Drinking Water Test Strip Results Guide

Your 16-parameter test strip checks five groups of contaminants. Find your results below to see what each reading means for your family and which EcoPure solution takes care of it.

Aligned to EPA drinking water standards Works for tap, well, and city water

How to read your strip

1
Dip for 2 secondsSubmerge the full strip in a fresh tap water sample. Keep it still — don’t stir or swirl.
2
Shake once, wait 30 secondsOne gentle shake to remove excess water, then lay flat on a clean dry surface for the full 30 seconds.
3
Match each pad belowRead each colored pad individually from top to bottom using the color reference chart below.

Color reference chart — all 16 parameters

Scroll left and right to see all columns
Parameter Group Color range (low to high) Safe limit
pH Balance
6.2
6.8
7.2
7.6
7.8
8.4
 6.5 – 8.5
Total Alkalinity Minerals
0
40
80
120
180
240
 80 – 120 ppm
Hardness Minerals
0
25
50
100
250
425
 < 120 mg/L
Sulfuretted Hydrogen Chemicals
0
0.5
1
2
3
5
10
 0 ppm
Iron Metals
0
5
10
25
50
100
250
500
 < 0.3 mg/L
Copper Metals
0
0.2
0.5
1
2
5
 < 1.3 mg/L
Lead Metals
0
5
15
30
50
 0 ppb ideal; <15 ppb EPA
Manganese Metals
0
0.05
0.1
0.5
1.0
2.0
5.0
 < 0.05 mg/L
Total Chlorine Chemicals
0
0.5
1
3
10
20
 < 4 mg/L
Mercury Metals
0
2
5
10
20
40
80
 0 ppb (EPA: 2 ppb)
Nitrate Chemicals
0
10
25
50
100
250
500
 < 10 mg/L
Nitrite Chemicals
0
1
5
10
20
40
80
 < 1 mg/L
Sulfate Chemicals
0
200
400
800
1200
1600
 < 250 mg/L
Zinc Metals
0
5
10
30
50
100
 < 5 mg/L
Sodium Chloride Minerals
0
100
250
500
1000
2000
 < 250 mg/L
Fluoride Chemicals
0
4
10
25
50
100
 < 4 mg/L
pH Balance
6.2
6.8
7.2
7.6
7.8
8.4
Safe range: 6.5 – 8.5
Total Alkalinity Minerals
0
40
80
120
180
240
Ideal range: 80 – 120 ppm
Hardness Minerals
0
25
50
100
250
425
Safe limit: < 120 mg/L
Sulfuretted Hydrogen Chemicals
0
0.5
1
2
3
5
10
Safe limit: 0 ppm
Iron Metals
0
5
10
25
50
100
250
500
Safe limit: < 0.3 mg/L
Copper Metals
0
0.2
0.5
1
2
5
Safe limit: < 1.3 mg/L
Lead Metals
0
5
15
30
50
Safe limit: 0 ppb ideal / <15 ppb EPA
Manganese Metals
0
0.05
0.1
0.5
1.0
2.0
5.0
Safe limit: < 0.05 mg/L
Total Chlorine Chemicals
0
0.5
1
3
10
20
Safe limit: < 4 mg/L
Mercury Metals
0
2
5
10
20
40
80
Safe limit: 0 ppb (EPA: 2 ppb)
Nitrate Chemicals
0
10
25
50
100
250
500
Safe limit: < 10 mg/L
Nitrite Chemicals
0
1
5
10
20
40
80
Safe limit: < 1 mg/L
Sulfate Chemicals
0
200
400
800
1200
1600
Safe limit: < 250 mg/L
Zinc Metals
0
5
10
30
50
100
Safe limit: < 5 mg/L
Sodium Chloride Minerals
0
100
250
500
1000
2000
Safe limit: < 250 mg/L
Fluoride Chemicals
0
4
10
25
50
100
Safe limit: < 4 mg/L
Metals Chemicals Minerals Balance ● Safe ● Caution ● Act now

What do your results mean for your home?

Not all water problems are solved the same way. A filter that’s designed to reduce chlorine won’t do anything for lead. A water softener handles hardness but won’t address nitrates. That’s why we’ve organized the 16 parameters into four groups below — each group shares the same root cause and responds to the same type of treatment.

Find the groups where your readings came back elevated and scroll down to see exactly which EcoPure system addresses it. If you had multiple results flagged, it’s worth reading all four — some systems solve more than one problem at once.

Group 1 of 4

Heavy metals
Lead, copper, iron, mercury, and manganese are health-critical even at very low levels.
Lead (Pb)
Safe target: 0 ppb. EPA action level: 15 ppb.
0 ppb — great Up to 15 ppb — caution Above 15 ppb — act now
Copper (Cu)
EPA action level: 1.3 ppm.
Under 1.3 ppm — safe 1.3 ppm or above — act now
Iron (Fe)
EPA secondary standard: 0.3 ppm.
Under 0.3 ppm — clean Above 0.3 ppm — staining risk
Mercury (Hg)
EPA limit: 0.002 ppm (2 ppb).
Not detected — safe Any detection — act now
Manganese (Mn)
EPA health advisory: 0.3 ppm.
Under 0.05 ppm — safe 0.05 to 0.3 ppm — caution Above 0.3 ppm — act now
What we recommend
Reverse osmosis or NSF-certified under-sink filtration

Heavy metals need a dedicated filter stage, not just any filter. Reverse osmosis is the gold standard here. EcoPure’s ECOP30 is NSF-certified for lead and TDS reduction and delivers the same quality you’d expect from bottled water, right at your kitchen tap. If iron or manganese is your main concern throughout the whole house, a whole-home iron reduction system tackles it before it reaches your fixtures and causes staining on sinks and laundry.

Shop RO Systems All Under Sink Filters

Group 2 of 4

Chemicals & disinfectants
Chlorine, fluoride, hydrogen sulfide, sulfate, nitrate, and nitrite. Some affect taste and smell; others are health-critical at elevated levels.
Total chlorine
EPA limit: 4 ppm.
Under 4 ppm — within limits Above 4 ppm — taste and odor
Free chlorine
Ideal: 0.2 to 2 ppm. EPA limit: 4 ppm.
0.2 to 2 ppm — ideal 2 to 4 ppm — elevated Above 4 ppm — reduce
Fluoride (F⁻)
HHS optimal: 0.7 ppm. EPA limit: 4 ppm.
Around 0.7 ppm — optimal 2 to 4 ppm — elevated Above 4 ppm — act now
Hydrogen sulfide
Noticeable odor above 0.05 ppm.
Not detected — no odor Any level — rotten egg smell
Sulfate
EPA secondary standard: 250 ppm.
Under 250 ppm — safe Above 250 ppm — laxative effect
Nitrate (NO₃⁻)
EPA limit: 10 ppm. Extra caution for infants under 6 months old.
Under 10 ppm — safe Above 10 ppm — not safe for infants
Nitrite (NO₂⁻)
EPA limit: 1 ppm.
Under 1 ppm — safe Above 1 ppm — act now
Note on nitrate and nitrite: If either of these come back above the safe limit, do not drink or cook with the water until a treatment solution is in place. This applies to both well water and city water.
What we recommend
Activated carbon filtration and reverse osmosis

If your water tastes or smells off, there’s a good chance chlorine or hydrogen sulfide is the culprit. Activated carbon is one of the most effective tools for this and is the core technology in EcoPure’s under-sink systems and the whole-home pivotal filter. For elevated fluoride or nitrate and nitrite levels, reverse osmosis is the most proven solution — one important note is that boiling does not remove nitrates and actually concentrates them. Once filtered, most families say their water tastes better than bottled water.

Shop Under Sink Filters Whole Home Systems

Group 3 of 4

Minerals & hardness
Total hardness, sodium chloride, and total alkalinity. Hard water won’t make you sick, but it does real damage to your home over time.
Total hardness (calcium and magnesium)
Measured in mg/L CaCO3. A reading of 7 grains per gallon or higher is considered hard water.
Under 60 mg/L — soft 60 to 120 mg/L — moderately soft 120 to 180 mg/L — hard Above 180 mg/L — very hard
Sodium chloride (NaCl)
EPA secondary standard: 250 ppm chloride.
Under 250 ppm — safe Above 250 ppm — salty taste
Total alkalinity
Ideal range: 80 to 120 ppm.
Under 80 ppm — corrosive 80 to 120 ppm — ideal Above 120 ppm — scaling risk
What we recommend
A water softener sized for your home

Hard water is the most common water problem in the country — 85% of U.S. homes have it. You might already be seeing the signs: white buildup around faucets, spots on clean dishes, dry skin after showers, or appliances that seem to wear out faster than they should. A salt-based water softener solves all of that. EcoPure offers sizes for every household, from 1 to 2 people all the way up to families of 6. If you also want cleaner drinking water at the tap, the EPH130 softens and filters your water in one unit.

Shop Water Softeners 2-in-1 Softener & Filter

Group 4 of 4

Water balance (pH)
Your pH reading tells you whether your water is acidic or alkaline. Both extremes cause problems you might not notice right away.
pH level
EPA acceptable range: 6.5 to 8.5. Ideal for drinking water: 7.0 to 8.0.
Under 6.5 — acidic, corrodes pipes 6.5 to 8.5 — acceptable 7.0 to 8.0 — ideal Above 8.5 — alkaline, scaling risk
What we recommend
A pH neutralizer or whole-home conditioning system

If your pH came back low (acidic water), that’s worth paying attention to. Acidic water slowly corrodes copper and lead pipes, which means those metals can end up in your drinking water as a side effect. A calcite neutralizer raises your pH naturally and protects your plumbing for the long haul. High pH water tends to cause the same scaling problems you’d see with hard water and can leave a slightly bitter taste. A water conditioner or softener handles this alongside hardness. It’s also worth knowing that pH affects how well chlorine disinfection works, so an imbalanced reading can quietly make other water quality issues worse.

Shop Whole Home Systems Water Softeners
A note on accuracy. These strips are a reliable home screening tool for each parameter. If your results show elevated heavy metals (especially lead) or nitrates above safe limits, we recommend sending a water sample to a state-certified lab before committing to a treatment system. Strip results can be affected by water temperature and direct sunlight, so always test at room temperature indoors. All product links above go to EcoPure systems designed and assembled in the United States. Learn more at ecopure.com.