Total Hardness Test Kit, Model 5-EP, Hardness Testing, Water Quality Test Kit, Accurate Hardness Measurement, Easy-to-Use Hardness Test Kit, 145400

After reading several reviews I decided on this product. It works exactly as described. We have a well with very very hard water and had purchased a really expensive water system because of that. We were still having large amounts of scale and figured the system wasn't working properly. The technicians would come out to "fix" the system and say we had one or two grains of hardness after theywere done but we were seeing no improvement. We were trying to purchase a tankless water heater and they would not even install it because when they tested our water it showed more than 25 grains of hardness. We puchased this kit and it said we had over 30 grains which is considered off the chart. We also tested the water from our water dispenser with the test kit (which someone recommended) which of course was zero. To make a long story short...this kit works perfectly especially if you just need to see if your system is working as it should be from time to time. It was simple to use and takes only a couple of minutes for results. Come to find out, our water system had a malfunctioning part (wink wink).

I have and use the multi-purpose test strips for checking my drinking water, but this is the correct and accurate way to measure hardness of tap water. This is a very high quality, lab-grade kit made by a German company. The instructions are easy to follow and enough reagents are supplied for 100+ tests. It is easy to accurately measure to within 1 grain per gallon, up to 30. "Hard" water is anything over 10 grains/gallon, so for the purposes of evaluating the need for and efficacy of a water softener, this is perfect.

Works accurately and easily. Best part is that the primary reagent is in packets to keep them intact. This test kit very accurately measures CaCO3 which is the primary cause of hard water. For home water, this will tell you how well your water softener is working, for pool water this will accurately tell you if you need to harden the water because it is calcium deficient. If for home water you measure 15 gpg and still adding drops, I would switch to a test strip to tell you how hard the water is because it could easily be 30+ gpg. I always use at least 2 methods to test if a water softener is working just to insure the results.

It works just as described. The results are easy to interpret. It's a good value compared to the competition. However, it loses one star for ergonomics. The contents seem like they were grabbed off of the shelf rather than designed to work together as a package. For example, the case doesn't have a slot for each of the items inside. You have to carefully arrange everything before clamping it shut. The reagent in the foil packet must be carefully managed to ensure the contents make it into the mixing vial. I could go on, but I'm picking nits. Overall, it's a good package. No regrets.

Excelente producto, muy satisfecha

If all you want to know is: "Is my WATER SOFTENER working right or not?" Then, forget the electronic TDS and EC Meters and buy a TITRATION kit. Google: "Salt is a part of Total Dissolved Solids and therefore will be part or all of the reading." and "The amount of sodium in softened water is directly related to the amount of hardness in the water." When it comes to ensuring that your water softener is working right, the BEST answer is found via titration. That said; My favorite titration kit is the Hach 145400 or, Model 5-EP. Why? Simple; I like the individual envelope-packets. The test-powder inside, is always fully contained, dry and uncontaminated. You Tube "3 Tests, Well-Water (hard), Tap-Water (barely soft) & Reverse Osmosis-Water (soft)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=778QZIs6Muo

This Hach kit is easy to use and very inexpensive per test. I couldn't verify its accuracy but I did test it on some pure distilled water and the solution remained blue indicating a neutral pH (~7) - which is exactly what it should have shown. So, I'll assume that it is accurate enough for my purpose - which is to see how effectively my water softener is performing. As it turned out, my water softener wasn't doing its job. Once I poked the salt reservoir down with a stick, eliminating the air cavities that were present, I retested using the kit and found the softener was then performing correctly. BTW, cavity formation in softener salt is quite common and caused by the presence of condensation on the outside of the interior water tank, which is cooler than the air around the salt pellets. This moisture tends to make the pellets stick together forming cavities and thus reducing the effectiveness of the backwash and recharge process in the softener. I now poke the salt pellets periodically and retest the system using the Hach kit.

This is not a "retail" oriented company providing this product. This product only tests hardness to 30 grains and this info should be obvious in the product information screen. When calling in to their customer service department to get a test kit with higher test levels I was on hold for a pretty long time but didn't watch the clock when I placed the call. Finally someone came on the line. The customer service person struggled with his reference materials and told me they didn't make what I needed and I needed an R/A for my purchased product. I challenged him to find a test kit for a wider range (not uncommon) the only thing he said he could find was a test kit to test from 20-2000 grains. These values would be seemingly useless to test for softened water-unless there is information the rep didn't convey. He then transferred me to tech support where I was on hold for a long time. I was on hold until the automated message said I could receive a call back by leaving my phone number. Its been a couple days since calling and I am not hopeful to get the return call. Judging by their promps, this company concentrates on large commercial and industrial projects and filtration. At least I would hope so because that would explain things