Two ways to test your water
Start with a free in-home screening. If you want to check for things you can't see, taste, or smell, add a lab test from Penn State.
Free in-home water screening
One trusted local company comes to your home and checks your water on the spot. It's the fastest way to find out what's behind stains, scale, and bad taste.
- What it checks: hardness, iron, pH, and dissolved solids
- What you get: your results in writing, and a quote if you want one
- Cost: free, and you're never obligated to buy
Lab testing through Penn State
A screening can't check for bacteria, nitrate, lead, or arsenic. These have no taste, smell, or color, so a lab test is the only way to know. Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Lab is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and anyone can send in a sample.
Penn State recommends testing every year for bacteria and every three years for pH and total dissolved solids. Test sooner if your water changes in taste, color, or smell, or after flooding or well repairs.
Which Penn State test should you choose?
Pick the package that matches your situation:
| Your situation | Package | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Routine yearly check | Standard (WD01): bacteria, pH, total dissolved solids | $60 |
| Near farm fields or a septic system | Agriculture / Septic (WD04): Standard + nitrate | $70 |
| Stains, bad taste, or scale | Aesthetics / Corrosivity (WD02): Standard + hardness, iron, manganese, copper, corrosivity | $85 |
| Older home or blue-green stains | Aesthetics + Lead (WD03): WD02 + lead | $125 |
| Near a dump or industrial site | Trace (WD07): Standard + arsenic, lead, and other metals | $130 |
| Want the most complete picture | Extensive (WD08): nearly everything, including arsenic, lead, and nitrate | $220 |
Prices as of October 2026. Source: Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab. Packages for mining and gas-drilling areas are also available.
How to send a sample to Penn State
- Get a free test kit from your county Penn State Extension office. It comes with bottles, a cooler, instructions, and a form.
- Collect the sample exactly as the instructions say. Penn State has a short how-to video.
- Ship it overnight with your payment. Bacteria samples must reach the lab within 30 hours, and the lab won't accept bacteria samples on Fridays, so ship Monday through Thursday.
- Get your results in about 10 to 14 business days.
Other labs
Private labs across Pennsylvania are also accredited for drinking water testing. Some will collect the sample for you. The PA Department of Environmental Protection keeps a list of accredited labs.
{SITE} is not affiliated with Penn State. We point to its lab because it is state-accredited and open to every Pennsylvania homeowner.