All water quality testers will have a display screen and the ability to convert data into an electric signal for display.  The probes and other ways of testing the water or water sample will vary.  Multiparameter meters are available through the KWIPPED network of suppliers.

There are two basic categories of meters, those that use a probe placed in the water, and those that test a water sample.  Samples can be tested on location or in a laboratory.  Water can be tested for temperature, pH, turbidity, dissolved metals, dissolved organics, dissolved oxygen, oxygen reduction potential, alkalinity, conductivity, and many other factors.

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water.  These need to be tested for many reasons; the two most frequent reasons are to make water suitable for human consumption and in maintaining healthy ecosystems.  There are many meters available to test all the different characteristics of the water.

• Ecology
• Water treatment
• Natural disaster relief

• Hanna Instruments
• Ben Meadows
• YSI
• Horiba
• Hach