If you’re buying or already living in a home out here, there’s a good chance you’re on a private well. Most of New Hampshire and Vermont is. And if you’re on a well, there’s something important you need to understand: nobody is checking your water for you. No town water department, no state agency showing up every year, no automatic safety net. If you want to know what’s in your water, you have to test it. That’s it. That’s the whole system.
I bring this up on basically every inspection I do for a well-served property, because I think most people don’t realize that’s how it works until someone tells them. So let me tell you.
Why This Is On Me to Explain
When you buy a house with municipal water, the town is testing that water constantly and is legally required to tell you if something’s wrong. When you buy a house with a well, that responsibility transfers to you the day you close on the property. The previous owner might have tested it once, ten years ago, or never. The water could be perfectly fine. It could also have something in it that’s been quietly causing problems and nobody noticed because most well contaminants don’t have a taste, smell, or color that tips you off.
That’s the part that gets people. You can’t eyeball this one. A glass of contaminated water can look and taste completely normal.
What We’re Actually Testing For
Here’s a rundown of what a real water panel covers, in plain language — no chemistry degree required.
Total Coliform Bacteria — A broad bacteria screen. Coliform itself usually isn’t dangerous, but it’s a flag that your well isn’t sealed against surface contamination the way it should be.
E. coli — The bacteria you actually care about. If this shows up, it means fecal contamination has made it into your water supply, which is a real, immediate health concern.
Arsenic — Naturally occurring in a lot of New England bedrock, especially granite. It doesn’t change the taste of water at all, which is exactly why testing matters — long-term exposure is linked to serious health effects, and you’d never know just from drinking it.
Lead — Usually not from the water source itself, but from old plumbing, solder, or fixtures the water passes through on its way to your tap. Older homes are at higher risk here.
Nitrates/Nitrites — Common near agricultural land, septic systems, or fertilized lawns. High levels are a particular concern for infants and pregnant women.
Manganese and Iron — Not usually a health hazard at typical levels, but they’re the reason for staining on fixtures, laundry, and that metallic taste some well water has.
Hardness (Calcium/Magnesium) — Tells you whether you’re dealing with hard water, which affects everything from soap performance to how fast your water heater scales up.
pH — Affects corrosivity. Water that’s too acidic can leach metals out of your plumbing over time, which is part of how lead ends up in a water sample even when it’s not in the ground.
Radon in Water — Yes, radon dissolves into groundwater, not just soil gas. This is a separate test from air radon and matters most if your water usage is high (long showers, dishwashers, etc., all release it into the air you breathe).
I offer different panel levels depending on what a property’s risk factors look like — agricultural proximity, age of the home, plumbing type, known regional issues — but the core panel above is the baseline I think every well owner should generally have run.
How the Testing Actually Works
This isn’t complicated on your end. During the inspection, I collect a water sample using sterile, lab-provided protocols — that part matters, because a contaminated sample collection process will give you a false positive and send you down a rabbit hole for nothing. The sample goes to an accredited lab, not a kit you read yourself in your kitchen. A few days later, you get a real report with actual numbers, not a color-changing strip.
If something comes back elevated, that’s not necessarily a five-alarm fire. A lot of these issues have straightforward fixes: a UV treatment system for bacteria, an arsenic filtration system, a simple under-sink filter for specific contaminants. The point of the test isn’t to scare you, it’s to give you the actual facts so you can make a real decision instead of guessing.
Why I Push This So Hard
I’ve been doing construction and remodeling in this region for a long time before I became an inspector, and I’ve been in enough basements and well rooms to know that “the water’s always been fine” is not a test result. It’s a guess, usually based on nothing.
The cost of testing is small compared to what you’re already spending on a home purchase, and it’s nothing compared to what it costs to deal with a contamination issue after you’ve already moved in, after your kid’s been drinking the water for six months, you’ve been showering in it, and then find out you’ve been in danger. Test first. Know what you’re dealing with. Then decide.
This is exactly the same logic I use with radon — another invisible issue that’s quite common in this region and genuinely worth knowing about before you own the problem. If you haven’t read that post yet, it pairs naturally with this one, since I usually recommend testing for both at the same time during an inspection.
The Bottom Line
If you’re on a private well in New Hampshire or Vermont, water testing isn’t an upsell or an add-on for the cautious — it’s a basic piece of due diligence, the same way you wouldn’t skip a roof inspection because the shingles “look fine from the driveway.” You can’t see what’s in your water. The only way to know is to test it.
I offer water testing into my home inspections because I think it should be standard practice for any home that is operating on a well. If you’ve got questions about what your specific situation calls for, that’s exactly the kind of conversation I’m happy to have before you book anything. If you choose to bundle radon and water testing with your inspection, I’m happy to give you a custom quote to save money, as compared to getting the services a la carte.
-Austin Reida, NH & VT Licensed Home Inspector – Resonant Homes
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How often should I test my well water?
Ideally, once a year for bacteria, and every 3-5 years for a fuller panel covering arsenic, lead, and other chemical contaminants. If you’ve just bought the home, had recent flooding, or noticed a change in taste, smell, or clarity, test sooner.
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Is well water testing required when buying a home in NH or VT?
It’s not universally required by state law, but many lenders and most well-informed buyers request it as part of the inspection process. I’d consider it standard due diligence regardless of whether anyone requires it.
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Can I just use a home test kit instead of a lab test?
Home kits can give you a rough read on a couple of things like pH or hardness, but they’re not reliable for bacteria, arsenic, or lead at the precision you actually need. A real risk assessment requires an accredited lab.
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What happens if my water tests positive for something?
It depends on what and how much. Many issues — bacteria, iron, hardness — have well-established treatment solutions like UV systems or filtration. Arsenic and lead typically call for more targeted filtration. The lab report gives you the specifics needed to choose the right fix.
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Does town or city water need to be tested too?
No — municipal water systems are tested regularly by the supplier and the results are public. Testing is specifically a private well issue, since there’s no entity doing that work for you.
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Should I test for radon in my water separately from radon in air?
Yes. They’re measured differently and come from different exposure pathways — one through your water heater and pipes, one through your foundation. I test for both during inspections since they’re both relevant in this region.