Which do you have?
City Water vs. Private Well
The water coming into your home is either piped in by a municipal utility or pumped from a private well on your property. They're treated (or not) completely differently, and that changes what tends to be in them — and what we test for.
Signs you might have city water vs. private well
- You're not sure whether you're on city water or a private well
- You get a water bill from a utility (city) vs. no water bill (well)
- Your neighbors have different water problems than you do
- You're buying a home and don't know what's in the water
- You want to know what to actually test for
Notice any of these? We'll test your water for free and tell you exactly what's going on — no scare tactics, no pressure.
How the two sources differ
City water is treated and continuously monitored by a utility, so it meets federal standards — but it carries chlorine or chloramine, and can pick up lead from older service lines or scale from old pipes. Private wells are not treated or monitored by anyone: you're responsible for what's in them. Wells commonly show hardness, iron, sulfur, acidic pH, and — because no utility is disinfecting it — bacteria, nitrates, and sometimes metals that need a certified lab to detect.
How we handle each one
For city water, a whole-home carbon filter handles chlorine and odor, and a softener handles hardness. For wells, we test at the sink for hardness, iron, sulfur, and pH — and for bacteria, coliform, nitrates, and heavy metals we guide you through certified lab testing. Then we build a system around exactly what we find. The free water test is the starting point either way.
We test your water first, show you the numbers in plain English, and recommend only what your home actually needs — with the cost in writing before anything happens.
Questions about city water vs. private well
Don't guess — test it.
Book a free 15-minute water test and we'll tell you exactly what's in your water and whether city water vs. private well is something you need to fix.
Book a Free Water Test
Friendly sink-side check. Clear results in plain English. No scare tactics, no pressure.