Water contaminated with bacteria or other organisms seldom smells or is coloured. Lead has no taste. Bacteria have no odour. Water with a high TDS will be clear and free of cloudiness like tap water. Many of the most frequently occurring water quality problems in homes in Ontario are invisible.
The best way to determine what is present in your water is to have a laboratory test for water contaminants.
BOS Plumbing and Drains offers water testing near me service in Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Niagara and Cambridge. Correction of samples, shipment to accredited laboratories and education regarding the meaning of the results and what to do about them for your family or your business.
When it comes to water for household use, most residents think that water from the municipality is safe. And many of the parameters, the Ontario municipal systems do a reasonable job of. The municipal plant’s work doesn’t stop at the water main, however. The rest of the story is between that main and your tap, and it will depend on your own plumbing system: How old the pipes are, how the pipes are in condition, what materials your home was built from.
If the water is tested clean at the source, but the piping is copper or galvanized iron, it is possible for metals to become a problem with older homes. Water heaters which are not serviced for years contain bacteria. Agricultural land is a source of increased nitrate risk in properties. If you have well water, the responsibilities are all different since there is no municipal treatment process between the aquifer and kitchen tap.
Well water testing is mandatory in Ontario. Under the province’s Clean Water Act, it is the responsibility of the property owner to ensure the safety of private wells. When you have a well and don’t know when the last test was, then this is the answer.
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We serve the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions with local expertise
Each professional water test performed by BOS Plumbing and Drains will provide you with the true answers to your water quality questions versus strip-test “guesses”.
Our water testing near me service covers sample collection, water testing by a certified laboratory, and detailed explanations of the results and its significance to your property.
Your water sample testing may include the following:
Samples are collected properly by our licensed residential plumber and commercial plumber teams for accurate results from the get-go.
BOS Plumbing and Drains provides full water quality testing for residences, businesses, rural and commercial buildings throughout Southern Ontario.
Our services include:
Staining, odd taste, odours or simply being at ease, our plumbing company offers professional testing with real plumbing experience.
A good water quality testing report evaluates several water quality parameters all at once. Here are the most important aspects and why.
The sample collection technique is important when you test water for bacteria. If the sample is contaminated at the tap, it will be a false positive. A false negative is obtained due to poor preservation. We take samples according to laboratory methods that are certified, so the results are accurate.
Hard water is the silent culprit that causes your plumbing system to suffer damage day by day. Hard water deposits form within pipes, on heating elements, in water heaters and throughout fixtures. A water hardness test will indicate precisely exactly the amount of hardness your water has in milligrams per litre, as this will help you to determine if a softener is necessary in your household and what size.
The hardness of the soils can differ widely throughout Ontario. Water is harder in the water supply to properties in the Hamilton, Cambridge and Niagara areas. Testing first means that you know what you have in your home before investing in treatment equipment.
Water potability depends partly on pH sitting in the right range. Health Canada guidelines are between 6.5 and 8.5. At temperatures below that, water turns corrosive and will dissolve copper from pipes or brass fittings and into your water supply. Mineral scaling and taste issues occur more frequently with this above.
While a pH tester for water is not sufficient on its own, a pH reading that is not within the safe range is always a red flag to take another look. You will experience pH problems more frequently than you think on rural properties using private wells as well as on older houses with plumbing systems.
Iron in water can be detected in the following ways: ferrous iron can be dissolved in the water (clear water turns from clear to orange in air) and ferric iron is already oxidized (the water is visibly red or brown). Both are a stain on fixtures, laundry and appliances. High iron also supports iron bacteria which produce a reddish slim buildup in toilet tanks and pipes.
An iron water test will provide you with the specific concentration and treatment can be sized accordingly. The whole home iron filter spec is very different depending on the situation, such as 0.5 mg/L or 5 mg/L.
Chlorine is used to disinfect water provided by the municipality. Optimum level at the tap is 0.2-4 mg/l. Too little is that the disinfection is not covering your fixture. Excessive amounts will influence taste and can create organic matter/disinfection byproducts in your lines.
A chlorine tester reading is particularly useful after plumbing repair work or if you’ve had any work done on your supply line. It’s also a common test for homes that have had people report a chemical odor or taste in their tap water.
The parameters that have no apparent symptoms of exposure, other than chronic exposure, are lead, arsenic, manganese and nitrate. Farms or septic systems are of special concern for properties, and for any home that has infants. Nitrate concentrations of more than 45 mg/L in drinking water cause methemoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome).
Water sample testing for an expanded metals and chemical panel is standard for water properties for well water, for homes built prior to 1990 (due to the risk of lead solder) and for any property which is in close proximity to industrial or agricultural activity.
Home water testing kits can be purchased and will provide a general indication. Dip strips for hardness, pH or chlorine can validate obvious issues but are less sensitive to detect contamination which is still causing an issue, cannot test for bacteria, and cannot provide any documentation.
By having an accredited laboratory perform water quality testing, you will receive:
A certified finding that you can trust for healthcare choices. A record that you can provide to a real estate transaction, insurance claim or municipality. Specific concentrations (not colour coded) in mg/L. Follow up with guidance on what the treatment or plumbing repair is fixing the problem that was identified.
If you’re looking to do a simple parameter test for your own peace of mind you can do it with a kit. When purchasing a home, operating a rental, running a commercial property, or you’ve simply had an issue with your water, only a professional water test is valid.
You have recently purchased a home particularly: One with a personal well. You don’t have any reference point of what the water contains. Rather than finding problems after you move in, you will be testing before moving in.
On well water and have not been tested recently: Ontario recommends 2 times a year for bacteria, and at least, once every 1-3 years for a full panel. If you don’t know when you last tested, then it’s time to do so.
The people most vulnerable to contamination: Someone in the household is immunocompromised, pregnant or under 1 year old these are the people most likely to be affected by contamination and not notice it.
Flooding or a sewage backup: Any of these can cause contamination of a private well or affect the internal water supply of a property.
The water supply lines, well pump, or water heater has been replaced recently: New parts may cause initial leaching of sediment or cause a slight change in pH. A post-repair water quality check ensures the water quality is free of contamination.
Taste, smell, or staining: If the water’s smell has changed to an orange tint or metallic taste, or smells like sulfur or has a chemical smell, stop waiting and schedule a water test.
You have a commercial business: Some businesses, such as restaurants, day care centers, gyms and food handling businesses, have special regulatory needs related to water quality. A commercial plumber from BOS can give you guidance on what the testing schedule you need to comply with.
We keep it simple. A licensed residential plumber or commercial plumber visits your home or business and takes samples from the appropriate areas of the system, not from the tap in the kitchen and from places that provide you the true picture of what is going on in the plumbing system.
The samples are sent to a certified Ontario lab. The exact concentrations return in accordance with the guidelines of Health Canada. We invite you to discuss the meaning of the report and what (if anything) should be done next.
If the results indicate a problem, iron, bacteria, hardness, then we’re already in your home as a licensed plumbing company to help you with the right treatment. Water Softener, UV disinfection system, Iron filter, sediment filter and reverse osmosis. We don’t sell equipment that you don’t need. Numbers we go!
It takes more than a test strip and a sales pitch to conduct a proper water quality check. It involves correct data gathering and plumbing expertise and knowledge and how to interpret the results.
BOS Plumbing and Drains is known for our reliability among homeowners and business owners for our ability to offer:
Whereas most companies offering filtration systems only assess the filter, we assess the entire plumbing system first. This also involves determining if the problem is at its water source, an old pipe, fixture or treatment equipment.
BOS Plumbing and Drains water test service calls are serviced throughout:
Plumber Mississauga: Covering all areas including older neighbourhoods with old supply lines.
Plumber in Oakville Ontario: For homes that use well water including rural and semi-rural homes.
Plumber in Hamilton: Residential and commercial water quality check throughout Hamilton.
Plumber in Milton: Rural and Estate Well Water Testing Services throughout Milton, Ontario.
Plumber in Niagara: We operate throughout the Niagara region including St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Grimsby and more.
Plumber in Cambridge: Hespeler, Preston, Galt and agricultural zone properties in the Cambridge area that have high nitrate risk.
So, whether you’re looking for water testing near me at a community in any of these places, we are the plumbers near me who have the proper credentials and lab access to do it the right way.
If a test result is not within safe limits, there is a solution. It’s not a reason to worry and it’s not a reason to begin purchasing bottled water forever, either.
What it does imply is that your plumbing system is in need of repairs, and the type of fix hinges entirely on the result that you have.
No test results and no pamphlet. We give you a plan.
If there’s any reason you need to think that your water is not safe to drink, immediately call the office to schedule a test appointment: A spill, sewage backup that got into your well, sudden changes in taste or smell.
BOS Plumbing and Drains are open 24 hours for plumbing emergencies. The 24 hour plumber you need for emergencies related to water safety in Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Niagara and Cambridge. Give us a call and we’ll send out a licensed emergency plumber the same day to take samples and evaluate your plumbing system.
Non-urgent testing requests can also be made for same day plumber appointments. We’re usually here the same day, call before noon.
Knowing your water quality, rather than guessing, is important. If you are on a new well and have no well water test records for the past few years, purchasing a new home, having a staining or taste issue or simply want to get a baseline test for peace of mind, BOS Plumbing should start with a professional water test.
Please call us or reserve online. Residential and commercial buildings are serviced throughout Mississauga, Oakville, Hamilton, Milton, Niagara and Cambridge.
Central air conditioner installation on a home with existing ductwork is typically completed in one day. Mini split installation for a single zone takes 3–5 hours. Multi-zone ductless ac installation may require a full day depending on the number of indoor units and complexity of line set routing.
For most central air conditioner installation work involving electrical connections, a permit is required. BOS manages permit requirements as part of our service, keeping you fully code-compliant without the administrative headache.
Home depot ac installation services are typically coordinated through third-party subcontractors. BOS is a direct-service, licensed HVAC and plumbing company with 20+ years of GTA experience and full accountability for every job. You work with us from quote to completion.
Mini splits AC don’t require ductwork and allow room-level temperature control. Central air conditioner installation delivers whole-home cooling through existing ducts from a single system. The right choice depends on your home’s layout, existing infrastructure, and how you want to manage cooling across different spaces.
Sometimes, system components need to be matched properly for efficiency and reliability. Our technicians will assess compatibility between existing indoor components and a new outdoor unit before recommending partial versus full system replacement.
We cover our installations with a workmanship warranty. If an issue develops that’s related to the installation, we return and resolve it at no charge. Call us directly, no third-party warranty service centres, no runaround.
