Water testing is essential for maintaining the quality and safety of your water supply. Testing the water quality involves taking a water sample from key areas within an onsite system to be tested and analysed.

Whether you require water sampling services for testing drinking water in a domestic system or sampling for Legionella risks in a water storage tank of a commercial building, Brodex are here to provide a professional service that will ensure your water system meets all the necessary safety standards.

The quality of my water seems fine – do I still need water testing?

Although your water may show no signs of contamination, testing your water supply should be used as a precautionary measure.  Routine water testing is recommended to determine the quality throughout the system and demonstrate that it meets legal requirements.

The quality of your water supply can be affected by a number of different factors. Damage or erosion to pipe work, for example rusting, running through your water system can cause contamination of water within this system. In a domestic or commercial setting, the absence of regular and deep cleaning can lead to build ups of scale in areas such as shower heads and taps, resulting in bacteria growth.

Storing hot and cold water at the wrong temperatures can cause bacteria, such as Legionella bacterium, to grow. If you are an employer, or in charge of premises, then you must carry out regular legionella risk assessments to identify areas where legionella bacterium may already be growing or have the potential to grow.
 

How to test the quality of your water supply?

The process of water testing is more complicated than it may sound. It requires adhering to a series of water testing procedures, carried out by trained technicians, in order to minimise the risk of altering collected samples and producing an inaccurate result. Brodex offer both one-off and routine water testing services, according to UKAS Standards.

The process involves taking samples from all the key areas of your site or building using a sterile water sample bottle which must be used with great care by our trained technicians to avoid contamination. It is important to ensure that samples are then stored and transported to a UKAS-accredited laboratory in the correct way. This involves seeing that all samples are stored in a cool box or refrigerator and taken for analysis within 24 hours. Your Brodex engineer will complete copies of an engineer worksheet for customer site and Brodex records.

Once results are available which will usually be within ten days, certificates will be issued indicating where water standards meet legal requirements. If action is required due to evidence of contamination Brodex will liaise with site and advise them on what remedial actions need to be taken.

For more information on water testing, click here.