Installation service
Free water testing
An on-site test of the things that change a recommendation, plus a reading of your utility report where you are on public water. The visit ends with written results whether or not you buy anything.
What we measure at your tap
We test for the parameters that change a recommendation rather than for a long list that looks impressive on paper. Hardness in grains per gallon, because that decides whether softening is worth discussing. Chlorine or chloramine residual, because that decides which carbon media is appropriate. pH, because corrosive water dissolves copper and lead out of the pipes it travels through. Iron, because it stains and because it fouls other equipment. Total dissolved solids, because it affects taste and indicates what a membrane would be working against.
Each reading is written down with the date and a plain explanation of what it means. You keep that sheet whether or not you buy anything from us.
Where you are on a public supply we also pull up your utility's most recent annual report and read it with you. The rows that matter are rarely the ones that stand out, and a system average can differ from what arrives at your particular tap.
What a field test cannot tell you
This is the part most companies leave out, and it is the part that protects you from buying the wrong thing. A test carried out at your kitchen sink cannot detect PFAS. It cannot confirm lead. It cannot culture bacteria. Those three need a certified laboratory.
For lead and PFAS in particular, the result depends heavily on how the sample is taken. A lead sample has to be a first draw, after water has stood in the pipes for a set number of hours. PFAS sampling has strict handling rules because the compounds are present in many ordinary materials that can contaminate the container.
So when your question is one of those, the useful outcome of our visit is a correct sampling plan and a referral, not a number from a strip. Anyone who tells you they can confirm lead at your sink in ten minutes is selling something.
Why it is free, and what that does not mean
It is free because narrowing the question benefits us as much as it benefits you. Installing the wrong equipment produces a customer who resents every cartridge change, and that is worse for us than not selling anything.
It does not mean you are committing to a quote, and it does not mean a system will be recommended. A meaningful share of these visits end with us saying that the water is fine, that the fix is a rinse aid or a new anode rod, or that the sensible next step is a laboratory test before anyone specifies anything.
You are not going to be shown a dramatic precipitation demonstration. Those tests work on almost any water, including bottled, and they are a sales device rather than a measurement.
What we need in place
These are checked at the survey rather than discovered on the day. Where something is missing it changes the scope, and we would rather price that honestly up front.
- Access to a cold tap that has not run for a few hours where a first-draw reading matters
- Your most recent utility report if you have it, though we can look it up
Typical duration. 45 to 60 minutes
Equipment this covers
- Whole-house filtration. A filter plumbed into the main line where water enters the building, so every tap, shower, and appliance downstream is fed treated water.
- Under-sink carbon filters. A carbon block cartridge on the cold line under the sink.
- Water softeners. An ion exchange system that swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium, which is the only method that actually removes hardness minerals from the water.
- Well water systems. A treatment train assembled around a current laboratory test, in stages.
Problems this service is usually booked for
Common questions
Is it really free, or is there a call-out charge?
Free, with no call-out fee and no obligation. We would rather spend an hour narrowing the question than sell a system that turns out to be the wrong one, because an unhappy customer who resents every cartridge change costs us more than a declined quote. A meaningful share of these visits end with us saying the water is fine or that the fix is something other than filtration.
Will you do the test where the water turns orange?
No. That demonstration is an electrolysis or precipitation test, and it produces a dramatic result on almost any water including bottled, because it reacts with dissolved minerals that are present in normal drinking water. It measures nothing useful and it exists to sell equipment. We use test strips and meters that give numbers you can write down and check against a published limit.
How long does the visit take?
Usually 45 to 60 minutes. That covers the tap tests, a look at where any equipment would go, a check of the shutoff valve and drain access, and reading your utility report with you if you are on public water. If you are on a well and have a recent laboratory panel, bring it out, because interpreting that is often the most useful part of the hour.
Other services
- Whole-house filter installation
- Under-sink reverse osmosis installation
- Water softener installation
- Well water treatment installation
- Maintenance and filter replacement
- Repair, any brand
Where we work
We cover New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York. Because water quality is a local fact, our service area pages carry the utility, source water, treatment method, and reported contaminants for each town, with the report they came from and the year it covers.
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