Schedule a water test in Northwest Arkansas
Guesswork is the most expensive thing in water treatment. A test replaces it with numbers — and frequently shows you need less than you thought.
- Measured at your property, in front of you
- Laboratory analysis where it is genuinely required
- You keep the results, with no obligation
Book Your Water Test
Tell us what you are noticing. We will confirm a time that works.
What happens during a water test visit
We talk through what you are noticing
Taste, smell, staining, appliance trouble, or simply not knowing. Where it happens and when it started narrows things immediately.
We identify your water source
Municipal supply, private well, or rural water district — and whether there is an unused well still plumbed into the property, which matters more often than people expect.
We measure on site
Reagent chemistry and calibrated meters, with the numbers written down as we go. You watch it happen.
We collect laboratory samples where needed
Following the laboratory’s documented procedure, because collection method affects the result as much as the analysis does. A carelessly taken bacteria sample produces a false positive.
We explain what it all means
Which numbers matter for you, which are normal for this part of Arkansas, and what each one would take to address.
You keep the results
Written down, yours to take to another company if you want a second opinion. We would rather you did that than felt cornered.
In-home screening versus laboratory analysis
These answer different questions and it is worth knowing which you need.
| Measured | How | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness, iron, manganese, pH, chlorine, TDS | In-home, during the visit | Enough to size a softener or a carbon system, and immediate |
| Total coliform bacteria and E. coli | Certified laboratory | No field method is reliable. Essential for any private well |
| Nitrate | Certified laboratory | Invisible and tasteless. Priority where there is an infant in the house |
| Lead and copper | Certified laboratory, first-draw and flushed | Comes from your plumbing, so it must be sampled at your tap |
| Arsenic | Certified laboratory, with speciation | The chemical form decides which treatment works |
| PFAS | Specialised laboratory, specific EPA methods | No field test exists. Check your utility’s data first |
If you are on city water, start with something free
Every community water system in Arkansas publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report stating what is in the water leaving the plant, including which disinfectant is used. That report costs you nothing and answers several questions before anyone visits. We are glad to look yours up with you.
What it cannot tell you is what happens between the plant and your glass — which is precisely where lead comes from.
What a bad water test looks like
If any of these happen in your kitchen, you are not being given a measurement.
- The electrolysis demonstration. A device is placed in a glass and the water turns brown. The colour is the iron electrode corroding. It does the same thing to bottled water and to laboratory-grade water. It measures nothing.
- A TDS meter presented as a safety test. TDS measures dissolved minerals. It cannot distinguish calcium from arsenic, and it detects no bacteria at all.
- Claiming to detect bacteria, lead or PFAS on site. None of these can be measured reliably with a field kit.
- A price that expires today. If it is only good while they are standing there, it was never the real price.
- No written results. You should leave the visit holding the numbers.
- A recommendation before the measurement. If the system was decided before the test, the test was decoration.
How often should water be tested?
For a private well, annually for total coliform bacteria and nitrate is the widely recommended baseline — plus after any flooding, any work on the well, and any change in taste, smell or appearance. Nobody else is testing it for you.
For municipal supply, your utility monitors continuously and reports annually. Testing at your own tap makes sense where the question is about your plumbing rather than the supply — lead being the clearest example — or where you simply want to know what you are drinking.
Questions about testing
Which tests need a laboratory?
Bacteria, nitrate, lead, arsenic and PFAS all require certified laboratory analysis. They cannot be measured reliably with a field kit, and any company claiming otherwise is not being straight with you.
Is the water test free?
The in-home water test is free. Where your situation calls for certified laboratory analysis — bacteria, nitrate, lead, arsenic or PFAS, none of which can be measured reliably in a kitchen — we will explain what that involves and what it costs before anything is sent to a lab. Nothing gets charged without you agreeing to it first.
How long does the visit take?
The measurements are quick. The part worth allowing time for is the conversation afterwards about what the numbers mean for your property.
Do I have to buy something afterwards?
No. There is no obligation, no same-day pricing, and nothing to sign during the visit. You keep the results either way.
Can I test my own water instead?
Yes, and for hardness, chlorine and pH a home kit is inexpensive and adequate. For bacteria, nitrate, lead, arsenic and PFAS you need a certified laboratory — and you can approach one directly without going through any water treatment company. We think that is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.