An annual utility report describes water across a public system. It cannot tell you exactly what is present at a particular kitchen tap after the water has traveled through neighborhood lines, a home's plumbing, storage, treatment equipment, and filters. ClearHome Labs coordinates laboratory testing at the home, explains the results around drinking and bathing, and helps verify whether an existing filtration system is addressing the contaminants included in the selected panel. The service is independent. ClearHome does not sell or install filters.
The City of Carlsbad reports that the district imports most of its drinking water and publishes a yearly Water Quality Report. That report is an important public baseline. Conditions at an individual tap can still differ because of property plumbing, fixture materials, stagnation, hot-water systems, private treatment equipment, filter maintenance, and the specific time and location sampled.
Home testing is most useful when it is designed around a decision:
Drinking and cooking emphasize ingestion. Bathing can involve skin contact and, for volatile compounds, inhalation of material released into warm air. The sampling plan and recommendations reflect the exposure route rather than treat every analyte the same way. The complete assessment can score drinking and bathing results separately when both samples and the necessary analytes are included; the à la carte essential panel may have a narrower scope. Confirm the panel before booking.
Depending on the selected panel, laboratory analysis may include:
ClearHome runs water samples through Tap Score by SimpleLab, a network of more than 100 accredited analytical laboratories across the United States and Canada. The panel is matched to your home and its water source. Common city-water tiers are the Essential panel (49 analytes, focused on metals and lead), the Advanced panel (111 analytes, adding VOCs and chlorine disinfection byproducts), and the Extended panel (120 analytes, adding radioactive particles and additional disinfection byproducts). PFAS is available as a specialized panel. Your report lists the exact analytes, methods, and reporting limits for the panel selected.
A filter label describes what a system is designed or certified to reduce under defined conditions. Testing shows what is happening at the client's tap. A useful verification plan may compare:
This can reveal exhausted media, bypass, installation issues, a contaminant outside the filter's design, or a system that is performing well. Recommendations match the measured panel and avoid replacing a working system without evidence.
Larger homes may have whole-house treatment, point-of-use filters, recirculating hot water, multiple water heaters, detached guest structures, long plumbing runs, irrigation wells, or another source configuration. One kitchen sample may not represent every exposure point.
ClearHome can design a scope around the actual plumbing and the owner's priorities rather than multiplying samples without a reason.
We identify the water source, treatment equipment, household concerns, plumbing changes, and the decision the test needs to support. ClearHome then confirms the laboratory panel and sampling points.
Samples are collected using the laboratory's containers and instructions. The record documents the tap, treatment path, date and time, flushing or stagnation condition, and any preservative or temperature requirement.
Samples are shipped under the specified conditions to Tap Score by SimpleLab, which routes them to an accredited laboratory in its network. ClearHome states the accreditation and method that apply to the analytes on your selected panel rather than using "certified lab" as a general label.
The report explains each result against the comparison source stated in the report. It separates enforceable public-water standards, health-based goals or advisories, and practical filtration targets so they are not presented as though they mean the same thing.
The current website price for the essential panel is $350. The booking page states the analytes, tap count, laboratory fees, sampling, shipping, interpretation, filter comparison, and expected turnaround included at that price.
Leave your email or phone and we'll reach out to confirm the panel, taps, and schedule. Tell us your water source and any installed filtration.
The city report describes the public system and is the right starting point. Home testing can answer a different question about the water after it has passed through local distribution, property plumbing, treatment equipment, and a specific fixture.
Yes, as an add-on. PFAS is available through a specialized Tap Score panel rather than the standard city-water tiers, so it adds cost and specific sampling requirements. We confirm the PFAS analyte list, reporting limits, and price with you before booking.
Yes. A before-and-after sampling plan can compare the feed water with the treated tap for the contaminants in the selected panel. The result applies to those analytes and the conditions at the time sampled.
The complete assessment may include separate drinking and bathing analysis. The à la carte panel may not. The proposal lists the exact taps, sample count, and analytes.
No. ClearHome does not sell or install filtration. The report can describe performance requirements and the types of treatment that address the measured result, leaving vendor selection to the homeowner.
The answer depends on the water source, prior results, treatment system, filter schedule, plumbing changes, and the analytes involved. Retesting is especially useful after installation, media replacement, a significant plumbing change, or a result that requires confirmation.