Water-test guide

Choose the question.
Then choose the test.

Start with what you know for free: the water source, the symptom, and your utility report if you have one. Then pay for a laboratory panel only when it answers the question that remains.

Something looks or smells wrongStart with a problem-focused panel.

You use city waterRead the utility report before buying a test.

You have a private wellBuild a baseline around bacteria and chemistry.

Private well or spring

Build a useful well-water baseline.

A private well makes you responsible for the water after it leaves the ground. Start with bacteria and core chemistry, then add breadth only when the situation calls for it.

Side-by-side

Compare the core panels

Prices are current. Return shipping to the laboratory is not included.

TestPanelBest starting point forKey differenceBacteriaReturn methodPrice
WaterCheck Lite34 itemsMineral profile or treatment performanceMetals, inorganic chemistry, and physical factorsNot includedFollow the kit instructions; shipping is not included$159.00
WaterCheck Basic36 itemsPractical private-well baselineAdds presence/absence bacteria screeningTotal coliform and E. coliGuaranteed next-day service; shipping is not included$205.00
WaterCheck Standard87 itemsBroader well-water chemistryAdds 47 VOCs and 4 trihalomethanesTotal coliform and E. coliGuaranteed next-day service; shipping is not included$239.00
WaterCheck Deluxe107 itemsWidest WaterCheck panelAdds 20 pesticides, herbicides, and PCBsTotal coliform and E. coliGuaranteed next-day service; shipping is not included$295.00

Municipal tap water

Test what the utility report leaves unanswered.

Read your utility's free water-quality report first. If you still have a question about the water at your tap, compare panels for metals, general chemistry, and disinfection byproducts.

Side-by-side

Compare the core panels

Prices are current. Return shipping to the laboratory is not included.

TestPanelBest starting point forKey differenceBacteriaReturn methodPrice
CityCheck Basic32 itemsFocused municipal-water baselineMetals, inorganic chemistry, physical factors, and disinfection byproductsNot includedFollow the kit instructions; shipping is not included$195.00
CityCheck Standard94 itemsDeeper household tap-water reviewAdds more metals plus 47 VOCsNot includedFollow the kit instructions; shipping is not included$295.00
CityCheck Deluxe115 itemsWidest CityCheck panelAdds 20 pesticides, herbicides, and PCBsNot includedFollow the kit instructions; shipping is not included$329.00
CityCheck Basic Tap Water Test Kit

Municipal tap water

CityCheck Basic Tap Water Test Kit

Your utility's report describes the public system. This focused panel measures a sample from your home for metals, basic chemistry, disinfectants, and disinfection byproducts.

One specific concern

Pay for the answer you actually need.

When one contaminant is the real question, a targeted test can be more useful and less expensive than a broad panel.

Show 8 targeted tests

A special situation

Match a special situation to the right method.

Some jobs need a purpose-built analysis: a property transaction, treatment check, corrosion problem, visible stain, odor, or suspected waterborne pathogen.

Show 8 special-situation tests
Problem Check Water Analysis

Stains, taste, or odor

Problem Check Water Analysis

A useful first step when the water looks, smells, or tastes wrong and you want to narrow the cause before choosing treatment.

When another party needs the result

Ask what method they accept before you buy.

If the result will be used for lending, permitting, regulation, litigation, or another formal requirement, confirm the accepted laboratory, method, collection procedure, and reporting limits before ordering. Regan Water product support can help clarify listed kit details, but cannot decide what a third party will accept.

Get product help