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As advertized
The kit was exactly as advertized and only took a few minutes to test most items. The instructions were not very clear.
[Monday, March 24, 2008]
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unclear instructions
i have yet to perform the tests but already i can tell the instructions aren't well written. i have read then a few times and they just aren't very clear. i will need to make some assumptions in order to test.
also there isn't much attention to detail. for example, where i live the city tests for lead. but they can't test all the residential pipes and these pipes are the risk factor for your drinking water. pipe solder used to contain lead. if your pipes are old or of a certain type you may be at higher risk. obviously the lead needs time to leech from your pipes into the water. i was told the city will only do lead tests after the water sits in the pipes for 12 hours. there is nothing in the test kit to address this. my point is if you did have lead in your pipes and did the test after the water had run for a while it probably wouldn't show up.
this is something that should be stated in the kit but isn't.
however i am looking at this product as a starting point. i am also having the city test and i may do better tests down the line.
[Saturday, October 27, 2007]
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Fairly easy to use
This is my second Purtest kid. I used one when I first installed a reverse osmosis filter system years ago. For some reason I wanted to check if there's something wrong in the system. It's unlikely so it doesn't worth hundred's of dollars to check. My water district is rather good and publish water quality report regularly.
The kit is rather comprehensive, and that's the reason I brought it this time. I wanted to check if there's detectable level of iron in the water, which would cause staining. Iron isn't effectively removed from reverse osmosis filter. And I just as well check some other common metal such as copper, which also cause staining. And I wanted to check if the system is working fine - no lead from the connectors, very low chlorine level, no bacteria growing somewhere inside.
Most of the test are paper strips. You dip it in the water, wait and compare the colors with the charts. I think most kits work this way but there are something I don't feel easy in general. First the color on wet papers isn't exactly that on the printed charts. You know it since your high school science class. Some are easier than the others. Comparing the intensity only from lighter to darker is easier than when the color also changes. Second, if there's no detectable quantity, the color doesn't change at all, nothing happens, which isn't reassuring. I think it's rather common in kits of comparable cost. For example, there are fancy pH strips with dual color indicator to test small change in body fluids. If the cost isn't much higher, I'm all for it, but not comparable to the labs. These are the cheaper tests so you have two tests each.
For the lead and pesticide tests, two lines would develop on the strip, with one darker than the other. This is what I mean - something is happening one way or the other so you feel more reassured.
There is a bacteria test. You keep the solution for two days. If there's bacteria the color will change from purple to yellow.
Overall it's easy to use. The kit has been on the market for a long time.
[Friday, September 07, 2007]
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