Water checks are the step most UK sites skip before buying treatment, and it is the step that decides whether the equipment works. A filter sized for soft mains water will not cope with a hard-water borough. A softener fitted after a dirty storage tank will clog. An RO unit with no pre-filter will foul early. This guide explains which checks matter, what your existing reports already tell you, and what a Sovereign Water site survey looks at before we recommend anything. If you would rather talk it through, request a quote.
TL;DR
- Good treatment starts with knowing your water route: incoming main, storage, pipework, then the equipment.
- Your water company already publishes quality data for your postcode, and private supplies are sampled by the local authority.
- Hardness and dissolved solids (TDS) are different numbers and lead to different equipment.
- Where you take a sample changes the answer. The incoming main and the tap after a storage tank can differ.
- A Sovereign Water site survey is a chargeable visit. It looks at the route, equipment, flow and pressure, and reads your existing reports.
Contents
- How to check your water quality
- Why checks come before the product
- Map your water route first
- What your existing reports already tell you
- The numbers that change the specification
- Where the sample comes from matters
- What a site survey looks at
- Common mistakes
- FAQs
- Sources
How to check your water quality
If you want to know how your water measures up today, start with what is already available to you.
- Look up your supplier's results. Water companies publish quality data by postcode or supply zone. Enter your postcode on their site, or check your area on our water hardness page.
- Look at the signs. Limescale on taps and kettles points to hard water. A chlorine smell or taste, cloudy water, or brown or grey discolouration each point to a different cause, so note which one you see and where.
- Take a quick reading if you want one. A handheld TDS meter gives a figure in seconds. It shows how much is dissolved, not what is dissolved, so treat it as a rough guide and not a safety check.
- On a private supply, such as a borehole, well or spring, your local authority will advise on sampling and arrange it.
None of these replaces proper laboratory sampling where safety is the question. For a business choosing treatment, the sections below show what to gather first.
Why checks come before the product
Most water treatment problems we are called to are not equipment faults. They are specification faults. The unit was chosen from a brochure, not from the water and the site.
Three things go wrong most often. The equipment is the wrong type for the problem, such as a carbon filter fitted to fix limescale. It is the wrong size for the flow, so it runs flat out and exhausts early. Or it sits in the wrong place, after a storage tank that adds sediment or warms the water.
A short round of checks avoids all three. It also gives you a record to compare against later, so you can see whether the treatment is still doing its job.
Map your water route first
Before any number is useful, you need to know where the water goes. Sketch the route from the meter to each point of use.
| Stage | What to note | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming main | Meter location, pipe size, stop tap | Sets the flow available to treatment |
| Storage | Cold water tanks, break tanks, cisterns | Tanks can collect sediment and warm up |
| Distribution | Pipe materials, long dead legs, old sections | Affects taste, temperature and deposits |
| Hot water | Calorifiers, water heaters, boilers | Where scale forms fastest |
| Points of use | Coffee machines, ovens, ice machines, dispensers, glasswashers | Each has its own water specification |
The Drinking Water Inspectorate advises that storage tanks are covered, insulated and kept clean, because poorly kept tanks can affect water quality. HSE guidance on Legionella control in hot and cold water systems (HSG274 Part 2) also asks duty holders to keep cold water below 20°C and to avoid little-used outlets and dead legs. Both points shape where treatment should sit.
What your existing reports already tell you
You probably have more water data than you think.
Your water company. On mains water, your supplier samples to the standards set in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 and publishes results by postcode or supply zone. Hardness is usually listed. You can also check your area on our water hardness page.
Private supplies. If the site is on a borehole, well or spring, the DWI says your local authority will advise on sampling and arrange it. If you commission sampling yourself, the DWI advises using accredited methods. In the UK, UKAS lists accredited laboratories.
Your own records. Legionella risk assessments, temperature logs, previous service reports and equipment manuals all count. Many coffee and ice machine manuals state a feed-water specification. That is the target the treatment has to hit.
Gather these before anyone visits. It makes the survey shorter and the recommendation sharper. If you are unsure what you have, talk to our team and we will tell you what to look for.
The numbers that change the specification
A handful of figures decide which equipment fits. Here is what each one tells you.
| Figure | What it measures | What it points to |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | Calcium and magnesium | Scale. Usually a softener or scale inhibition |
| TDS (total dissolved solids) | Everything dissolved, often estimated from conductivity | Taste and sensitive equipment. Sometimes RO |
| Chlorine taste or odour | Disinfectant carried from the works | Carbon filtration at the point of use |
| Sediment or discolouration | Particles from mains, tanks or old pipes | Sediment pre-filtration |
| Temperature at the tap | How warm cold water gets in the building | Storage and pipework issues before treatment |
| Flow and pressure | What the supply can deliver | Size and type of unit |
Hardness and TDS are not the same. Hardness is one part of TDS. A softener changes hardness but leaves TDS much the same. RO lowers both. Our TDS and ppm guide covers this in more detail.
For context, Schedule 2 of the 2016 regulations sets an indicator value for conductivity of 2,500 µS/cm at 20°C at the supply point. Mains water in England is normally well inside that. A reading near it would be unusual and worth raising with your supplier.
Where the sample comes from matters
The same building can give different answers depending on the tap. The incoming main shows what your supplier delivers. A tap after a storage tank shows what the building has done to it. A tap at the end of a long run can be warmer and taste flatter.
| Point | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Incoming main, before any tank | The supplier's water |
| After the storage tank | The effect of storage |
| Feed to the equipment | What the machine actually receives |
| After existing treatment | Whether current equipment is working |
If you are comparing figures from different sources, note where each one came from. A water company result and a reading at your coffee machine are measuring two different things.
What a site survey looks at
A Sovereign Water site survey is a chargeable visit. It is not a water test. It looks at the things that decide whether treatment will work on your site.
- The route. Incoming main, storage, pipework and every point of use.
- The equipment. Make, model and the manufacturer's feed-water specification.
- Flow and pressure. What the supply can deliver at peak times.
- Space and services. Room for the unit, drains, power and access for servicing.
- Your existing reports. Water company data, local authority results, risk assessments and service records.
From that, we recommend the type, size and position of treatment. On many commercial sites it is a combination: sediment protection first, carbon for taste, then a softener or RO for the equipment that needs it. Our commercial water treatment guide and softener specification guide explain how those choices are made. For kitchens, see water quality in UK commercial kitchens. For the South East, see our regional water quality guide.
Common mistakes
- Choosing equipment from a brochure before checking the water route.
- Treating hardness when the real problem is taste, or the other way round.
- Fitting treatment after a dirty or warm storage tank without dealing with the tank.
- Sizing for average flow instead of peak flow.
- Comparing readings taken at different points as if they were the same.
- Fitting good equipment and then never changing the cartridges.
Once treatment is in, regular servicing keeps it working. Our Comprehensive Maintenance plans cover cartridge changes and performance checks. You can see the range of sites we support on our commercial solutions page.
FAQs
What water checks should I do before buying a filter?
Start with the water route, your water company's published hardness for your postcode, and the feed-water specification in your equipment manuals. Then note flow, pressure and any storage tanks. Those few facts decide most specifications.
How do I test my water quality?
Start with your water company's published results for your postcode, then look at the signs at the tap: scale, smell, taste, cloudiness or discolouration. A handheld TDS meter gives a quick rough figure. On a private supply, your local authority will advise on sampling, and accredited laboratories do the testing.
Is a site survey the same as a water test?
No. A Sovereign Water site survey is a chargeable visit that looks at your water route, equipment, flow, pressure and existing reports. Water sampling for a private supply is arranged through your local authority or an accredited laboratory.
Do I need to check mains water if the water company already does?
The water company checks what it delivers. It does not check what your storage tanks and pipework do afterwards. That is why the point of use can differ from the published figures.
Can a softener fix every water problem?
No. A softener removes hardness to reduce scale. It does not remove chlorine taste, sediment or most dissolved solids. Those need carbon, sediment filtration or RO.
Plan your treatment around your site
Sovereign Water specifies, installs and maintains filters, softeners and RO systems for UK businesses, from a single coffee machine to a whole building. Request a quote or email sales@sovereignwater.co.uk and tell us about your site.
Sources
- Drinking Water Inspectorate: Water testing
- Drinking Water Inspectorate: Water hardness and hard water
- Drinking Water Inspectorate: Water storage tanks and cisterns
- The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, Schedule 2
- HSE: HSG274 Part 2, Legionnaires' disease in hot and cold water systems
- UKAS: Find an accredited organisation