Test Water

Test Water, the online arm of Andersen Caledonia's water laboratories

Test Water is an online platform for ordering water analysis, run by the laboratories of Andersen Caledonia. The company states that its laboratories hold UKAS accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and are located in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The service is aimed at private, commercial, agricultural and horticultural customers, who can choose among different test suites.

According to the company, samples are analysed directly by its own laboratories rather than through an intermediary, and customers receive access to the technical expertise of the Andersen Caledonia team. The stated purpose of the platform is to guide users through the sampling process and to help interpret the results once they are issued.

Test kits and sample logistics

Each order includes a purpose-designed box that keeps the sample chilled during return, together with a prepaid next-day Royal Mail Special Delivery label. The company presents this as a way of protecting the quality of the results, and notes that carriage is covered within the cost of the kit.

Test suites and indicative prices

The catalogue lists a range of water test suites. Among the popular tests shown on the site, with prices excluding VAT, are:

• Borehole Suite, including TVC, Enterococci and E. coli/Coliforms: £135.00
• Complete Mains Water Suite: £140.00
• Spa Water Analysis: £64.00
• Legionella Water Analysis: £43.00

These figures reflect the catalogue as displayed at the time of writing this profile and may vary.

Accreditation and laboratory scope

The company states that its laboratories hold a wide range of ISO/IEC 17025 UKAS-accredited test methods. The accreditation schedule cited covers waters, medical devices, surrogate devices, environmental testing and qPCR testing. The platform also refers to a track record of more than twenty years as one of the largest water testing laboratories for the NHS, a claim presented by the company itself.

The parent organisation: Andersen Caledonia

Test Water operates under Andersen Caledonia, a company founded in 1997 that describes itself as the largest independent sterilisation organisation in the UK. Its activity covers infection prevention and contamination control for the healthcare industry, with a customer base it describes as global. The group runs two ethylene oxide sterilisation chambers and two steam sterilisation chambers, which it says operate continuously to handle large volumes with rapid standard turnaround times.

It also operates two microbiological laboratories, in Lanarkshire (Scotland) and Stafford (England), supporting environmental monitoring and medical device testing. A Class 5 cleanroom provides contract sterile packing of instruments, bespoke procedure packs and single-use surgical instrument kits. A validation team supports customers through the lifecycle of their products, and the company lists quality certificates including EN ISO 13485:2016, Directive 93/42/EEC, UKAS ISO 17025:2017 and a Japanese registration certificate.

Three UK sites

The organisation works from three locations. The Scottish site is at Caledonian House, Phoenix Crescent, Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire. In England it operates from Barn 7, Office B1, Dunston Business Village, Stafford Road, Dunston, West Midlands. The Northern Ireland site is at Unit 3B, 10 Heron Road, Belfast. Each site has its own telephone line, and the company publishes separate departmental email addresses for sales, billing, complaints, medical services, online support, logistics and media.