Water softener systems
A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium that leave scale. We test your hardness first, write down the target, and retest after the install.
Water softener installation
Lead or PFAS
Well water testing and certified lab tests in Denver
Some things can't be measured at the tap. Certified lab testing answers questions about wells, lead, PFAS and bacteria, and the cost is credited toward an install.
In short
- Well water testing and certified lab panels for lead, PFAS and bacteria, sampled correctly and run by a certified drinking water lab.
- The report comes back in the lab's name, and you keep it either way.
- Colorado's health department recommends testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria, nitrate and nitrite.
- The lab cost is credited toward an install if you go ahead.
Lead or PFAS·What changes
When does a certified lab test make sense?
- Older home — Lead can come from older service lines and plumbing.
- PFAS in the news — A PFAS panel shows what is in your water, not your district average.
- Every private well — The starting point for any well system.
- Baby on the way — Peace of mind before you mix formula with tap water.
Where we work
Why test your water in the Denver area?
Because the answer depends on your address. Lead comes from service lines and household plumbing, not the treatment plant, and Denver Water is replacing every lead service line in its system. PFAS depends on your district: Parker Water reported PFOA as high as 4.8 parts per trillion in a 2025 sample, against an EPA limit of 4, while Denver Water detected none. And private wells are not regulated in Colorado at all.
We test in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Westminster, Arvada, Broomfield, Lakewood, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Parker, Castle Rock and the surrounding Front Range.
Neighborhoods we serve
- Parker
- The Pinery, Stonegate, Pradera, Idyllwilde, Canterberry Crossing, Stroh Ranch, Bradbury Ranch, Anthology
- Castle Rock
- The Meadows, Crystal Valley Ranch, Terrain, Founders Village, Plum Creek, Red Hawk
- Highlands Ranch
- BackCountry, Westridge, Northridge, Eastridge, Southridge
- Aurora
- Saddle Rock, Southshore, Tallyn's Reach, Murphy Creek, Blackstone, Heritage Eagle Bend
- Centennial
- Willow Creek, Piney Creek, Cherry Knolls, Southglenn
- Littleton
- Ken Caryl, Roxborough Park, Columbine
- Denver
- Central Park, Green Valley Ranch, Lowry, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, Hilltop
- Broomfield
- Anthem, Interlocken
- Monument
- Jackson Creek, Promontory Pointe, Sanctuary Pointe
Which water test answers which question?
Each question has its own panel: a first-draw lead sample, a PFAS panel, a bacteria test, or a full private well panel.
Lead: a first-draw sample from the tap you drink from, because lead comes from the service line and your household plumbing rather than the treatment plant. Denver Water provides affected customers with a filter pitcher while it replaces their line, so check your address with them first.
PFAS: a specific panel, because these compounds are measured in parts per trillion. Colorado's known hotspots are Fountain, Security and Widefield in El Paso County, and the Commerce City area, both with documented sources and treatment responses.
Bacteria: total coliform and E. coli. This is the baseline test for any private well, and the one to repeat after any work on the well.
A full private well panel: hardness, iron, manganese, sulfide, nitrate, arsenic, uranium and more. This is the design document for a well system.
How should a water sample be taken?
Carefully, because technique changes the result, which is why we take the sample rather than mailing you a bottle and hoping. First-draw lead samples have to sit undisturbed for a set period. Bacteria bottles have to stay sterile and reach the lab inside a holding time. Some analytes need preservative in the bottle before the water goes in.
The lab is certified for drinking water analysis and the report comes back in its name, not ours. You keep it. Even if you never buy anything from us, you have a document you can hand to a buyer, a landlord or your own plumber.
What happens after the results come back?
We do one of three things: design a system around the numbers, point you at the cheaper fix, or tell you nothing needs doing. That third answer is the reason the test is worth paying for.
The in-home test is part of every visit: hardness, total chlorine and TDS with calibrated instruments. A certified lab panel is a separate cost, and we credit it toward an install if you go ahead.
- Is Denver water safe to drink?
- Colorado water hardness by city
- Questions to ask a water treatment company
Sources
- Denver Water: lead reduction program
- Denver Water: PFAS
- Parker Water & Sanitation District: 2026 Consumer Confidence Report — PFAS table, 2025 data
- Boulder County: private wells and water quality — CDPHE's testing recommendations
What's included
Certified lab test
A certified lab runs the panel, and you get the results in writing.
- Sample kit and instructions
- Certified lab analysis
- A plain-English report
- Credited toward an install
The number we have to hit
A certified lab panel, results in writing.
We'll tell you if you don't need it
If your question is taste, smell or scale, you may not need a lab at all. Our in-home test covers hardness, chlorine and TDS.
Frequently asked·Certified lab water testing
Questions about certified lab water testing
Why do you need a lab test for a well?
Wells vary too much to guess. Iron, sulfur, hardness, bacteria, nitrate, arsenic and uranium all need different equipment. A certified lab result tells us what to build and sets the targets we have to hit.
What does a certified lab test check?
It depends on your question: lead, PFAS, bacteria, or a full private-well panel. We help you pick the right panel, and the lab result comes with a plain-English summary.
When and how often should you test your well water?
At least once a year for coliform bacteria, nitrate and nitrite, which is what Colorado's health department recommends after a first baseline test. Test again after any work on the well, a flood, or a change in taste, smell or color. Jefferson County Public Health offers bacteria and nitrate kits to county well owners at no charge while supplies last, and CDPHE runs a PFAS testing program for private wells. Use those first if they answer your question.
How much does a well water test cost?
It depends on the panel. A basic bacteria and nitrate test costs far less than a full design panel with metals, uranium and PFAS, and some counties offer basic kits at no charge. Our in-home test of hardness, total chlorine and TDS is part of the visit; a certified lab panel is a separate cost, credited toward an install if you go ahead. It is worth paying for when the question cannot be answered at the tap: lead, PFAS, bacteria, nitrate, arsenic or uranium, and for every private well.
Can I use my water district's report instead of testing?
It is a good starting point and we always read it. But it reports the system, not your house. Hardness varies by treatment plant and season, and lead comes from your own service line and plumbing, which no district report can measure for you.
Can I test my well water myself?
You can collect the sample yourself, and for a basic bacteria test that is how most kits work. The result depends on technique: sterile bottles, the right tap, and getting the sample to the lab within its holding time. Hardware-store strips are a rough screen, not a certified result.
How can I test if my water is hard at home?
A hardness test strip gives you a rough number in a minute. Scale on fixtures and spots on glasses suggest hard water but don't measure it. Your utility's water quality report gives the average, and our in-home test measures your own tap by titration.
Other services
Everything else we install
Whole-home carbon filtration
Most Front Range utilities disinfect with chlorine or chloramine. A whole house water filter with catalytic carbon takes it out before it reaches any tap or shower.
Whole house water filter
Reverse osmosis drinking water
An under-sink reverse osmosis water filter gives you drinking and cooking water from its own faucet. We measure the difference in writing.
Under-sink reverse osmosis
Well water treatment systems
Every well is different, so we start with a certified lab test. The result tells us what to build and sets the targets we have to hit.
Well water filtration systemsGet in touch
Start with the test
We measure at your tap before we quote anything. You keep the readings, whether or not you buy anything from us.