A private well receives no utility monitoring, so the testing schedule belongs entirely to the owner, and the EPA’s baseline is annual. The lab kits that do this job well in 2026 run from $199 to $699 depending on how far past the basics you want to see, with the widest gap between kits that stop at metals and chemistry and kits that add PFAS. This guide compares the leading options, prices the whole job, and maps each kit to the situation it fits.
What Should You Test Well Water For, and How Often?
The EPA’s guidance for private well owners sets the floor:
- Every year: a baseline that includes nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH.
- More often if small children, elderly adults, or someone pregnant or nursing lives in the house.
- Immediately after flooding, nearby land disturbance, well repairs, or any change in taste, odor, or color.
Metals such as arsenic, lead, and uranium, and regional risks such as PFAS near industrial or military sites, sit on top of that baseline. Which additions matter for your well depends on local geology and land use, which is why the kits below differ mainly in how wide their panels go.
The Kits, Compared
A note on where this guide comes from: KELP is our own lab-testing service. Specifications and prices below come from each provider’s published pages, checked on August 20, 2026, and the recommendations are organized by situation rather than by brand.
General Well Panels
| Kit | Price | Panel | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| KETOS KELP Real Estate Well Water | $199 | 10 metals (lead, copper, arsenic, iron, manganese, chromium, barium, beryllium, cadmium, selenium), alkalinity, hardness, TDS, fluoride, nitrates, nitrite, sulfate, chloride | 5 to 7 business days |
| Tap Score Essential Well Water Test | $209 | 54 analytes across general properties, 8 inorganics, 25 metals, and minerals | About 5 business days at the lab |
| Tap Score Advanced Well Water Test | $399 | 114 analytes: adds 44 volatile organic compounds to the Essential panel | About 5 business days at the lab |
| DIY test strips | $15 to $40 | Rough color-change screening for a handful of parameters | Minutes; screening only, no lab report |
Well Panels That Include PFAS, One Sample
| Kit | Price | PFAS compounds | Also from the same sample | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KETOS KELP Home Safety Screen | $549 | 18 | Heavy metals (lead, copper, arsenic, chromium, manganese, selenium), hardness, TDS, sulfate, chloride, orthophosphates | 5 to 7 business days |
| KETOS KELP Ultimate Water Safety Suite | $699 | 25 | Full toxic metals suite including mercury, nickel, cadmium, beryllium, antimony, plus total alkalinity | 5 to 7 business days |
All KELP packages run EPA-certified methods with prepaid return shipping and a plain-English digital report.
Matching the Scope: What the Whole Job Costs
PFAS is where the categories separate. Private wells fall outside every utility monitoring program, and wells near industrial sites, airfields, and military bases carry documented elevated PFAS risk. Reaching PFAS coverage with a general-panel vendor means a second kit: Tap Score’s $209 Essential Well test plus their $335 PFAS panel totals $544 across two kits and two sampling sessions, against $549 for KELP Home Safety from one sample in 5 to 7 days. At the broad end, Tap Score’s Advanced Well test plus their $599 GenX and PFAS panel totals $998, against $699 for KELP Ultimate. Kit prices from each provider’s published pages, August 20, 2026.
Concerned about contaminants in your water?
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Order a Water Test →How to Choose a Well Water Test Kit
- Buying or selling a home on a well? A focused metals-and-chemistry panel with a fast, readable report covers what the transaction needs: KELP Real Estate at $199. Ask your lender early which parameters they require.
- Setting an annual baseline? The EPA’s yearly list plus your region’s metals: either the KELP Real Estate panel or Tap Score’s Essential Well test covers it.
- Suspect solvents or fuel nearby? Volatile organic compounds need a panel that includes them; Tap Score’s $399 Advanced Well test carries 44 VOCs.
- Near industry, an airfield, or a military site, or simply want zero blind spots? PFAS belongs in the panel. KELP Home Safety at $549 or Ultimate at $699 covers PFAS, metals, and chemistry from one sample; check your area’s PFAS record to gauge the urgency, and our PFAS kit comparison goes deeper on those options.
Ready to know what your well is serving? Order a KETOS KELP well water test and get your results in 5 to 7 business days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a well water test kit cost?
Laboratory well water kits cost $199 to $699 in 2026. General metals-and-chemistry panels run $199 to $399; panels that add PFAS run $549 to $699. DIY strips cost $15 to $40 but provide rough screening rather than lab measurements.
What should well water be tested for every year?
The EPA’s annual private-well checklist includes nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH, with additional testing after flooding, land disturbance, well repairs, or any change in taste, odor, or color. Households with small children, elderly adults, or someone pregnant should test more often.
Which well water test kit covers PFAS?
Most general well panels stop at metals and chemistry. KETOS KELP’s Home Safety Screen ($549, 18 PFAS compounds) and Ultimate Water Safety Suite ($699, 25 compounds) run PFAS and the metals panel from one sample; pairing a general-panel vendor’s well kit with their separate PFAS test reaches similar coverage at $544 to $998 across two kits.
Sources: EPA, “Protect Your Home’s Water” (private wells guidance); provider specifications and prices from ketos.co and mytapscore.com, checked August 20, 2026.
