Fall HOME
IMPROVEMENT JOURNAL Powering a Community Tyler Avery is building Avery Electric with a local-first approach
Home Improvement Expo The modern home is a moving target. Here’s where to start!
The Value of Green Living Is being environmentally conscious always more expensive?
September 19, 2026
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
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Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 3
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Residential & Commercial
Reliable service, good communication, and clean work
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AveryElectricLLC
Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 5
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Powering a community
in Adams going back generations, and he has lived in Cheshire his entire life. He says he has no plans to leave. “This is my home,” he says. “One of the main reasons I wanted to get out here and do this was so I could take care of my community and be a part of it.” That community focus extends to the kinds of projects he hopes to support, from local businesses and contractors to events involving first responders and veterans. Tyler says he is actively looking for more opportunities to become involved.
Tyler Avery is building Avery PROVIDED PHOTO
When Tyler Avery looks at an electrical project, he sees more than wires, panels and permits. He sees a homeowner trying to make a major investment in a house. He sees a family trying to bring an older property up to modern standards. And, sometimes, he sees someone who simply needs the work done without wondering whether they can afford the final bill. That is part of what led Tyler, a lifelong Cheshire resident, to start Avery Electric. He says he doesn’t want to see people being taken advantage of or spending more than they need to on electrical work. “There’s no reason for everybody in the Berkshires to be put up to the same standard as these giant commercial places that can afford it,” Tyler says. So he decided to build something of his own. Avery Electric may be a new name in the Berkshires, but Tyler Avery has been building his experience in the electrical trade since before high school. His great-grandfather and uncle both worked in the
Electric with a local-first approach industry, and his uncle eventually helped bring him into the trade. Tyler studied electrical technology at McCann Technical School and earned his journeyman license at 21. By 24, he had earned his master electrician’s license. At 25, he added his electrical contractor’s business license. He is also Generac certified as of 2025. That early start gave Tyler years to learn the trade before opening a business of his own. Today, Avery Electric handles everything from residential panel and service upgrades to more complicated installations. Tyler says he takes the time to understand what a customer needs now and what they may need years down the road, then sizes the electrical system accordingly. For larger projects, that planning can become considerably more involved. Tyler has developed a network of subcontractors, including gas fitters, plumbers and excavators, particularly for new homes and any scale remodel of existing homes, as well as projects involving generators and complex underground electri-
cal work. Rather than asking homeowners to coordinate several different companies, he manages the process himself. The idea is to streamline everything through one point of contact — he coordinates the work, billing and scheduling among the different trades so the customer can focus on the project rather than keeping track of everyone working on it. That same approach applies to electrical service upgrades, one of the company’s specialties. Tyler plans ahead with customers and coordinates with utility companies to minimize the amount of time a home is without power. His goal is to make sure the work gets completed and the electricity comes back on when promised. For homeowners planning renovations, Tyler recommends bringing an electrician into the conversation early. Kitchen renovations, additions and other major projects can all have electrical implications, and early planning can prevent problems later. Tyler’s family has roots
For homeowners and businesses, though, perhaps the most important part of that philosophy comes down to something much simpler: being reachable. Tyler says customers shouldn’t have to chase him down. If he misses a call, he gets back to them as soon as possible. Customers can communicate by phone, text or email, while a customer portal allows them to review projects, accept estimates, ask questions and make payments online. There is still a place for paper and face-to-face conversations, too. “We can do everything in person,” Tyler says. For anyone looking into electrical work for a house or business, Tyler says the first step is simply to get in touch and talk through the project. Avery Electric can be reached by phone, text or email or through the company’s website at averyelectric413.com. For a new business trying to establish itself in the Berkshires, that may be the most important thing Tyler wants people to remember. Behind the trucks, equipment and electrical licenses is a local contractor who grew up here and decided to build his business here. The name may be new, but the connection to the community isn’t.
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
Teaching your house to age with you When you’re 25, you buy the couch because it was cheap. When you’re 35, you start wondering where you’re supposed to put all the stuff you’ve accumulated since you were 25. By 45, you’re suddenly very interested in storage. And by 75, you’re looking at the staircase with an entirely different set of questions. Our homes tend to change as we do, but we don’t always build them with that in mind. We decorate for the life we’re living right now and assume we’ll figure out the rest later. That works for a while. Then “later” arrives, and suddenly the house you loved in your 30s doesn’t work quite as well for the person you are in your 60s. It doesn’t mean you need to turn your home into a hospital before you’ve reached retirement age, but there are plenty of changes you can make now that will make your home easier to live in later without making it feel like you’re preparing for old age. START WITH THE FLOOR PLAN. Open spaces can be useful, but what matters more over
time is whether you can move through your home easily. Wide, unobstructed pathways are easier to navigate with a stroller, a laundry basket, a vacuum cleaner or, eventually, a walker. Removing unnecessary thresholds and keeping floors free of clutter can make a house more comfortable for everyone.
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LIGHTING BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT, TOO. A dark staircase might seem like a minor annoyance when you’re 30. Years later, your eyes may not adjust to low light quite as easily. Good overhead lighting, lamps in darker corners and motion-activated lights along
stairs and hallways can make a home safer without changing its character. THE SAME GOES FOR BATHROOMS. A curbless shower is easier to enter than a tub, and handheld showerheads can be useful for people of almost any age. Blocking walls
8 | Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 during a renovation so grab bars can be installed later is another relatively simple decision that can save a much larger project down the road. You don’t even have to install the grab bars now — just give your future self somewhere to put them. KITCHENS DESERVE THE SAME KIND OF THINKING. Deep cabinets look great until you’re on your knees trying to reach the crockpot you haven’t used since the Nixon administration. Pullout shelves, drawers instead of lower cabinets and storage that keeps frequently used items within easy reach can make a kitchen more functional now and easier to use later. AND THEN THERE’S THE QUESTION OF BEDROOMS. A first-floor bedroom can be valuable for more reasons than you might expect. Maybe it’s a guest room today. Maybe it’s a home office.
Maybe it’s where a teenager sleeps while they’re home from college. Years from now, it could become the bedroom you use every day if stairs become difficult. That’s the trick with designing a house for the future. You don’t have to know exactly what the future looks like, you just have to leave yourself options. This is especially important when making major renovations. If you’re replacing flooring, think about slip resistance. If you’re remodeling a bathroom, consider how someone with limited mobility would use it. If you’re replacing doors, wider openings can make moving furniture easier today and accommodate mobility equipment later. If you’re finishing a basement or attic, think about how you’ll actually get there and whether that space will still be useful if climbing stairs becomes difficult.
Saturday, September 19, 2026 Even something as simple as choosing lever-style door handles instead of knobs can make life easier for someone whose hands have become less dexterous. AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE OUTSIDE. A few stairs leading to a front door may not seem like much when you’re carrying groceries. They can become a very different obstacle when you’re using a cane. Handrails on both sides of a staircase, a well-lit walkway and a relatively level entrance can make a home easier to navigate without making it look institutional. None of this means your house needs to anticipate every possible problem. Homes are allowed to be homes. You can still have the beautiful staircase. You can still buy the weird chair you’ve always wanted. You can still put the good china in the cabinet where nobody can reach it.
The point is simply to think a few decades ahead when you’re already making changes that will last that long. Because that’s the strange thing about a house: it can stay almost exactly the same while the person living inside it changes completely. The kitchen where you once struggled to make your first meal might eventually become the place where you teach your grandchildren to cook. The spare bedroom that held visiting friends might someday become your office, your bedroom or a space for someone else in the family. The staircase you’ve run up a thousand times may eventually require a handrail you once thought unnecessary. Your house doesn’t have to grow old with you, it just needs to be willing to change when you do.
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Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 9
www.berkshireeagle.com/homeexpo
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METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
www.berkshireeagle.com/homeexpo The modern home is a moving target. Here’s where to start! A home improvement project has a funny way of getting bigger.
an event like the Berkshire Eagle Fall Home Improvement Expo useful.
Replace the windows, and suddenly you’re thinking about insulation. Upgrade the electrical panel, and you start wondering what else the house could handle. Add solar panels, and batteries, EV charging and heating suddenly enter the conversation.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 4 - 7 p.m. at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Great Barrington will bring together contractors, designers, suppliers and other home improvement professionals for an evening centered around the places people live and the work it takes to keep them functioning well.
One project leads to another because everything in a house is connected. That’s one of the things that makes home improvement so complicated. It’s also what makes
Consider what happens when a homeowner starts looking at the house through
the lens of energy efficiency. Among the event sponsors is Avery Electric, a local licensed electrical contractor that works on everything from residential electrical panels to larger infrastructure installations. For a homeowner looking to add new technology or increase the electrical demands of a house, that infrastructure can become an important part of the conversation. Another event sponsor, Renewal by Andersen, focuses on windows and doors. Replacing those exterior fea-
tures can change the look of a home, but it can also address drafts and energy loss, making the building envelope an important consideration for homeowners thinking about comfort and efficiency. Then there’s ReVision Energy, an employee-owned renewable energy contractor that designs and installs clean energy systems. Its work includes solar power, battery storage, EV charging stations and heat pump systems, bringing several pieces of the home electrification puzzle together.
Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 11
Saturday, September 19, 2026 Different companies. Different specialties. But increasingly, the work overlaps. A home that produces its own electricity still needs an electrical system capable of handling it. A homeowner thinking about electrification may also start looking at insulation and windows. Someone considering an EV charger might discover that the electrical panel is the first thing that needs attention. That same interconnectedness runs through the rest of the expo. There are companies focused on the parts of a property that are easy to overlook until something goes wrong. ADK Basements works on basements and foundations. Rocky Ridge Excavation and Rilla Con-
work, stream, communicate and manage their homes.
tracting handle site preparation, excavation and grading, the kind of work that often happens before the more visible parts of a project can begin.
edge slabs. Homestead and Mattress Warehouse move the conversation indoors, toward furnishings, bedding and the everyday things that make a space comfortable.
Then there are the projects people notice immediately. DC Painting and Fresh Start Painters can change the character of a room with a fresh coat of paint. Sondrini, Vista Home and Yankee Home represent larger exterior and remodeling projects that can change how a house looks and functions.
Design has its place, too. Bay Area Design and All That Matters represent the planning and aesthetic side of home improvement, where the question isn’t necessarily what needs fixing, but what the homeowner wants the space to become.
Figuring out where to begin can be half the battle. The Berkshire Eagle Fall Home Improvement Expo offers a chance to have those conversations in one place, whether the goal is a major renovation, a smaller repair, better energy efficiency or simply a few ideas for what could come next.
Even the internet has become part of the equation. Fiber Connect and Gateway Fiber represent a piece of home infrastructure that would have seemed almost incidental a generation ago. Today, reliable connectivity is part of how many people
Admission is free, and ticket holders will also be entered for a raffle prize. The expo takes place on Thursday, Sept. 24, 4 – 7 p.m., at Berkshire South Regional Community Center (15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington).
And then there are the things that make a house feel like home. Herrington’s provides lumber and construction supplies, while also offering custom architectural woodwork and live-
CHECK OUT THE VENDORS AT THURSDAY’S HOME IMPROVEMENT EXPO! EVENT SPONSORS AVERY ELECTRIC Cheshire, MA 413-663-0359 averyelectric413.com
RENEWAL BY ANDERSON 30 Forbes Rd., Northborough, MA 833-998-2635 renewalbyandersen.com
REVISION ENERGY 66 Westfield Industrial Park Rd., Westfield, MA 413-884-1000 revisionenergy.com
EVENT VENDORS ADIRONDACK BASEMENT SYSTEMS 518-348-5767 adirondackbasement.com
ALL THAT MATTERS 56 Spring St #583, Williamstown, MA 203-917-2052 allthatmattersorganizing.com
BAY AREA DESIGN OF THE BERKSHIRES
HOMESTEAD RENOVATIONS & DESIGN, LLC.
55 Lenore Dr., Hinsdale, MA 413-655-8293
Lanesborough, MA 518-231-0879 homesteadma.com
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FIBER CONNECT 29 Pumpkin Hollow Rd., Bldg #17, Great Barrington, MA 413-429-4109 bfcma.com
FRESH START PAINTERS
336 Stockbridge Rd., Great Barrington, MA 413-644-9094 mattresswarehouse.com
RILLA CONTRACTING 336 Stockbridge Rd., Becket, MA 413-358-3304 rillacontracting.com
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SONDRINI ENTERPRISES 343 Pecks Rd.,Pittsfield, MA 413-443-0219 sondrini.com
STRONG OAK LANDSCAPING
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THERMO EXPERT 1396 North St., Pittsfield, MA 413-443-2099 thermoexp.com
TORRICO ELECTRIC Sheffield, MA 413-528-0010 torricoelectric.com
VALLEY SOLAR
116 Pleasant St., Ste. 321, Easthampton, MA 413-344-2203 valleysolar.solar
VISTA HOME IMPROVEMENT
Greater MA & CT 413-553-1649 vistahomeimprovement.com
YANKEE HOME IMPROVEMENT
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
Winterize your home as cold weather approaches It’s not uncommon to spend a lot of time out of the house when the weather outside is warm. The popularity of outdoor living spaces has made it easier than ever to enjoy nature without leaving home, which can generally be done from late spring to mid-fall each year in many regions. But as fall creeps toward winter and temperatures drop, it’s time to head back indoors. As millions prepare to go back inside with winter approaching, it can be beneficial to winterize a home so interior spaces are more comfortable and exterior spaces are better able to withstand potentially harsh winter weather. CHECK YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS Fall is a great season to open the windows in many regions that feature prototypical autumn air. But the crisp air of fall will eventually give way to much colder air, at which time the windows will be closed and likely remain shut for months to come. The Minnesota Department of Health notes that carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that cannot be detected by the senses. When windows remain closed for long periods of time, such as in winter, the buildup of CO, which can come from sources like water heaters, gas stoves, fireplaces, and clothes dryers, can poison residents
over time. CO detectors are a safety net against such a fate, but they must be operating at peak capacity in order to be effective. As fall winds down, check all CO detectors to make sure they’re working properly and replace any that are not. CHECK FOR DRAFTS Check around windows and doors throughout the home to see if there are any gaps that are allowing air from outside to enter the home. If daytime temperatures are mild well into the fall, then it can be difficult to see if there are any drafts before the sun goes down. Conduct this check in the evenings when temperatures are a little more chilly and leaks are easier to detect. If drafts are detected, apply weather stripping around doors and windows that do not require replacement. If there’s drafts around aging windows and doors, consider replacing them.
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METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
substance creosote, which forms when wood is burned in a fireplace, can build up and harden over time. That’s a dangerous prospect, as creosote is highly flammable, which can lead to chimney fires. Creosote also can block the flow of air through a chimney, and that can trap gasses, including CO, in a home. REVERSE YOUR FANS It’s a simple step but one people may not even realize they can make. In homes with ceiling fans, residents can reverse the fans so the blades spin clockwise. This simple step pushes trapped warm air hovering around the ceiling into the living space below. This can make interiors warmer without
requiring residents to turn up the thermostat and increase their energy bill. REPLACE YOUR HVAC AIR FILTER Replacing the air filter on your HVAC prior to winter can make the unit operate more efficiently, which can help reduce your wintertime energy bill. Replacing the filter prior to winter also improves indoor air quality, which is a notable benefit during a time of year when the windows typically remain closed for months. Winterizing a home is not a significant undertaking, but it can be very effective at making homes healthier and more comfortable once windows are closed for the season.
CALL A CHIMNEY SWEEPING SERVICE Cozying up beside a fire can make anyone forget the cold weather outside. But fireplaces should be subjected to a thorough cleaning by a skilled professional before each winter. Animals might have nested in the chimney since the fireplace was last used, and you will want any nests cleared prior to lighting your first fire of the season. In addition, the tar-like
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14 | Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Green Living Is going green always more expensive? HOME IMPROVEMENT JOURNAL
There is a certain image that comes to mind when someone says they want to make their house more energy efficient: Solar panels covering the roof. A heat pump humming outside. Triple-pane windows. Some kind of futuristic thermostat that apparently requires an engineering degree to operate. And somewhere in the background, a receipt long enough to qualify as a scarf. GOING GREEN CAN GET EXPENSIVE, BUT IT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE. In fact, one of the first steps homeowners can take toward a more energy-efficient house may be considerably less glamorous: an energy audit. An energy audit is essentially a checkup for your house. A professional looks at how the home uses energy and where it may be losing it. That can include insulation, air leaks, heating and cooling equipment, windows, ap-
pliances and other parts of the building envelope. The important part is that you’re finding out what the house actually needs before spending thousands of dollars trying to fix it. That’s an easy step to overlook. It’s tempting to see a drafty window and decide you need new windows. You feel the basement getting cold and assume you need more insulation. Your heating bill climbs and suddenly you’re shopping for a new furnace. Sometimes those are the right solutions, sometimes they’re not. An energy audit can help identify where the biggest problems actually are, which means homeowners can prioritize improvements instead of turning the entire house into a renovation project. And depending on where you live and which programs you qualify for, an au-
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dit may be free or available at a significantly reduced cost through utility or state energy-efficiency programs. Massachusetts homeowners, in particular, have access to programs through Mass Save that can provide energy assessments and incentives for eligible improvements. That’s where the economics of “going green” become more interesting. Some improvements require a sub-
stantial upfront investment but can reduce energy costs over time. Others are remarkably inexpensive. Weatherstripping around doors. Caulking gaps. Replacing old incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Installing a programmable or smart thermostat. Adding insulation where it’s missing. Sealing obvious air leaks. None of these require solar panels. Some don’t even require a contractor.
Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 15
Saturday, September 19, 2026 THEN THERE ARE THE BIGGER PROJECTS.
THIS IS ANOTHER REASON THE AUDIT MATTERS.
but it uses considerably less electricity than a dryer.
Replacing an aging heating system with a more efficient model can be expensive, but heating and cooling account for a significant portion of household energy use. The same is true of insulation. Spending money to keep heated or cooled air inside the house can sometimes make more financial sense than buying equipment designed to produce more of it.
Instead of asking, “What’s the greenest thing I can buy?” Ask: “What’s the biggest energy problem in my house?”
And sometimes the greenest decision is simply to keep what you already have. Replacing a perfectly functional kitchen because the new one has “eco-friendly” cabinets isn’t necessarily an environmental victory. Repairing furniture, refinishing hardwood floors, buying used materials and shopping places such as Habitat for Humanity ReStores can keep usable materials out of landfills while saving money.
Windows are a particularly interesting example. We’ve been conditioned to think that replacing old windows makes a house more energy efficient. Sometimes it does. But replacing every window in a home can be a costly expense, and depending on the condition of the existing windows, other improvements may provide a better return.
A homeowner might discover that the biggest problem isn’t the windows at all. It could be inadequate attic insulation, air leakage around recessed lights, an inefficient heating system or a duct system losing conditioned air. THE SAME PHILOSOPHY APPLIES OUTSIDE. Planting deciduous trees in strategic locations can eventually provide shade during summer while allowing sunlight through during winter. Native landscaping can require less irrigation once established. A clothesline is about as technologically advanced as a stick,
This is where being environmentally conscious and being budget-conscious can actually overlap. You don’t have to do everything at once — in fact, you probably shouldn’t. Start with the audit. Find out where your house is wasting energy. Fix the inexpensive problems first.
Then look at the larger investments and determine which ones make financial sense for your home. Maybe that eventually means solar panels. Maybe it means a heat pump. Maybe it means adding insulation to an attic that has been quietly leaking expensive heated air into the Massachusetts sky for the past 30 years. Or maybe the biggest improvement costs $12 worth of weatherstripping and an afternoon with a caulk gun. Going green doesn’t have to mean buying the newest technology or spending the most money. Sometimes it means understanding your house well enough to stop wasting what you’ve already paid for. And honestly, that’s probably a good rule for home improvement in general.
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
Green Living Is the air inside your home dirtier than the air outside? HOME IMPROVEMENT JOURNAL
There is something comforting about closing the windows at the end of the day. Whatever is happening outside can stay outside. The pollen. The traffic. The neighbors mowing their lawns. That mysterious smell coming from somewhere down the street. Inside, everything feels controlled — except it isn’t. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air can contain higher concentrations of some pollutants than outdoor air. In studies cited by the EPA, levels of several common organic pollutants were found to be two to five times higher inside homes than outside. That’s a strange thought… We’re constantly told to worry about air pollution outside, but your house can create plenty of its own.
Cooking produces particles and gases. Cleaning products release chemicals. Paint, furniture and building materials can emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Dust accumulates. Moisture creates conditions where mold can grow. Fuel-burning appliances can introduce combustion pollutants. Radon can enter from the soil beneath a home. Even something as ordinary as taking a shower can affect the air in your house. Without adequate ventilation, all that moisture has nowhere to go. And then there are the things you can’t see. That’s what makes indoor air quality particularly tricky. You can’t necessarily look around a room and determine whether the air is healthy. A spotless living room can still have poor ventilation. A house that smells perfectly normal can still have elevated radon. A
basement that looks dry can still have humidity levels high enough to encourage mold.
reducing or eliminating that source is generally more effective than trying to filter everything out afterward.
The good news is that improving indoor air quality doesn’t necessarily require turning your home into a laboratory. In fact, the EPA’s first recommendation is surprisingly simple: deal with the source.
Cooking is a good example. Use your range hood when cooking, particularly when frying or searing food, and make sure it actually vents outdoors if possible. Bathroom fans should also exhaust outdoors rather than simply blowing moist air into an attic or another part of the house. Ventila-
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Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 17
Saturday, September 19, 2026 tion matters because houses can become surprisingly good at trapping whatever happens inside them.
priately sized for the room and operated long enough to actually move enough air through its filter.
Opening windows when outdoor conditions are favorable can help exchange indoor air for outdoor air. That isn’t always practical in the middle of winter, during a humid summer day or when outdoor air quality is poor, but when the weather cooperates, fresh air really can make a difference.
Moisture deserves its own attention. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity around 30% to 50%. Higher humidity can increase the likelihood of mold and can contribute to other indoor air problems. A small hygrometer from a hardware store can tell you more about your house than your nose can.
This is also where the modern energy-efficient home presents an interesting challenge. We want houses to be tightly sealed so heated and cooled air doesn’t escape. That’s good for energy efficiency. But a tightly sealed home still needs controlled ventilation. Modern ventilation systems can bring in outdoor air while limiting energy losses, which becomes particularly useful in newer or heavily weatherized homes. Then there’s filtration. Changing the filter in your HVAC system is one of those chores that is incredibly easy to forget until someone asks when you last did it. If you’re not sure, check the manufacturer’s recommendations for your system and filter. Some homes can accommodate higher-efficiency filters, while others cannot. The EPA notes that portable air cleaners and HVAC filtration can reduce airborne particles, but filtration works best as a supplement to source control and ventilation rather than as a substitute for them. A portable air purifier can also make sense in rooms where people spend a lot of time, particularly bedrooms or living areas. But buying the biggest, most expensive purifier you can find isn’t necessarily the answer. The device needs to be appro-
And if you’re a homeowner in the Northeast, there’s one invisible guest worth testing for: radon. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can enter homes from the soil. You can’t see it. You can’t smell it. You can’t taste it. The only way to know whether it’s present at elevated levels is to test. That sounds intimidating, but the larger lesson is actually reassuring. You don’t need to become obsessed with every molecule floating around your house; you just need to pay attention. Change the HVAC filter. Use the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Keep an eye on humidity. Fix leaks before they become mold problems. Store chemicals and paints properly. Ventilate when using products that release fumes. Test for radon. If something smells strange, looks damp or seems to be making people uncomfortable, don’t simply get used to it. We tend to think of home as the place where we escape everything outside, but your house has an atmosphere of its own. And sometimes the cleanest-looking room isn’t necessarily the cleanest air. The good news is that you don’t need to see the air to take better care of it.
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Saturday, September 19, 2026 WHAT ABOUT PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS?
or summer after periods of rain.
Individuals who receive their water from a private system, such as a household well, are responsible for conducting their own water supply testing. These tests should be conducted annually and in the aftermath of a spill or other incident that could taint the water supply.
An eye, taste and/or smell test also can indicate if the water supply should be tested. Water that stains, has an unusual taste and/or a conspicuous odor should be tested. In these instances, test for sulfate, chloride, iron, manganese, hardness and corrosion.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES TO TEST THE WATER?
When should you test your home water supply? METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
Water quality is not something people think about all that much, especially in developed nations. Though it can be easy to take water quality for granted in countries with ample regulation and sophisticated filtering systems, there are times when anyone, regardless of where they live, should take stock of the water in their homes. FREQUENCY OF TESTING One of the variables for individuals to consider is how long it’s been since they last tested the water quality in their homes. For those who have never done so, those who have done it but can’t recall precisely when or those who know it’s been more than a year since the last test, then it’s a good time to test the water. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends annual testing for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH levels.
The EPA notes that certain situations may call for testing the water supply, even if it’s provided by a public supply system. For example, the EPA recommends that expecting parents test their water supply for nitrates in the early months of a pregnancy. Testing should then be conducted again prior to bringing an infant home and once more during the first six months of the baby’s life. The EPA notes nitrate tests are best conducted in spring
A local chemical or fuel spill also should trigger a test of the water supply. The EPA notes that these tests can be expensive and recommends individuals contact a local expert to determine which contaminants to test for. Water quality is easily taken for granted. However, various scenarios may necessitate testing the water supply. A local health department office can be a useful resource for individuals who want to confirm that their water supply is safe.
The EPA notes this testing is especially important for anyone who is using a new well or has replaced or repaired pipes, pumps or the well casing. WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS? Testing may not be necessary for individuals who get their water from public water supplies. The EPA notes that anyone who pays a water bill gets their water from a public supply system, which is responsible for monitoring and testing water and reporting the results of those tests to the appropriate agencies as well as the individuals who use the water. Homeowners and tenants who pay a water bill should receive an annual water quality report from their water supply utility, while renters can request a copy of that report from their landlords if they do not pay the bill themselves.
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Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026 | 19
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20 | Home Improvement Journal - Fall 2026
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