Description
Know your borehole water before you drink it
Borehole water comes straight from the ground, untreated. It can carry iron, manganese, salts, nitrates from fertiliser or septic tanks, naturally occurring fluoride, and bacteria. Unlike municipal water, nobody tests it unless you do.
The Essential Borehole Water Test is the complete package for borehole and well owners. We post you a sampling kit, collect your sample by courier at no cost, and run a full 29-parameter lab analysis.
This is the right test if you…
- Have a new borehole and want to know whether the water is safe before first use
- Are switching from municipal water to borehole water for drinking, cooking or the whole house
- Have a septic tank, pit latrine or livestock near your borehole
- Live near farms, where fertiliser runoff can raise nitrate levels
- Live near the coast, where seawater can push into groundwater
- See signs of a problem: orange or black stains, scale on your kettle, or a salty or metallic taste
- Have young children or vulnerable people drinking the water
What’s included
- Sterile sample collection bottle
- Sample Information Card to record where and when you collected your sample
- Cooling items where your sample needs to stay cold in transit
- Free courier collection. Let us know when your sample is ready and we’ll send a courier.
- A full lab report by email, with each result explained in plain language and clear next steps
What we test (29 parameters)
Biological
- E. coli / total coliforms: present or absent (48-hour incubation)
Physical
- pH
- Electrical conductivity (EC)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Salinity
- Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)
- Specific gravity (SG)
Metals and heavy metals
- Aluminium
- Chromium
- Copper
- Iron
- Lead
- Manganese
- Mercury
- Zinc
Nutrients and salts
- Nitrate
- Nitrite
- Ammonia
- Phosphate
- Potassium
- Sulfate
- Fluoride
Water chemistry
- Total hardness
- Total alkalinity
- Carbonate
- Free (residual) chlorine
- Total chlorine
- Bromine
- Cyanuric acid
Common borehole problems and what reveals them
- Orange, brown or black stains on fittings and laundry: iron and manganese
- Salty or brackish taste: salinity, EC and TDS
- Scale in kettles, geysers and shower heads: hardness, alkalinity and carbonate
- Blue-green stains: copper, often from pipes corroded by acidic water (low pH)
- Risk from septic tanks, farms or animals: E. coli, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia
- Mottled teeth in children: fluoride, which occurs naturally at high levels in some groundwater
What “good” looks like
Your report compares your results against the SANS 241:2015 drinking-water guidelines, where they apply:
- E. coli: not detected
- pH: between 5 and 9.7
- Nitrate (as N): up to 11 mg/L
- Fluoride: up to 1.5 mg/L
- Iron: up to 2 mg/L. Staining can start above 0.3 mg/L.
- Manganese: up to 0.4 mg/L. Staining can start above 0.1 mg/L.
- TDS: up to 1,200 mg/L
How it works
- Order online. We post your sampling kit.
- Collect your sample from the tap closest to the borehole, ideally before any filter or tank.
- Run the water for 2–3 minutes first.
- Don’t rinse the bottle or touch the inside of the cap.
- Complete the Sample Information Card.
- Book your free courier collection. Keep the sample chilled (not frozen) and get it to us within 24 hours of collection.
- Receive your report: chemistry in 24 hours and E. coli in 48 hours from when we receive your sample.
Which borehole test is right for you?
- Water Safety Check, R399: 7 parameters (pH, salts and E. coli). A quick routine check.
- Full Baseline Check, R899: the same 29 parameters as this test. You supply the container and pay for the courier.
- Essential Borehole Water Test, R1,299 (this test): 29 parameters, with a sampling kit and free courier collection. The easiest option from start to finish.
- SANS 241 “Core Essentials” Analysis, R3,714.08: compliance-grade results through our accredited reference laboratory partner, ready in 5–10 working days.
What this test doesn’t cover
This test does not cover arsenic, uranium, hydrogen sulfide (a rotten-egg smell), pesticides or organic chemicals. If any of these are a concern, contact us for a specialised quote.
Something flagged?
- E. coli detected? Don’t drink the water untreated. Book a 30-minute consultation with a TCSC water scientist (from R649.50) to plan disinfection and a retest.
- Iron, manganese, hardness or salinity high? We can recommend the right treatment, from filtration to reverse osmosis.
- Want to keep monitoring? Add the 21-in-1 Water Test Kit (R1,750, 100 tests per panel) for regular checks between lab tests.
Why TCSC
The Chemistry Solutions Company is a Cape Town water science company that has supported more than 100 environmental projects. TCSC was named second runner-up in the UNIDO Global Cleantech Innovation Programme South Africa (2024). Every test also supports the Water Warrior Project, which provides free community water testing.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I test my borehole?
At least once a year. Also test after drilling or repairs, after heavy rain or flooding, or whenever the taste, smell or colour changes.
Can I use this test for a spring or a well?
Yes. Choose the water source on your Sample Information Card.
Do I need to be in Cape Town?
No. We arrange courier collection anywhere the sample can reach us chilled within 24 hours of collection.
Is this a SANS 241 certificate?
No. This is a comprehensive screening analysis. For compliance, choose the SANS 241 “Core Essentials” Analysis.
See our product disclaimer.
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