Water testing

chuky_r_law

is there anywhere that does water testing in galway? do the hse or the college do anything like this? we've recently got our own supply and before we turn it on i'd like to get it tested

Interceptor

I used a place called Neptune Laboratory Services in Oldenway business park on the Monivea Road. I don't know if they are still in business - Google only gives phone book and Golden Pages listings. They did a series of tests on my group water scheme samples and were very helpful.

'c

Zzippy

The public laboratory in the hospital does it, it's behind the mortuary building IIRC. Think the fee was about €25 last time I dropped samples in but that's a while ago

thegrayson

CLS. Tuam Road and Rosmuc.

aah yes

The only reputable water testing labs in Galway are the Public Analyst in the UHG for chemical testing (€50 to €100) and the Pathology Lab in the UHG for microbiology testing (€36).

The level of professionalism, consistency and accuracy of these labs are unmatched anywhere in Ireland. They are both INAB accredited but also have a near perfect record of testing accuracy year after year, without profit motivation.

Many private labs are profit based and as such I have found are expensive and certainly lacking in quality, accuracy, often service, and have made some shocking errors in reporting of simple water testing matters.


I once saw a Neptune lab water test report before they went out of business.

They had failed to qualify the level of hardness in a local well by an error of several hundred ppm, in an area I consistently knew had an approximate hardness of around 400ppm, they had listed only around 140ppm.

Such a simple test also, where hand held kits could get to within 10 ppm of the true value. Not only were they about 270ppm off the actual value, but they listed the hardness reading with a few decimal places ??

So instead of being around 400ppm, they listed something like 137.24ppm. Looked super accurate but they sucked.

No self respecting lab would list several decimal places for total hardness reporting, where even the INAB accreditation for hardness is around 1% to 3% accuracy - only full digit rounded values are required for hardness. (They had no INAB validation)

Maybe narrow range single figures like pH, would have a decimal place or so at best, (say 7.2 and the like).

Bit like if you are young, you might quote your age as 8 and a half. When you are in your 30's or 40's it would be sad to quote yer age as say 42, seven months, and 13 days !!


On the same test report instead of accurately reporting 8,000 ug/L of iron, they only listed 800 ug/L.

A multiple error reporting of 1000%.

To be more than 3% off target either way, higher or lower would be an insult to the profession of chemistry and the INAB accreditation body, for water testing accuracy and laboratory validation.

Neptune were some kind of a Celtic tiger crazy pants operation, but I sure have seen many others still operating that are working to similar standards.