[AskNACHI.org]

[ASKNACHI]This question was posted on [I]AskNACHI.org[/I] by [B]Mike Kinney[/B] (from Dayton, TN). [/ASKNACHI]I am a swimming pool chemical store owner and test water for pools. I would like to be certified to test drinking water from wells and provide that service to realestate agents in the area. The realestate agents currently use home inspectors and my question is, can I get certified in a specific home inspection category like well water. If so, what are the specific certifications that I would need and where can I find the information?

[James H. Bushart]

[quote=AskNACHI.org][asknachi]This question was posted on [I]AskNACHI.org[/I] by [B]Mike Kinney[/B] (from Dayton, TN). [/asknachi]I am a swimming pool chemical store owner and test water for pools. I would like to be certified to test drinking water from wells and provide that service to realestate agents in the area. The realestate agents currently use home inspectors and my question is, can I get certified in a specific home inspection category like well water. If so, what are the specific certifications that I would need and where can I find the information?[/quote]

To my knowledge, the only well water certification class that is presently available is provided by Joe Farsetta. The course is available on CD as well as classroom.

Perhaps Joe can elaborate on what one must do to obtain access to either of these.

[Mark R. Long]

I too used to own a swimming pool store and tested water for pools. I believe that testing drinking water, especially for a real estate transaction, is a slightly different animal. If you're talking about actually doing the testing, I believe you would have to be a lab certified by your state. You should probably check with your state.

If you are talking about just [B][I]drawing[/I][/B] the water and taking it to a lab, then you may or may not have to be certified depending on your state's/locale's requirements.

I happen to live on the PA/MD border. I can draw water in PA for a real estate transaction and take it to a lab without any certification. In MD I must be certified just to draw the water. Just coincidentally, I'm taking a half day class in two weeks at the adjoining county Health Dept. in order to get my MD certification. I hadn't gotten around to doing this before now.

Where I haven't been able to draw water, I have been able to get a local lab to come to the location, draw the water and have it tested for a standard bacterial analysis for $21. I'm not sure how you would be able to make this profitable if you aren't a full scale lab or doing it in conjunction with inspections.

[dbush]

In Missouri, the certification is done as part of the Septic Inspector Course or through the Department of Natural Resources. You might check with the equivalent of those in Tennessee.

[James H. Bushart]

[quote=dbush]In Missouri, the certification is done as part of the Septic Inspector Course or through the Department of Natural Resources. You might check with the equivalent of those in Tennessee.[/quote]

In Missouri, only those doing Septic Inspections require certification in this area. There are no requirements for collecting water samples outside of a septic inspection.

[Joe Farsetta]

Dave,

Jim is correct on this one. I was asked to submit my course to the DNR las year and consider teaching it at the farm to septic inspectors. I never got around to it.

Jim, would consider looking into this (again ) for me and perhaps forwarding the data to them. I'll give it to you next week at the Commercial Course...

As to the question from our asker from Tennessee... Certified Well Sampler is approved in that state, and in Mississippi, for continuing education credits for HIs

[dbush]

Jim and Joe, that is probably true. I went through the Septic Inspector Course and it included the Water Certification which is required to process the "official" results through the Health Department Lab. They will do an unofficial result, but they require certification of training, which Joe, I believe your course meets that requirement.

[Joe Farsetta]

Thanks, Dave