Water Quality

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological characteristics of water relative to the intended use. Water quality is measured against specified National standards in relation to the WHO guidelines. These guidelines provide a framework for defining water that is safe to drink upon which individuals can make informed decisions.

There are many possible compromises to your drinking water quality. Common contaminants in water include; micro-organisms such as bacteria, inorganic contaminants such as metals and salts, organic chemical contaminants from industrial processes, pesticides and herbicides as well as radioactive material mainly from anthropogenic activities. Other causes may be soil and decaying matter in the gutters as well as algae in the piping systems.

These substances can potentially affect the physio-chemical and bacteriological quality of water hence directly or indirectly impacting on human health.Even if the water does look clear and doesn’t smell, you cannot be 100% sure that it is safe to drink. Therefore testing your water is the only way to find out about its quality and hence ensure safety for you and your family.

Ideally, water is colourless and needs to be maintained that way. If you notice that the water you are receiving is anything but clear there could be a number of reasons for this. The most common is usually a burst pipe that lets dirt into the water line and straight to you. All this can usually be sorted by simply leaving the tap open for a while till the dirt is washed out of the pipes If however this doesn’t fix the problem, feel free to contact us, we are always available to help.
Do note that old plumbing too at times leads to a brownish colour. For this, we recommend that you clean your storage tank(s) regularly and have a plumber check for leaks and breaks in your pipes. You can also clean taps and shower heads to ensure clean and colourless water supply

At times, the water coming out of your tap may have a chlorine smell. This is because chlorine is used in small amounts to treat our water and make it safe. It is usually not possible to smell it. However, in cases where maintanence work has been carried out, the levels may be higher and lead to a smell. This will however clear by itself.

Pressure is what drives the water out of your tap or shower. However, at times you may notice that the water is barely coming out or in some cases, not flowing at all. If you notice this you can try out any of the following steps.

Check if the low pressure is all over the house/premises. If it is one location, there may be a blockage in the tap or pipes leading to it. For this, check the tap or plumbing for any sediments or dirt.

If the low pressure is all over the house, a number of issues may be responsible. For starters, check if your shut off valve, the tap that regulates water going through the meter, is fully open. Usually when it is turned half way, the pressure of the water reduces so turning it open should solve the issue. If this is not the case however, your low pressure may be caused by a leak in your plumbing. To find out, Record the meter reading at one time and check it after a few hours to see if the reading has changed. If your water usage has increased at all from your first recording, there’s a good chance you have a leak that needs to be repaired by a plumbing professional. However make sure that during this process, no taps or water is being used as that would affect the results.

At times low water pressure may be caused due to peak usage. There are times of the day when water is used more and as such, it is important to pay attention to when water pressure fluctuates so as to plan effectively.

And remember, if you have any issues, please contact us toll free on 0800200977 & 0800 300 977 or visit the contact us page.