrates / Nitrites — common near farms and septic systems; a health concern at elevated levels.
- Sulphates / Sulphites — can give water a bitter taste and cause digestive upset at high levels.
Those numbers answer most equipment questions: softener or not, what size, whether you need iron treatment first, whether UV is viable.
Tests That Need a Lab
Some things need an accredited lab or your local public health unit. Please note: we don’t test for bacteria (E. coli / total coliform) in-house. In Ontario, well-water bacteria testing goes through your local public health unit — it’s free — or an accredited lab. The health unit provides the sample bottles and instructions. If your situation calls for a full lab panel, we will tell you plainly and point you to the right place. We would rather send you to a lab than sell you the wrong system.
In-Store or In-Home: Your Choice
In-store testing is quick — drop off a sample at 283 Broadway and we will test it while you browse the showroom. In-home testing lets us see your plumbing, check water pressure and flow, and test at the tap. Both are free. Either way, you get straight answers and a free quote — never a sales pitch.
Ready for straight answers? Call 519-941-9120 for free water testing and a free quote — we match the system to your water, not to a guess.
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