Unpacked boxes, electricity contract opened, home insurance purchased... When moving into a new home, the list of things to check is long. Yet, one element used from the very first hours often goes under the radar: tap water.
From one town to another, and sometimes even between two nearby areas, its characteristics can change. Much harder water can quickly leave traces on equipment. Monitoring certain contaminants, such as PFAS, can also vary depending on the resources that supply the territory. And in an old building, internal pipes can influence the quality of the water that actually reaches the tap.
The start of the school year and the September moves are therefore a good opportunity to take a quick "inventory of the water." Here is how to check the quality of the water in your new home without relying solely on its taste or appearance.
First step: consult the official analyses of your municipality's water
Before buying a test or a filtration system, start with what already exists.
In France, tap water is subject to permanent health monitoring. Health checks are carried out by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and the results are public.
The official website of the ministry in charge of Health allows you to consult the results municipality by municipality. Simply select your region, your department, and then your municipality to access the bulletin corresponding to the distributed water.
You can notably find a health conclusion indicating whether the water meets the applicable quality requirements, as well as the results of the parameters analyzed during the sampling.
This information can also be obtained from the town hall. A summary of water quality is also attached to the water bill each year. If you are a tenant and do not receive this bill directly, you can request this information from your landlord or the property manager.
This is therefore the first reflex to adopt after a move: search for the official bulletin corresponding to your new municipality and your distribution network.
Be careful, however: this data informs you mainly about the water distributed. It does not always allow you to know what is happening in the last few meters of piping inside your building or house. We will come back to this, notably for lead.
Limescale: how to know the hardness of the water in your new home?
This is often the first difference noticed after a move.
The kettle turns white much faster. Traces appear on the shower screen. Faucets become encrusted with scale. Conversely, water that seemed very hard in the old home suddenly leaves much fewer deposits.
This difference corresponds in particular to the water hardness, also called hydrotimetric titre or TH.
Hardness mainly reflects the water's calcium and magnesium content. It depends largely on the geology of the land the water passes through before being collected.
It is expressed in French degrees (°f). For information:
- less than 8 °f: very soft water;
- from 8 to less than 15 °f: soft water;
- from 15 to less than 30 °f: moderately hard water;
- 30 °f and more: very hard water.
Hard water is not synonymous with polluted water. It simply contains more calcium and magnesium. Its main impact is domestic: limescale deposits, scaling of appliances producing hot water, and traces on surfaces.
This is an important distinction when you are thinking about water treatment. Limescale and contaminants are two different issues.
A softener, for example, is designed to act on hardness. A filtration system targeting contaminants like certain PFAS, pesticides, or heavy metals meets another objective.
After a move, knowing the TH therefore mainly allows you to anticipate the behavior of the water with your water heater, your washing machine, your kettle, and your sanitary equipment.
PFAS: how to know if the water in your new home is affected?
PFAS have become one of the main news topics regarding water quality.
These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances constitute a vast family of chemical compounds used in many sectors for their non-stick, waterproofing, or high-temperature-resistant properties. Their very high persistence in the environment earns them the nickname "forever chemicals."
They can reach water resources through various channels, notably certain industrial discharges, wastewater, or the historical use of products containing these substances.
Since January 2026, an important change has been implemented: testing for a list of 20 PFAS is now mandatory as part of the health monitoring of water intended for human consumption carried out by the ARS.
The regulatory quality limit concerns the sum of these 20 substances and is set at 0.1 µg/L.
For an individual who is moving, the process is therefore similar to that used for other parameters: consult the data available for the network that supplies their new home.
The French Ministry of Health also provides national data to visualize PFAS monitoring results.
However, this information must be interpreted carefully. The absence of a particular PFAS in a result does not mean that the water has been analyzed for the thousands of substances belonging to this family. The current regulatory framework is based in particular on the sum of a defined list of 20 PFAS.
To know how to perform this check step by step, see our article Tap water and PFAS: how to know if your water is affected?.
If the analyses in your area highlight a problem related to PFAS and you wish to take action directly at the scale of your home, FLX Water also offers a centralized filtration solution. The FLX Compact combines hollow fibers, electro-adsorption, and activated carbon to reduce, among other things, PFAS as well as other contaminants present in the water.
Lead: why does the home address matter as much as the municipality?
Lead is a different case.
Unlike certain contaminants that can be present in the water resource, the lead measured at the tap can come from the distribution network or the building's internal installations.
It is therefore a particularly interesting parameter to check when you move into an old home.
French regulations currently set a quality limit of 10 µg/L at the consumer's tap. A value of less than 5 µg/L should be targeted by January 1, 2036.
The presence of lead can be linked to old elements of the network. The time the water remains in contact with these materials can also influence the concentration measured at the tap.
This explains why your municipality's water quality bulletin does not necessarily answer the whole question.
Two homes supplied by the same water can have different internal networks. A recent house and an apartment located in an old building can therefore present different situations at the point of use.
If you are moving into an old home and have doubts about the pipes, inquire with the landlord, the previous occupant, or the property manager about the nature of the network and any work carried out.
In case of suspicion, an analysis performed directly at the home's tap provides information that is much more relevant than a simple visual test.
And above all, do not try to identify lead by the taste or color of the water: its presence cannot be determined in this way.
If the presence of lead is confirmed, the priority remains to identify the origin of the problem and to intervene on the internal network when it is at fault. Filtration can be a complementary treatment adapted to certain contaminants, but it should not replace the renovation of damaged pipes.
Taste, smell, color: can you trust your senses?
When you move to a new city, it is common to find that "the water doesn't taste the same."
This impression may be real. The resource used, its mineralization, and the treatments applied can vary from one network to another.
But taste and appearance do not constitute a quality analysis.
Perfectly transparent water can contain certain invisible substances with no perceptible taste. Conversely, a difference in taste does not automatically mean that the water poses a health risk.
It is precisely for this reason that it is better to rely on the results of health monitoring rather than on your feelings.
If, however, you notice an unusual and persistent change in color, smell, or taste after moving in, you can contact the water service, the landlord, or the property manager to search for the origin.
An anomaly present only in your home or on a single tap can specifically direct research towards the internal installation.
When the problem concerns mainly taste, odors, or certain contaminants present in the distributed water, a filtration solution can also be considered. At FLX Water, the FLX Compact is designed to filter water at the main entry point of the home in order to act on all the water points in the house.
Old house: should you have the tap water analyzed directly?
It is not necessary in every home.
The official results already constitute a significant source of information on the distributed water. But an individual analysis can be relevant when there is a doubt concerning the internal network or a specific parameter.
For example:
- you are moving into an old building and do not know the nature of the pipes;
- the home has remained unoccupied for a long period;
- you notice a persistent anomaly of color, taste, or smell;
- you use a private resource, such as a well or a borehole;
- you wish to search precisely for a contaminant that does not appear in the latest available data for your area.
In this case, it is better to select the parameters to search for according to your situation rather than buying a multitude of domestic tests at random.
For a search for contaminants requiring a precise measurement, using a laboratory allows you to obtain a quantified and interpretable result.
The water checklist to do after moving
No need to turn your move into a health audit. A few checks already allow you to better know your new water.
- Consult your municipality's official bulletin. Check the health conclusion and look at the main parameters analyzed.
- Search for the water hardness. The TH will tell you if you are arriving in an area where the water is rather soft or very hard.
- Look at the available data on PFAS. Since 2026, the 20 regulatory PFAS are part of the mandatory health monitoring.
- Inquire about the age of the building. In an old home, try to know the nature and history of the pipes.
- Observe the different taps. An anomaly present on a single water point can have a very local origin.
- Have the water analyzed in case of specific doubt. A measurement directly at the tap may be necessary for certain parameters related to the internal network.
This approach mainly makes it possible to avoid a common mistake: choosing a treatment solution before even knowing which problem you are trying to solve.
Should you filter the water in your new home?
Not systematically. At FLX Water, we recommend first understanding the quality of the water and identifying the issue before choosing a treatment solution.
If your problem concerns only limescale, you should look into treating hardness. If you wish to improve only the water intended for drinking, a point-of-use system may be sufficient.
Conversely, if your goal is to reduce certain contaminants like PFAS, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, or heavy metals, or to improve the taste and odors of the water throughout the house, centralized filtration may be more suitable.
This is the principle of the FLX Compact, developed by FLX Water. Installed on the main water inlet, it treats the water before it is distributed to the various water points in the home.
Its system combines filtration by hollow fibers calibrated to 0.1 µm, an electro-adsorption mechanism allowing particles smaller than that to be captured, as well as an activated carbon step. It works using the network pressure, without electricity or the addition of chemical products.
The FLX Compact is intended for network water. It replaces neither water health monitoring nor the work necessary when a problem comes directly from the home's pipes.
We detail the differences between the main technologies in our guide What is the best system for filtering the water for the whole house?.
A new home, a new water to know
When moving, we think about checking the insulation, heating, electricity, or even the internet connection. Water also deserves a few minutes of attention.
The process is relatively simple: start with the official data for your municipality, look at the water hardness and the results regarding the contaminants that interest you, then look into the internal network if the home is old.
The most important thing is, above all, not to confuse the issues. Hard water is not necessarily poor-quality water. A compliant bulletin at the network level does not always inform you about an old pipe inside a building. And clear water does not allow the presence of invisible contaminants to be excluded.
At FLX Water, our approach remains the same: before trying to treat your water, you must start by understanding it. A move is therefore a good opportunity to consult the available data, identify potential problems, and, if necessary, choose an adapted solution.
Frequent questions
How can I know the water quality of my new home?
Start by consulting the results of the health monitoring published for your municipality by the ministry in charge of Health. You can also request the information from your town hall, your landlord, or your property manager.
How do I know if my water is hard?
Consult its hardness or hydrotimetric titre (TH), expressed in French degrees. From 30 °f, water is generally described as very hard.
How do I know if there are PFAS in my water?
The health monitoring data allows you to consult the available results. Since January 2026, the testing for the 20 regulatory PFAS is mandatory as part of the health monitoring carried out by the ARS.
How do I know if there is lead in the pipes?
The age of the building and information from the landlord or property manager can provide initial clues. In case of doubt about the quality of the water at the tap, a specific analysis allows you to measure the lead concentration directly.
Is very hard water dangerous to drink?
Hard water is primarily water rich in calcium and magnesium. Hardness mainly leads to domestic issues like scaling; it should not be confused with water contamination.
Can the FLX Compact be used in all homes?
The FLX Compact is designed for installation on a network water inlet. Before any installation, it is important to check the configuration of the home, the available pressure, and the issue you wish to treat.
Sources
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Service-Public.fr – How to obtain information on tap water quality?
Official information on accessing water health inspection results by municipality, via town halls, and on water bills. -
French Ministry of Health – Drinking water quality
Results of health inspections conducted by Regional Health Agencies and access to drinking water quality data municipality by municipality. -
French Ministry of Health – PFAS and water intended for human consumption
Regulatory framework applicable to PFAS in drinking water, mandatory monitoring of 20 PFAS starting from January 2026, and a quality limit of 0.1 µg/L for their sum. -
French Ministry of Health – Visualization tool for national PFAS monitoring data
Public information and data to track the presence of PFAS in water intended for human consumption. -
Légifrance – Order of January 11, 2007, regarding quality limits and references for water intended for human consumption
Regulatory values applicable specifically to lead in water intended for human consumption. -
French Ministry of Health – Assessment of tap water quality in France
Definition of water hardness, the hydrotimetric title, and presentation of the different hardness classes.
Solution recommandée
FLX Compact
Filtration de l'eau sans électricité ni produits chimiques. Réduit les impuretés, les goûts et les odeurs.
