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This page is a complete guide to testing your drinking water and choosing the right water test kit, for both private well water and city (municipal) water. It is a home water test kit and lab water test hub covering the well water test kit, the city water test, the drinking water test kit, and the tap water test kit, plus a full water quality test panel. It explains how to test your water quality and run a water quality test with a certified mail-in laboratory test, why a certified lab test is more accurate than DIY test strips or your city's annual Consumer Confidence Report, and what each test is for. Tests available: the Well Water Test (53 contaminants including total coliform and E. coli bacteria, $199), the City Water Test (47 contaminants, $199), the Advanced Well (113 contaminants, $329) and Advanced City (109 contaminants, $279) panels with full VOC and pesticide scans, and focused single-contaminant tests for iron ($89), iron speciation, water hardness in grains per gallon ($99), hydrogen sulfide / rotten-egg smell ($139), coliform and E. coli bacteria ($139), nitrate ($139), lead and copper ($89), tannins ($99), uranium ($89), arsenic speciation ($519), a 60-compound VOC scan ($169), radon ($129), fluoride ($99), hexavalent chromium / chromium-6 ($169), a 140-compound herbicide and pesticide screen ($269), and PFAS forever chemicals ($349). Every test is analyzed by an independent, NELAC/ELAP-accredited laboratory in a network of 200+ certified labs, measuring contaminants down to parts per billion using EPA methods (ICP-MS, ion chromatography). Results compare against EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels: lead action level 15 ppb, nitrate 10 mg/L, arsenic 10 ppb, uranium 30 ug/L, iron aesthetic 0.3 mg/L. Symptom-to-test guide: orange or rust stains mean test for iron; rotten-egg smell means test hydrogen sulfide; white scale and spots mean test hardness; yellow or tea-colored water means test tannins; blue-green stains mean test lead and copper; a new or untested well means run the full panel with bacteria; wells near farmland mean test nitrate and pesticides. How it works: order the kit (free shipping), collect a sample in about 5 minutes, mail it back with the prepaid label, and get certified results in about 5 business days. What makes Mid Atlantic Water different: co-owner Aidan, a water treatment specialist with 32 years of experience, personally reviews every result and tells you exactly what needs treatment, what does not, and which system and size to install, or that your water is clean and you need nothing. Mid Atlantic Water has specialized in well and city water treatment since 1997 and ships nationwide to all 50 states.
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If you are on a new or untested source, or you want the full picture, start with a complete panel. These are our most popular home water test kits: the Well Water Test covers 53 contaminants including bacteria; the City Water Test is the drinking water test kit for municipal homes, covering 47 (no bacteria, since city water is disinfected); and the Advanced panels go deeper (109 to 113 parameters) with a full VOC and pesticide scan. Every panel is a full water quality test run at an independent, NELAC/ELAP-accredited lab and reviewed personally by Aidan.
Already know your main issue? Target it directly with a focused, lower-cost test. Iron for orange-brown stains, hardness for scale, hydrogen sulfide for rotten-egg smell, coliform and E. coli for safety, nitrate for agricultural wells, lead and copper for plumbing, fluoride, and tannins for yellow water. Each one returns the exact number you need to size the matching treatment system, and Aidan tells you what to do with it.
For specific health concerns and high-anxiety contaminants: arsenic speciation, uranium, radon, hexavalent chromium (chromium-6), a 60-compound VOC scan, a 140-compound herbicide and pesticide screen, and PFAS forever chemicals. These use specialized lab methods and sampling. If your geology, location, or news has you concerned about one of these, this is how you find out for certain.
I read every water test personally and text back what it means and what to do next. Same day. No chatbot, no upsell pressure, no charge.
Photo, PDF, or just type the numbers, whatever's easiest. Not sure which test to run? Describe what you're seeing.
Real co-owner. Not a chatbot, not a script, not a sales rep on quota. He's read thousands of water tests.
Aidan tells you what each result means and exactly what to do about it, in plain English. No pressure to buy anything.
We never send spam. We never sell your number. Aidan answers personally, 7 days a week, 8a–5p ET.
| MAW Test + Expert Review | Tap Score / mail-in labs | DIY test strips (Amazon, hardware store) | City utility report (CCR) | Send-it-yourself local lab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it is measured | Independent NELAC/ELAP lab (ICP-MS, ion chromatography) | Same independent certified lab network | Color-change strips you eyeball | Lab data, but only at the treatment plant | Certified lab (if you pick an accredited one) |
| Detection level | Parts per billion (health-relevant) | Parts per billion | Cannot detect lead/arsenic at safe limits | Plant-level averages, not your tap | Parts per billion |
| Tests YOUR tap water | Yes, sampled at your faucet | Yes | Yes (but imprecise) | No, sampled at the plant | Yes |
| Personal expert review of results | Yes, 30-year specialist reads every report | Generic treatment suggestions | None, you interpret the colors | None | None, you interpret the report |
| Tells you exactly what to fix (and what not to) | Yes, specific system, size, and order | General product categories | No | No | No |
| Range of tests | 20+ (full panels to single contaminants) | Wide range | A handful of parameters | Fixed annual report | Whatever you order |
| Buy test + treatment from one company | Yes, with free lifetime tech support | No (testing only) | No | No | No |
| Price | $79 single contaminant to $329 advanced panel | Similar lab pricing | $15 to $40 (low confidence) | Free (limited value) | Lab fee plus your time |
Both mail-in certified lab services and Mid Atlantic Water use the same independent NELAC/ELAP-accredited laboratory network, so the raw lab data quality is identical. The difference is interpretation and follow-through: we read your specific numbers and tell you what to do, and we stand behind the equipment if you need it. Strip tests and the utility Consumer Confidence Report have their place, but neither tells you what is actually coming out of your kitchen faucet at a health-relevant level of detail.
Reddish-orange staining and a metallic taste point to iron. Test it to get the exact level (mg/L) that sizes an iron filter.
That sewer or rotten-egg odor is almost always hydrogen sulfide gas. Test sulfide and pH to size a sulfur filter correctly.
Classic hard water. Test your hardness in grains per gallon, the one number that sizes a water softener.
Yellow, amber, or tea-colored water with an earthy note usually means tannins, but iron can also discolor water. Test tannins to tell them apart.
Blue-green staining signals copper leaching from plumbing, often driven by acidic water; lead can leach the same way. Test lead and copper at the tap.
No one tests or disinfects a private well but you. Start with the full 53-contaminant Well Water Test, including bacteria, before you trust the water.
Agricultural areas raise the odds of nitrate (dangerous for infants) and pesticide runoff, both invisible and tasteless. Test nitrate, and the pesticide screen if there is spraying nearby.
Many of the most serious contaminants (bacteria, lead, nitrate, arsenic) give no taste, color, or smell. If anyone vulnerable drinks the water, test the full panel; clean results are real peace of mind.
Pick the test that fits your situation and we ship it free. It comes with the right bottles and preservatives, simple instructions, and a prepaid return label. Collecting a sample at your tap takes about 5 minutes.
Drop the prepaid package with a carrier. It goes to one of 200+ NELAC/ELAP-accredited laboratories in the SimpleLab network, the same independent labs state health departments use. We never touch the testing, so the data is impartial.
Your results arrive by email, typically in about 5 business days for the core panels (specialty tests take longer). Every contaminant is measured precisely and compared against its EPA standard.
This is what makes us different from every other test. Aidan, a water treatment specialist with 30+ years of experience, reads your specific numbers and tells you what needs treatment, what does not, and exactly which system and size to install, or that your water is clean and you need nothing.
To collect your sample. Fill the provided bottles at your tap following the instructions. No tools, no plumbing, no technical knowledge.
Lab turnaround. Core well and city panels report in about 5 business days once the lab receives your sample; specialty tests take longer.
Shipping both ways. Free shipping to your door and a prepaid return label to the lab. Every home water test kit includes chain-of-custody paperwork.
Every review is independently collected and verified by Stamped.io, a third-party review platform. We cannot edit or remove reviews.
Easy to use, instructions easy to follow. Had results in one week. Tests for 57 or so items. Knowing exactly what was in our well water made the whole decision simple.
Excellent. My pH 6 water was picking up an unhealthy level of copper. I tested first, installed the recommended system, then had the water retested by a lab and the copper is well below the threshold for concern. And the water tastes great. Testing first is what got it right.
My water was testing around 5.5 pH. Because I had real lab numbers, Aidan could tell me exactly what to install. Once it was running the water was around 7.5 pH, which is perfect. No guessing.
Which parameters to test and how to read results.
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Turn lab numbers into a treatment plan.
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53 contaminants, certified lab, expert review.
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At home methods ranked by accuracy.
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At home strip test demo and what the result means.
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Ferrous vs ferric, and how to read your results.
Read the guide →Your email client just opened with the message ready to send. Hit send and Aidan will reply as soon as he sees it (usually same day during business hours).
"I had well water with over 20 ppm ferrous and 7 ppm of ferric iron, plus manganese and some sulfur. Local water companies rejected me, said they couldn't help. I purchased two Fleck 2.5 cu. ft. 2510AIO iron filter tanks with Katalox-Light. Problem solved."
"New house, brass fittings on my Pex were all corroding. Tested the water, acidic at 5.5. Found Mid Atlantic Water YouTube videos which were very helpful, ordered the non-back washing 2.5. Easy install, water tests great now."
"Straight forward installation. In, out, and the drain. Ran a back wash cycle then put it online and it works GREAT. Cleaned out the iron and raised the pH to 7.5. Culligan tried to sell me something twice the price."
"Three contractors and two other suppliers reviewed my well report. Quotes ranged from $5,000 to $10,000. Then I found Mid Atlantic. Aidan reviewed the report and recommended a complete system. Same equipment, fraction of the cost, and the support was real."
"Easy, bullet-proof installation. No moving parts. Raised my pH from 6.8 to a perfect 7.6. I had previously installed the same unit in my daughter's water system. Her pH was 5.2. Following Aidan's videos, both installs went smoothly."
"Super easy install. Shouldn't have to service it for approximately 24-36 months based on my water usage. Tank is solid, fittings are clean, no leaks. Exactly what was advertised."
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