My tap water tastes fine. What can testing tell me?
A question from Armenian radio opens up two quite different reasons to check your water: choosing a filter and investigating a change at the tap.
What do we mean by good water?
On Lratvakan Radio, the host asked Filac director Ara Harutyunyan about people who see little reason to buy a filter because the water in their neighbourhood is already good. Ara wanted to know how they had judged it. At 17:08 he says, in translation, “I agree that cold water is sometimes pleasant to drink.”
You can decide for yourself whether you like the taste. Some chemicals and microbes in water leave no telltale taste, smell or colour. If you have a particular substance in mind, the useful test is one that actually measures it.
What to ask during a home visit
A Filac specialist checks the tap water and measures the pressure. That pressure reading helps establish whether a filter will need a pump. Ask which water property the specialist measured, what the units are and what the result tells you.
If your concern is lead, for example, ask a laboratory about a test for lead. Check who should collect the sample and how before filling a bottle. When you get the report, look for the tap it came from, the date and the list of substances tested.
If something has changed at the tap
If Veolia Djur supplies your home and you are concerned about the quality of the tap water, the utility asks you to stop using it and call 1-85 straight away. Give your address and phone number, say what you noticed and when it began. Its laboratory staff collect samples on site and check the water against sanitary standards.