Your water changes on its journey
Water reaches a tap through a chain of stages, and each one can influence its characteristics. Measuring at the tap describes what you actually drink, which a source-water summary cannot.
Why test?
Clear water isn't necessarily simple water.
Many substances in water cannot be identified by appearance, smell or taste alone. Analysis measures them directly.
Source to tap.
Six stages, each with the potential to influence what a laboratory measures.
01
Source
Geology and catchment characteristics
02
Treatment
Processes applied before distribution
03
Distribution
Mains network and residence time
04
Building
Storage, risers and internal systems
05
Plumbing
Pipe material, solder and fittings
06
Tap
The point where measurement matters
Older plumbing
Building pipework, solder and fittings are in direct contact with water, sometimes for hours at a time. In older properties this contact is one of the main reasons a result at the tap can differ from a result at the treatment works. Testing identifies whether it is happening in your building.
Emerging contaminants
Scientific and regulatory interest in PFAS and microplastics has increased, and analytical methods have improved alongside it. That combination means compounds can now be measured at concentrations that were not routinely reported a decade ago. Measurement, not speculation, is the useful response.
Water filters
Filters differ substantially in what they reduce. Understanding which parameters a product has actually been tested against — and under what conditions — is more informative than a category label on the packaging.
Evidence over assumptions
We do not use alarm to sell analysis. UK mains water is treated and regulated, and a laboratory result is simply more specific: it tells you what is present in your water, in your building, at the moment of sampling.
Measure. Then decide.
Laboratory analysis turns a question about your water into a set of numbers you can act on.
Request a Test