The water is a vital liquid in our lives, whether for urban consumption or industrial use.
However, the water we consume or that is used in production processes belongs to a complete integral cycle. That is to say, it is collected from a collection point, made drinkable in treatment plants, distributed and finally reaches all consumers.
In addition, it is essential to know that the water we consume or is used in industries is not only made up of H2O. Depending on its origin and the treatments to which it has been subjected during the whole process, may possess physicochemical properties that must be analyzed and controlled.
Therefore, at each stage of the water supply process, water must meet certain requirements. quality requirements depending on the purpose for which it is to be used and for this purpose, there are different tools and systems that we use to “test” its condition.
What are the indicators that determine water quality?
Although there are numerous indicators, those mentioned below are those commonly used to measure water quality in terms of physical and chemical characteristics:
- Conductivity: The conductivity of water refers to its capacity to carry electric current and allows us to know if it has concentrations of ionic elements.
- pH: This indicator is, par excellence, the best known and indicates the level of acidity of drinking water. Its value is expressed on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being the neutral value.
- Hardness: Hardness represents the concentration of mineral salts in water. The more mineral salts the water contains, the “harder” it is.
- Turbidity: Water turbidity determines the particles suspended in the water.
- Redox potential: This indicator measures the oxidation capacity of water. If the analysis determines that the values are positive, it means that the water has electrons that promote oxidation and, thanks to this, viruses, microbes and bacteria are eliminated.
- Chlorine: Chlorine is the chemical element most commonly used to purify water and its residual amount is analyzed during the supply process.
- Coliforms: Coliforms are a group of bacteria used as a reference for drinking water quality. Their presence largely determines its potability.
- Temperature: Water temperature is measured by thermometers, which determine the degree of heat in the water.
What instruments are used to measure water quality?
There are numerous methods and devices for measuring water quality. However, the most commonly used are the following:
- Conductometer: The conductivity meter is a device used to measure the capacity of water to carry electric current, but it also measures values such as pH, oxygen or temperature.
- Color stripsThe color strips show the exact pH value on a scale from 0 to 14. The lower the value, the higher the acidity and the higher the value, the more alkaline the water will be.
- Thermometer: Liquid thermometers allow us to find out precisely what temperature the water is at.
- Turbidimeters: Turbidimeters are devices used in laboratories to measure the turbidity of water.
As mentioned above, measuring water quality involves analyzing numerous indicators, often using instruments that are not readily available to us. So how can I measure the quality of drinking water at home?
Measuring drinking water quality at home
The main indicators that we will be able to analyze at home are the amount of chlorine residual that possesses water and turbidity.
To analyze the latter, the best method is to take a water sample in a clean glass container. A higher turbidity will imply a higher amount of particulate matter. suspended in the water.
On the other hand, thanks to the chlorine dioxide test strips we can test water quality without using field kits. This system analyzes the concentration in ppm of the water treated with CDS and the result of such analysis is practically instantaneous. All you have to do is dip one of the test strips in water for 10-20 seconds and wait a few minutes. After that time, the strip will react by adopting a color that can be checked by comparing it with the color chart on the bottle.