Your Water Is Tested at the Plant. Not at Your Tap.
Your utility tests the water it sends out. Nobody tests what comes out of the faucet in the house you're about to buy — after it's traveled through a service line of unknown age and the home's own plumbing. We collect a sample at the tap and send it to an accredited laboratory. You get actual numbers.
Starting at $275
Clear Water Tells You Nothing
Lead has no taste, color, or odor. Neither does nitrate. Coliform bacteria won't announce itself either.
And the contaminants that matter most in a home purchase usually don't come from the source at all — they come from the building. Lead leaches from service lines, solder, and fixtures in homes built before the mid-1980s, which describes a very large share of New Jersey's housing.
The water quality report your township publishes describes water at the treatment plant, miles upstream of the house you're buying. The only way to know what's in the water at that address is to test it at that address.
We collect the sample under proper chain-of-custody and submit it to a NELAP-accredited, EPA-registered laboratory using EPA-standard test methods. You get a signed laboratory report showing each contaminant, your measured result, the acceptable range, and a clear pass or fail — not an inspector's opinion.
How It Works
Add It to Your Inspection
Book water testing with your home inspection, or on its own.
We Collect the Sample
Taken at the tap under laboratory chain-of-custody protocol, so the result holds up.
You Get Laboratory Results
A signed analysis report with each parameter, your measured result, and the EPA acceptable range.
What Gets Tested
Coliform Bacteria
The standard indicator organism. Its presence signals a pathway for contamination into the water supply.
E. coli
Indicates fecal contamination. A direct health concern requiring immediate attention.
Lead
Comes from service lines, solder, and fixtures rather than the source water. There is no safe level of lead exposure, and children are most at risk.
Nitrate & Nitrite
Associated with agricultural runoff, fertilizer, and septic systems. Elevated nitrate is a serious hazard for infants under six months.
When Testing Matters Most
If any of these describe the property or your family, testing is strongly worth it:
- Older homes. Pre-1986 plumbing means lead solder and fixtures are a real possibility regardless of what the utility sends.
- Any home with children. Lead and nitrate exposure carry the greatest risk for infants and young children.
- Unusual taste, odor, or staining. Worth explaining rather than living with.
- Homes that have sat vacant. Water standing in plumbing for months behaves differently than water in daily use.
- Near agriculture or older septic systems. Nitrate is the parameter to watch, and much of South Jersey qualifies.
- You've never tested. If you own the home and have never checked, you have no baseline at all.
What You Don't Know, You Drink
Lead exposure is cumulative and irreversible, and its effects on children's development are the reason there's no acceptable level. Nitrate at elevated levels is an acute hazard for infants. Bacterial contamination means something is wrong with the plumbing or the supply, and it will keep being wrong.
None of these announce themselves. A family can drink the water for years without a single sign that anything is off.
The test costs a fraction of what you're already spending on the inspection. Skipping it doesn't make the water safe. It just means nobody looked.
What You'll Walk Away With
A signed laboratory analysis of the water at that address, on that day. A clear pass or fail on each contaminant against EPA standards. And if something comes back elevated, you find out while it's still a negotiating point rather than a discovery you make after moving in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find Out What You're Drinking
Starting at $275. Pricing is subject to change based on property conditions, service requirements, location, and other applicable factors.
Vivid Home Inspections proudly serves homebuyers and homeowners throughout South Jersey, including Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties, as well as Eastern Pennsylvania.
Client Reviews
What Our Clients Say
Real reviews from real home buyers and sellers across South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Home Inspections Across South Jersey & Eastern PA
We proudly serve home buyers, sellers, and owners throughout South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Local expertise means we know the common issues in regional construction, soil, and aging housing stock.
- Burlington County
- Camden County
- Gloucester County
- Salem County
- Mercer County
- Eastern Pennsylvania
Ready for a Vivid, Detailed Home Inspection?
Book online in minutes or call us directly. Certified inspectors, same-day digital reports, and coverage across all of South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania — so you can move forward with confidence.
Certified & Insured
InterNACHI certified, NJ licensed & insured.
Same-Day Reports
Detailed, photo-rich findings within 24 hours.
Easy Online Booking
Schedule your inspection in minutes.
Talk to a Real Person
Mon–Fri: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Sat: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM