Top 5 Water Contaminants Indiana Home Inspectors Should Check For – Plus the Best Water Test Kit
For Indiana Home Inspectors, it’s important to ensure that the home’s water quality is safe. Contaminated drinking water is not only a serious health risk but could affect the property’s value. Many homes, especially those with private wells, could be an expensive repair that home buyers need to know about before they purchase.
Offering water testing during a home inspection can help ensure that home buyers avoid these expensive repairs. This article will cover the most important parameters to test for in Indiana and how the Safe Home Pro Inspector Drinking Water Test Kit can help make the process easy.
Total Coliform & E. coli Bacteria
Why It’s a Concern:
Total Coliform Bacteria, like E. coli, is found in fecal material and other animal waste and can cause serious illness and digestive issues. It is especially important for anyone on well water to test for Total Coliform Bacteria. It is an indicator that there is environmental contamination getting into the well water and means the well will need shock chlorination or other major repairs.
What Should Home Inspectors Do:
- Test for Total Coliform to ensure the water system is sealed off from run-off and environmental contamination.
- If the test results are positive for a well, connect the homeowners with a licensed contractor who can shock chlorinate the well and ensure it is properly sealed and repaired.
Nitrate & Nitrite
Why It’s a Concern:
When Nitrite enters the body, it causes hemoglobin in the blood to change into methemoglobin, which reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This condition is known as methemoglobinemia. In children this is called “blue baby syndrome.”
Nitrite and Nitrate largely come from agricultural run-off. In rural communities this is a large concern where run-off could get into the water supply and where private wells are more common.
What Should Home Inspectors Do:
- Nitrate and Nitrite will commonly need tested when there is a private well or for some types of mortgages.
- If levels are high, recommend looking into filtration systems. There are whole house options that can remove Nitrate and Nitrite. Or point-of-use filters like RO systems.
Arsenic
Why It’s a Concern:
Arsenic has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, as well as other health issues. Arsenic is naturally occurring in Indiana groundwater and is a natural part of the soil. But some areas have naturally higher levels of Arsenic than others. This can cause Arsenic levels to be dangerously high if not filtered out properly.
What Should Home Inspectors Do:
- Every home with a private well should be tested for Arsenic.
- If detected, recommend homeowners consider treatment options such as reverse osmosis systems. These may be expensive and home buyers should understand the cost.
Copper
Why It’s a Concern:
For homes built before 1986, Copper may be a large concern since it was more commonly used in older plumbing. Copper contamination can cause kidney and liver damage, as well as digestive issues.
What Should Home Inspectors Do:
- Inspect plumbing materials and recommend testing if copper pipes are present.
- If copper is present, additional testing may be required to determine if it is from the water main or from copper pipes present in the home.
Lead
Why It’s a Concern:
Before 1986, lead was commonly used in pipes and solder. Lead can be inside older homes because of these older pipes that were never replaced. But it can also come from the water main. Even low levels of lead in drinking water can have negative behavior issues in children, causing attention disorders. It can also cause other neurological issues, especially in children. Because Indiana has many historic homes, this is a common problem in Indiana.
What Should Home Inspectors Do:
- Recommend testing for homes built before 1986, when lead in plumbing materials was more common.
- If lead is detected, further investigation can be done to determine if the lead is coming from inside the home, or from the water main. If it’s inside the home then expensive plumbing repairs may be needed. If it is in the water main, then a filtration system will need to be installed.
Why Indiana Home Inspectors Should Include Water Testing
Including a comprehensive water test with a home inspection offers several benefits. It ensures that the inspection will meet the requirements for different types of loans and mortgages. And it will ensure that both parties understand if the water is safe and if there will be any expensive repairs needed or filtration added. Giving the buyer and seller all of the information they need to make an informed decision.
What water test kit for home inspections
The Safe Home Pro Inspector Drinking Water Test Kit is specifically designed for testing water during the home buying process. The water will be tested at our EPA-Certified Laboratory to EPA standards, and will meet the standards established for FHA, VA, and HUD loans.
We will notify you within 4 hours if your sample test is positive for dangerous bacteria. It is suitable for both private wells and for testing public water supplies. This test kit is perfect for any home inspector wanting to test for water safety in the inspection process.
