📆 How Often Should You Test Your Water?

A Guide for Homes and Businesses in Montana

When’s the last time you tested your water?

If your answer is “I’m not sure,” or “Never,” — you’re not alone.

Many home and business owners assume their water is safe unless something smells, tastes, or looks off. But that assumption can lead to health risks, equipment damage, and costly surprises.

At Crisp Water Technologies, we’re here to help you stay ahead of those problems — with professional, reliable water testing tailored for Montana homes and businesses.


🔁 General Rule of Thumb: Test Your Water At Least Once a Year

Even if your water seems fine, annual testing ensures:

  • Early detection of contaminants
  • Protection for your plumbing and appliances
  • Compliance with health and safety standards (especially for businesses)

🏡 For Homeowners:

If You’re on City Water:

  • Test once a year for peace of mind — especially for lead, chlorine levels, or pipe corrosion.
  • Test immediately after renovations, pipe replacements, or local construction.

If You’re on a Private Well:

  • Minimum: Once per year
  • We recommend testing seasonally if:
    • You live near agriculture or industrial activity
    • Your well is shallow or unsealed
    • You’ve had past issues with bacteria, nitrates, or metals

🏢 For Business Owners:

Especially if you’re in:

  • Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, coffee shops)
  • Healthcare (clinics, dental offices)
  • Childcare or education
  • Real estate or rental properties

Testing every 6 months to a year ensures:

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Guest and staff safety
  • Clean, professional operations

Plus, if you’re offering water to customers, having proof of recent testing builds trust and credibility.


⚠️ Test Immediately If You Notice:

  • A sudden change in taste, smell, or color
  • Stains on sinks or laundry
  • Health symptoms without a clear cause
  • After flooding, droughts, or septic system issues nearby

🧪 Why Work with Crisp Water Technologies?

  • Local, Montana-based service
  • Knowledge of regional risks like arsenic, nitrates, and hard water
  • Fast, lab-quality results
  • Customized treatment options if issues are found

We’re not here to scare you — we’re here to give you confidence in every glass of water you drink, cook with, and bathe in.


📞 Stay Safe. Stay Informed. Stay Hydrated.

Make water testing part of your annual home or business checklist.

📞 Call: (406) 549-8868
📩 Email: crispwater@montana.com
🌐 Serving Missoula and the surrounding areas

Better water starts with better awareness. Let’s test it right.

💧 Well Water vs. City Water:

What Every Montana Homeowner Needs to Know

Living in Montana means enjoying wide open skies, fresh mountain air… and water that doesn’t always behave the way you’d expect. Whether your home pulls from a private well or you’re connected to the city supply, your water may not be as clean or safe as you think.

At Crisp Water Technologies, we help homeowners throughout Missoula and surrounding areas understand exactly what’s in their water — and what to do about it.

Let’s break it down:


🏠 Private Well Water: Total Control, Total Responsibility

If your home uses a private well, you are the water authority. That means:

  • There’s no government regulation of your water quality
  • You’re responsible for testing and treatment
  • Contaminants like bacteria, nitrates, arsenic, and sediment can go unnoticed

Pros of Well Water:

✅ No water bills
✅ Natural source
✅ Often higher in minerals (can be beneficial in small amounts)

Cons of Well Water:

⚠️ Prone to contamination from agriculture, runoff, septic systems
⚠️ Can contain naturally occurring toxins (like arsenic or radon)
⚠️ Often hard, requiring filtration or softening systems

🔎 Recommended:

Test at least once a year — or immediately after flooding, repairs, or if taste/smell changes.


🏙 City Water: Regulated, But Not Always Perfect

If you’re connected to municipal water, the city treats and tests your water regularly — but that doesn’t mean it’s free of issues.

Common Concerns with City Water:

  • Chlorine & disinfectant byproducts can cause taste and skin irritation
  • Old infrastructure can leach lead or other metals into your pipes
  • May still contain sediment, hard water minerals, or trace pharmaceuticals

Pros of City Water:

✅ Regularly tested for safety
✅ Pressure and supply are usually consistent
✅ Monitored by professionals

Cons of City Water:

⚠️ May still need point-of-use filtration
⚠️ Possible taste, odor, and residue concerns
⚠️ Contaminants can still sneak through

🔎 Recommended:

Test your water if you’re experiencing bad taste, strange odors, buildup, or unexplained appliance issues.


🧪 The Bottom Line: All Water Needs Testing

Whether you’re on city water or a private well, the only way to know what’s really in your water is to test it. Every water source is unique — and even neighbors can have drastically different water quality.

At Crisp Water Technologies, we offer:

  • Local, accurate residential water testing
  • Customized solutions for filtration and treatment
  • Fast, friendly, and professional service

📞 Let’s Make Sure Your Water is as Clean as Montana Air

Call us at (406) 549-8868
📩 Or email: crispwater@montana.com
✅ Serving Missoula and surrounding areas

Because no matter where your water comes from, you deserve to know what’s in it.

💧 What’s Really in Your Water?

7 Contaminants You Might Not Know About

Most people assume their water is clean if it looks clear and doesn’t smell — but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether you’re on well water or municipal supply, there may be contaminants hiding in your tap that could affect your health, your plumbing, and even your peace of mind.

At Crisp Water Technologies, we believe knowledge is power — and professional water testing is how you take control.

Here are 7 surprising contaminants that might be lurking in your water:


1. Nitrates

Found in fertilizers, animal waste, and septic systems, nitrates can easily leach into groundwater. High nitrate levels are especially dangerous for infants and pregnant women, as they can lead to “blue baby syndrome” and other serious health issues.


2. Arsenic

Naturally occurring in Montana’s soil and rock, arsenic can be odorless, tasteless, and toxic — linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and skin problems. Long-term exposure, even at low levels, is a major concern.


3. Lead

Old pipes and plumbing fixtures can leach lead into your drinking water. Even small amounts can impact brain development in children and contribute to high blood pressure and kidney problems in adults.


4. Iron & Manganese

These minerals can discolor your water, stain your sinks, and make everything taste metallic. While not usually harmful to health, high levels can cause headaches — both literally and for your plumbing.


5. Coliform & E. coli Bacteria

If you have a private well, bacteria can enter through cracks, runoff, or flooding. These microorganisms can cause gastrointestinal illness and indicate other harmful pathogens may be present.


6. Chlorine & Disinfection Byproducts

Municipal water systems use chlorine to disinfect, but high levels — or the byproducts of chlorination — can irritate your skin, dry out hair, and affect taste. Some byproducts have been linked to long-term health issues.


7. Hard Water Minerals (Calcium & Magnesium)

Hard water isn’t dangerous, but it wreaks havoc on plumbing, appliances, and water heaters. If you’re replacing dishwashers or shower heads more often than you’d like — hard water may be the culprit.


🧪 How Do You Know What’s In Your Water?

That’s where we come in.

At Crisp Water Technologies, we provide fast, professional water testing for homeowners, renters, and businesses across Missoula and surrounding areas. We test for a full range of contaminants and provide clear, easy-to-understand results — no guesswork.


✅ Why Test with Crisp?

  • 🔬 Local expertise with certified lab testing
  • 💡 Easy-to-follow results + personalized recommendations
  • 💧 Affordable filtration systems tailored to your water
  • 🛠 Installation and support you can trust

📞 Get Answers. Get Peace of Mind.

Don’t wait for a problem to show up. Whether you’ve noticed odd smells, staining, or simply want to protect your family or business — get your water tested today.

👉 Call us at (406) 549-8868
or
📩 Contact us online to schedule your test.

Because when it comes to your water… what you don’t know can hurt you.

Water Treatment

Crisp Water Technologies, Inc. is your locally owned Western Montana independent water treatment distributor for any of your water treatment or testing needs. We provide water sampling, water testing & water treatment including installation in 6 Montana counties: Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Sanders, Lake, Granite, & Beaverhead. We represent many water treatment equipment manufacturers and provide factory direct pricing. We also provide services for well disinfection, well cap replacement or repair, consulting, and have experience in hydro-geology.

We start with water testing in our water laboratory. Our lab is State and EPA certified to test for bacteria including coliform and E. coli contamination. We also provide testing through our companion lab for lead, nitrate, nitrite, arsenic, radon, pesticides, herbicides, iron, hardness, TDS, (total dissolved solids), odor, particulate, clay, sulfur, (rotten egg smell), SOCs, VOCs, IOCs, metals, mercury, calcium, magnesium, manganese and other parameters.

We provide professional consulting for realtors, home inspectors, engineers, and work with public water systems. Our staff consists of certified water operators and laboratory technicians with years of experience dealing with many different water situations and contaminants.

Our water treatment equipment is usually in stock and consists of: High efficiency water softeners, iron filters, ultraviolet light disinfection systems, (UV), reverse osmosis, (RO), arsenic mediation and other types of water treatment. We can also provide water filtration at your home or business for high quality drinking water that will replace your bottled water needs while saving you hundreds of dollars.

Please call Crisp Water Technologies, Inc. or Water Technologies Laboratory at: 406-549-8868 for more information. Thank you for working with our local family owned and operated team of water specialists.