Home water testing kits should be a purchase for every household. Water can be contaminated but a water testing kit can protect you and your family. If you’re a gardener or have a hydroponic farm, you can use a water testing kit to make sure you’re giving your plants healthy water. Having the most effective home water test kit is essential.
There are a lot of water testing kits on the market, so we decided to research countless kits in search of the best ones. We found 8 kits that exceed expectations. Below, you can find the podium winners.
Quick Comparisons
Keep in mind that these kits are all different in some way – some of them may be for a specific purpose. For example, a kit could be a hard water test kit or a well water test kit. No matter what the purpose, the kits below are the best of the best. Even if you think your tap water is safe, you should still test it once a year.
After all, nobody wants to get sick from the water they use every day. We listed them in order of positive ratings in ascending order. Keep reading to learn more about the number one water testing kit.
Water Testing Kits – Top Reviews
8. Test Assured Drinking Water Kit
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 10 |
| Main contaminants: | Lead, Bacteria, Pesticide, Iron, Copper, Chlorine, Nitrates, and Nitrites |
| Other tests included: | pH | Water hardness |
| Performance: | Calibrated to EPA standards |
The Test Assured drinking water testing kit is a great, all-around kit that will test for the eight most common contaminants as well as water hardness and pH levels. These contaminants include seven different types of bacteria, as well as nitrates, commonly found in well water.
The kit includes easy-to-follow instruction cards as well as vials, strips, and droppers.
You’ll have everything you need to test your water in one handy package. The kit lists EPA-acceptable standards for each contaminant, so you can trust the comparison scale that is in the kit.
7. Bluelab Waterproof Pocket Water Tester Pen
| Type: | Pen |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 1 |
| Main contaminants: | pH level |
| Other tests included: | None |
| Performance: | Auto-off function | Low battery indicator | Units for temperature |
High pH levels in water can wreak havoc on your home as well as your body. This tester pen from Bluelab can help you keep an eye on your water’s pH level. The pen is waterproof, which is a necessary feature since it’s for testing water.
It has a backlit LCD display so you can easily see the readings and an auto-shutoff to prevent draining the battery. To ensure that it will continue to give you accurate results, Bluelab includes a calibration solution with the pen.
In this kit, you will also find included a storage solution for keeping the pen clean and ready for use. This, plus the fact that it’s a high-quality pen, will keep your pen working for a long time. The pen also comes with a one-year warranty in case of defects. Overall, it is the best kit for the pool, drinking water, hydroponics, brewing, and plant growth on this list.
6. Health Metrics Home Drinking Water Test Kit
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 9 |
| Main contaminants: | Lead, Copper, Nitrates, Nitrites, Chlorine |
| Other tests included: | Bacteria, Alkalinity, pH, Hardness |
| Performance: | Calibrated against EPA standards |
The Health Metrics water testing kit tests your water for seven contaminants as well as the water’s pH level and hardness. It’s a great value because it tests for the most common contaminants found in drinking water for a low price.
The comparison levels on the color-coded chart are the standard EPA levels, so you’ll know your water is safe if it falls within the safe ranges.
Since it is an at-home test and you will have most of the results within minutes, it’s very convenient. This is one of the best water test kits for this price range. It is easy to use, easy to read, and provides accurate results for city tap water.
5. Health Metrics Heavy Metals Water Test
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 4 |
| Main contaminants: | Lead, Mercury, Copper, Iron |
| Other tests included: | None |
| Performance: | Calibrated against EPA standards |
This is another Health Metrics test, but this water testing kit is specifically for heavy metals. This is a great well water test kit since well water can often contain a lot of heavy metal contaminants. The kit tests for lead, iron, copper, and mercury – these are the most common heavy metals found in drinking water.
The test uses strips, which are easy to use. It comes with simple, clear instructions so anyone can use it without any type of technical knowledge.
Simply follow the instructions and get all the results in less than 15 minutes. To help you get started, the manufacturer also sends you an email with a free user guide including everything you need to know about heavy metals testing. The test is calibrated to EPA standards and is extremely accurate. You can trust that this product will let you know exactly what’s in your water.
4. JNW Direct Water Total Hardness Test Strips
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 1 |
| Main contaminants: | Water hardness |
| Other tests included: | None |
| Performance: | 150 strips to test water hardness/softness |
If you only need to test your water for hardness, these strips are a great hard water tester at a very affordable price. Many of the “kits” have a one-time-only test, but this container has 150 strips. This gives you plenty of opportunities to recheck your results. The color chart has six colors that indicate a range of zero to 425 ppm.
This is a fair range and only having six colors simplifies the process. While you’ll need to research what the EPA standard is on water hardness, you can easily do this with a smartphone.
This water testing kit is a great product to have. It allows you to quickly and easily test to see if your water softener is working as efficiently as expected or if you set it up properly. It also helps you keep tabs on your water conditioning and reverse osmosis systems.
JNW offers an e-book that explains everything you need to know about hard water. It’s a free download which is very thoughtful of the company. If water hardness is your issue, this is the best hard water test kit available.
3. AquaVial Water Test Kit
| Type: | Vial |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 2 |
| Main contaminants: | E. coli, Coliform bacteria |
| Other tests included: | Fungi, biofilm |
| Performance: | 4 tests able to detect E.coli and coliform bacteria concentrations as little as 1 CFU/ml |
For people whose more concerned about coliform bacteria in their water, the AquaVial is the best water test kit for this concern. It’s highly sensitive and can detect bacteria levels as low as 1 CFU/ml. The kit can also detect fungi and biofilm. Coliform bacteria are the worst contaminants that you can have in your water.
It can make you very sick and can even be fatal, so using a kit with this level of detection is a great idea, especially for well water.
Our third-place winner is the AquaVial test kit. It comes with four tests so you can use them on different water sources, or you can have backup tests if you need them. AquaVial uses cutting-edge technologies, originally developed for medical research applications, to detect and identify dangerous bacteria.
The company’s proprietary rapid detection technology allows detecting bacteria, fungi, and biofilm in as little as 15 minutes. Every AquaVial kit delivers reliable results, providing a low-cost option to identify water quality issues.
2. Health Metrics Well Water Testing Kit
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 7 |
| Main contaminants: | Manganese, Nitrates, Nitrites, Hydrogen sulfide |
| Other tests included: | pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, E. coli, coliform bacteria |
| Performance: | 7 strips certified against EPA standards |
We have another Health Metrics kit on the list and this time its one that is specifically for well water testing. The Health Metrics kit is the best water test kit you can get for your well. It tests for five contaminants frequently found in wells as well as the water hardness and pH level.
The kit comes with a guide to help you make sense of the results. This guide uses EPA standards and is easy to understand with simple instructions and color-coding.
In the second place of best water test kits is another product from Health Metrics. The kit tests for 8 different contaminants and important water parameters, which are linked to serious illness, plumbing problems (such as pipe corrosion), hardness and limescale buildup, awful tasting, smelling, or looking water, and more.
Most of the results will be ready within a few minutes. One of the best parts about this kit is that it is affordable so you can get the product for your well without breaking your wallet.
1. Varify Complete Water Test Kit
| Type: | Strips |
| Tested # of Contaminants: | 17 |
| Main contaminants: | Lead, Nitrates, Nitrites, Fluoride, Iron, Copper, Mercury, Total chlorine, Aluminum, Sulfate, Bromine, Free chlorine, Cyanuric Acid |
| Other tests included: | pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, bacteria |
| Performance: | 100 strips certified against EPA standards |
We’ve reached the number one pick – the best water test kit of all. The Varify Complete Water Test Kit tests for 15 contaminants as well as pH level and water hardness.
That’s the most of any of the kits on our list. Since the kit tests for so many contaminants, and is so accurate, you can use it to test any type of water.
With its features and performances, this water testing set is the best money can buy. Varify tests against EPA standards making it the perfect tap water testing kit. This test kit is very easy to use and provides results within two minutes – except for the bacteria tests, which take longer. Overall, this is an excellent product with a great price and more than enthusiastic customer reviews!
Home Test Kit Guide
Home testing kits are becoming more common. Many brands provide reliable instruments at affordable prices. In case you cannot afford a fully independent laboratory test, or you cannot find one in your area, you can look for the best home testing kits on the market.
Choose the Proper Kit
Here are some factors to consider before buying a home water test kit:
- Your water pH influences quality, so you can start with such a test. Acidic water has a foul taste and contributes to pipes’ corrosion.
- A pH testing kit may help you make the best choices when it comes to buying an ionizer machine, for instance.
- Hard water leads to scale buildups. This can lead to shorter lifespans in your appliances.
- Well water and city water are different. Make sure you buy a testing kit that addresses them separately.
- Some testing kits are efficient in finding heavy metals. Others are more capable of testing for waterborne pathogens. Make sure you are purchasing the right one for your needs.
Most testing kits come with test strips. We suggest testing kits with many different types of test strips. This allows you a broad range of separate tests for chlorine, hardness, bacteria, lead, other heavy metals, fertilizers, etc. A test kit containing only one strip is most likely just a pH test.
Using a Test Kit
Read the instructions carefully. A reliable test kit coming from a reputable manufacturer comes with detailed directions on how to sample the water and use the test strips. You will also learn what temperature the water should have, how long you can wait for the results, and how to interpret them.
FAQs
Can You Test Your Water at Home?
You can buy a water testing kit from online retailers, your local home center, or a home depot store. Most water testing kits feature color-coded strips. You can also find vials or digital pens. The strips contain reactants that change the color depending on the contaminants in your water, indicating the presence and levels of contaminants.
Are the Home Water Test Kits Accurate?
Professional manufacturers design water testing kits for various water sources: well water, city tap water, hydroponics, etc. We recommend you get those kits coming with certification to match the EPA standards. There are more types of tests and some are more accurate than others.
What Is the Best Home Water Test Kit?
Depending on your water source, we recommend the Varify Complete Water Test Kit for tap water, the Health Metrics Well Water Testing kit for well water, and the AquaVial Test Kit for coliform bacteria.
Bottom Line
Today, it’s not uncommon for drinking water to be contaminated with any number of impurities. Heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, and fertilizer can all make an appearance in drinking water.
Testing the quality of your water can be a matter of using your senses, requesting an official report, or using at-home test kits. Regardless of which method you use, identifying the contaminants in your water is the first step to taking control of your water quality at home.
Armed with all these results, you can compare them and draw conclusions. Once you narrow down your research, you can identify your top contaminants. Then you can pick a filter to specifically target those contaminants.
The only way to know exactly what you’re drinking is by testing your water with a good, reliable testing kit. The water test kits in the list above are all affordable and reliable. Many of them test against EPA standards. Before you go on and buy a water filter, you should first understand what you need water filtration for – is it hard water, heavy metals, or bacteria?
It doesn’t cost much to make sure the water in your home is the best quality for you and your family.