Zinc Water Test Results Guide

What this test measures

This test measures zinc, which usually gets into water from galvanised pipes, tanks and fittings rather than the supply itself. The tell-tale sign is a metallic taste, sometimes with a slight milky look when first drawn.

The UK standard

There’s no numeric UK drinking water standard for zinc — it’s not considered a health concern at the levels found in supplies. Taste is the practical limit: most people start to notice zinc at around 3 mg/l.

Reading your strip

Dip a strip into your sample for two seconds, hold it level and wait 30 seconds. Match the zinc pad against the colour chart on your instructions card and read off the closest band. Strips give you a clear range rather than a lab-precise number — exactly what you need for spotting problems and tracking changes over time.

What to do next

• Confirm it first. One strip is a snapshot — re-test with a fresh strip and a fresh sample before acting on a result.
• A high reading with older galvanised plumbing points at your own pipework — compare first-draw and flushed samples to confirm.
• If a reading on a mains supply stays above the standard after re-testing, contact your water supplier — they investigate quality concerns free of charge.
• Thinking about a filter? Test before and after fitting it so you can see exactly what it changed.