How to Test Your Tap Water at Home
How to test tap water at home: start with your free Consumer Confidence Report, then test for PFAS and lead at your tap — not the treatment plant. Step-by-step guide.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Get your Consumer Confidence Report
Your utility mails or posts this annually. Find it at ewg.org/tapwater by entering your zip code. It shows what was measured at the treatment plant — lead, nitrates, disinfection byproducts. It does not show PFAS (most utilities don't test for it) or lead at your specific tap.
- 2
Check the EWG Tap Water Database
ewg.org/tapwater shows your utility's results alongside EWG's health guidelines — which are typically 10–100x stricter than EPA legal limits. A utility can comply with all EPA limits while still having contaminant levels that EWG flags as a health concern. This gap is worth understanding before buying a filter.
- 3
Order a certified lab test
Tap Score's Essential City Water Test ($179) covers 111+ contaminants including PFAS, lead at your tap, chloramine, and disinfection byproducts. It mails you a collection kit, you submit a sample, and you get a plain-language report in 5–7 business days. This is the baseline we use for all our filter testing.
- 4
Use home test strips for ongoing monitoring
Test strips are appropriate for ongoing chlorine/chloramine monitoring after you've established a certified lab baseline. They cannot test for lead, PFAS, or most health contaminants — the color changes are too imprecise. Use them for: confirming your filter is still reducing chlorine, checking pH after RO, monitoring well water nitrates between annual lab tests.
- 5
Set a testing cadence
Well water: annually at minimum, immediately after flooding, septic system installation nearby, or unusual taste/odor changes. City water: every 2–3 years unless there's a contamination event, boil water advisory, or plumbing change. Always test immediately after any work on your home's water supply line.
What Your Water Report Tells You — And What It Misses
Your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) shows what your water utility tested at the treatment plant exit — not at your kitchen tap. The critical missing variable is your home's plumbing. Lead enters water from corroded service lines and household pipe fittings between the treatment plant and your faucet. Lead levels at your tap can be dramatically different from levels at the treatment plant, especially in homes built before 1986 with lead solder or homes in cities with lead service lines.
PFAS is another gap. Many utilities did not test for PFAS until after the EPA established action levels in 2024. Your CCR from 2022 will not show PFAS data even if your water supply was contaminated then. For a complete picture of what comes out of your specific tap: a direct tap sample sent to a certified lab is the only reliable method.
Free Resources to Check First
Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)
Free — utilities are required to publish annuallyEWG Tap Water Database
FreeLocal Health Department Testing
Free to $75 depending on panelWhen to Order a Lab Test
Home built before 1986
Pre-1986 plumbing used lead solder; pre-1986 service lines may be lead. Lead at your tap can be 10-100x higher than utility data shows.
Tap Score City Essential ($179) — includes first-draw lead, a critical distinction from flush-draw
You received an EWG alert or news report about local PFAS
PFAS in municipal supplies often persists for years. Your CCR may not show current PFAS levels if recent EPA limits apply retroactively.
Tap Score City Advanced ($289) — includes the full PFAS panel (PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and 30+ compounds)
Unusual taste, odor, or discoloration
Rusty color may indicate iron or manganese. Rotten egg smell indicates hydrogen sulfide. Chlorine smell is normal but can indicate high treatment levels.
Tap Score City Essential ($179) or call your utility first — utilities will sometimes test for free if you report a specific complaint
Private well — any well
Well water is not regulated. Testing is the only way to know what you are drinking. Agricultural areas have elevated nitrate risk; all wells have bacterial risk.
Tap Score Well Essential ($199) — coliform, nitrates, heavy metals, and 130+ contaminants
The $179 Rule: Test Before You Filter
Recommended Test Kits
Tap Score Essential City Water Test
aquasana
$179
- ✓EPA-certified lab
- ✓Tests 111 contaminants
Tap Score Well Water Test
aquasana
$239
- ✓EPA-certified lab
- ✓Tests 130 contaminants specific to well water