Water Quality Testing — Find Out Exactly What’s In Your Water
Whether you’re on a private well or city water, something might feel off — a new taste, a stain you can’t explain, dry skin after every shower, or just a nagging worry about what’s in your water. We’ll get you real numbers and a plain-English explanation. No DIY kit guesswork.
Free on-site water quality testing for Charlottesville homes. Well water or city water — we test for hardness, chlorine, iron, pH, TDS, and more. Results in 30 minutes.
Same-day water quality testing available — well or city water, call before noon.
Request Your Free Water Quality Test
Leave your number and we’ll call within 15 minutes to schedule.
Or call us now: (434) 505-4780
Otter Guys Plumbing was great to work with. Communication was clear from the start. When Ty and Don arrived, they were kind and easy to interact with. They took the time to communicate clearly through every step: diagnosing the problem, explaining what was going on, what the potential issues were, and what needed to happen moving forward. They educated us about the situation instead of just telling us what to do. Pricing was communicated clearly the whole way through. We were given all the pricing options, what they suggested, and why. Everything felt transparent and straightforward, and we didn’t feel pressured to do more than was necessary. I would absolutely recommend them.
Why Charlottesville homeowners choose The Otter Guys for water quality testing
65+ years testing Central Virginia water — well AND city
We’ve tested thousands of wells AND city water connections across Charlottesville, Crozet, Earlysville, Keswick, and the surrounding counties. Same expertise, two very different water profiles.
Free on-site test — not a mail-in kit
A technician comes to your home with professional testing equipment. You see the results on the spot, in your own kitchen. No mailing samples, no waiting for an app to send you a colored chart.
No pressure to install anything
Test-only is completely fine. We’ll explain what your numbers mean and what your options are — and if you want a written recommendation, you can take it to any installer (including us).
Accredited lab partners for certified testing
For coliform/E. coli, lead, or arsenic, we collect a chain-of-custody sample and send it to an accredited lab. Reports back in 5–10 business days.
Certified Lab Partners
Accredited labs for coliform, lead
Licensed & Insured
VA License #2705181379
BBB A+ Rated
Accredited business
Charlottesville’s Finest
Gold Award 2023–2025
Signs your water quality may need attention
Hard water spots on fixtures and dishes
Glassware comes out spotty. Faucets get a white crust. Soap scum on shower walls that won’t come off. Classic hardness indicators.
Metallic, chlorine, or sulfur taste/smell
Metallic = iron. Chlorine = city treatment overdose. Rotten egg = sulfur (well water). Each one tells us what to look for first.
Orange, brown, or blue-green staining
Orange/brown = iron. Blue-green = low pH eating copper pipes. Black flecks = manganese. All visible. All fixable.
Dry skin and hair after showering
Hard water and high chlorine both strip natural oils. If your skin is itchy after every shower — or your hair won’t condition — it’s often the water.
Cloudy or discolored water
Cloudy from the tap usually means trapped air OR suspended sediment. Tinted (yellow, brown, blue-green) means something is dissolved in there.
Concerns about contaminants (bacteria, lead, heavy metals)
A news story, a neighbor’s test, old plumbing, farm runoff. Specific worries deserve certified lab answers — we’ll recommend the right panel.
Trusted by 6,000+ Charlottesville homeowners
“Malak was very knowledgeable and repaired my water heater very quickly. He even gave me a free water evaluation. Yikes! I had no idea that much chlorine and bacteria were in my water. The Otter Guys are the best.”Denise Dezio Google Review
“Malec was our tech. He was very thorough in his investigation to our water heater problem and water quality check. He respected our home and gave advice on what to expect next. Otter Guys offered us 4 solutions and Malec talked us through where it would be best to start to solve our situation and not just put a bandaid on it. I would highly recommend Otter Guys for their techs professionalism and timely service.”Luke Davies Google Review
“Really really great service. I felt seen and like they were going to make sure I was fully taken care of. I had been told they were a great experience, and now have my own story to back it up.”Christy Scott Google Review
Here’s exactly what happens when you call
Schedule your free water quality test
Call (434) 505-4780 or submit the form. Tell us if you’re on a well or city water. Same-day appointments available — call before noon.
Our tech arrives with professional testing equipment
On-site water quality testing takes about 30 minutes. For well water we test iron, pH, sulfur, hardness, TDS, turbidity. For city water we test chlorine/chloramine, hardness, lead concerns, TDS, taste/odor.
We walk you through results right there
You’ll see exactly what’s in your water — well or city. Your tech explains every number in plain English, no jargon, no pressure. If treatment is needed, you get a written recommendation with upfront pricing. Test-only is completely fine — take the recommendation to any installer.
Not Sure About Your Water Quality? Find Out for Free.
Free on-site water quality testing for Central Virginia homes — well or city water. We test for hardness, chlorine, iron, pH, TDS, sulfur, and more. You get real numbers and a plain-English explanation of what they mean — no jargon, no sales pitch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our free water quality testing covers the chemistry that drives most treatment decisions. For well water: iron, pH, sulfur, hardness, TDS, turbidity. For city water: chlorine/chloramine, hardness, lead concerns, TDS, taste/odor. Results in 30 minutes, on the spot. No charge, no obligation to install anything.
Both. About half the homes in our service area are on city/municipal water and half are on private wells — we test both. The contaminants we look for are different (chlorine and lead concerns for city, iron and bacteria for wells), but the visit and the price tag (free) are the same.
The free on-site test covers chemistry that drives treatment decisions — hardness, iron, pH, chlorine, sulfur, TDS. You get the numbers on the spot in 30 minutes. A certified lab test is for contaminants that need accredited analysis: coliform/E. coli, lead, arsenic, heavy metals. Lab panels take 5–10 business days. We’ll recommend a lab panel only if your situation calls for one.
The test tells us. Once we have your actual numbers, we can say with confidence whether a system would actually solve the problem you’re trying to solve — or whether it’s overkill. You get a written recommendation with the explanation. No pressure to install.
Yes. No trip fee, no service charge, no hidden cost. The on-site water quality test is free. The only thing that costs money is a certified lab panel, and only if you choose to add one — we’ll explain when it’s actually needed.
Whether you’re on a well or city water, we’ll tell you exactly what’s in it. 65+ years of water quality testing across Central Virginia — we’ve seen the patterns in every neighborhood, on every street.