FAQs

Bactiquick is a portable water testing device that detects Gram-negative bacteria (including E. coli, Salmonella, Leptospira and others) in just 15 minutes. It’s designed for anyone to use - whether surfers, swimmers, adventurers, or beach goers - to test the water before going in.

Bactiquick uses advanced microbiological detection technology, using endotoxin (a molecule found in all Gram-negative bacteria) as a measure for this type of bacteria in contaminated water. Our test not only detects E. coli but all Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Vibrio, and Leptospira, which can pose serious health risks. Simply collect a water sample, dilute it, add the reagent, insert it into the device, and in just 13 minutes, clear results are displayed, enabling you to make an informed decision about the risk of entering the water.

The test works as follows:

· Collect a small water sample where you want to swim, paddle, dip or surf

· Extract the correct amount from the sample in the single-use pipette supplied

· Add this to the Mixing Tube, give it a shake and dispense into the Bactiquick Tube to activate the reagent

· Placed this in the Bactiquick device and incubate for 15 minutes

· After 15 minutes, the results are displayed on the device as a traffic-light system (either green, orange or red) and in the free-to-download Bactiquick App.

After 15 minutes, the result will be displayed on your Bactiquick device, where it will remain for 30minutes. After 30minutes, Bactiquick will power-off to conserve battery, but you can connect the Bactiquick App to your device at any time, where your latest test result will available and saved for future reference.

Current Faecal Indicator Bacteria (E. coli and Enterococci) fail to identify other pathogens such as Vibrio (Cholera), Salmonella (Typhoid Fever) and Leptospira (Weil's Disease).

While data is limited in the UK, studies in the US show that most hospital admissions for bacterial infections are due to Cyanobacteria, Pseudomonas and Salmonella – all of which can be contracted from contaminated water, and none of which are currently being monitored as part of water quality testing in the UK. Bactiquick tests for these, and all other Gram-negative bacteria including:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa = can affect your skin, blood, lungs, GI tract and other parts of your body. It can be serious and potentially deadly if you have a weakened immune system.

Salmonella typhi = Typhoid Fever

Acinetobacter baumannii = skin and soft tissue, urinary tract infections, meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia

Shigella spp =  bacillary dysentery    

Legionella spp = Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever

E.Coli = diarrhoea and more serious illnesses like pneumonia

Enterococci = UTIs, bacteremia, and infective endocarditis

Leptospira = Weil’s Disease

Vibrio = gastroenteritis, but can also infect open wounds and cause sepsis

Bactiquick provides highly accurate results for coastal waters and rivers with low flow rates. Bactiquick also works well in tidal pools, swimming pools and lidos.

Currently Bactiquick can’t be used to test for water quality in lakes, high flow rivers. A good rule of thumb for rivers is that if the flow rate is too high to swim in safely, you can’t test it with Bactiquick.

Bactiquick detects the concentration of Gram-negative bacteria, and displays the results as a simple traffic light system based on the Environment Agency’s bathing water quality classifications:

Green = ‘Excellent’ and ‘Good’
Orange = ‘Sufficient’
Red = ‘Poor’

Bactiquick provides highly accurate results for coastal waters and rivers. With only a 4% rate of false negatives (compared to 7% for Idex and 10% for cultured test) it’s one of the most accurate tests for bacterial contamination in coastal and river water.

Bactiquick provides highly accurate results for coastal waters and rivers. Currently Bactiquick can’t be used to test closed water systems, like lakes, but this is something we hope to provide in future. Bactiquick also works well in tidal pools, and anywhere where water is refreshed, as opposed to stagnant.

The Bactiquick device is powered by a rechargeable 2,500mAh lithium-ion battery and is supplied with a USB C charging lead.

This means you can carry out an average of 10 tests on a single charge and takes aprox 4 hours to charge to full capacity.

Yes, the Bactiquick device is reusable and is guaranteed to last up to 1 year. The Test Kits are single use and can be purchased in packs of x 5 from our website [link], or through the free-to-download Bactiquick app

The Test Kits can be ordered easily and conveniently through the Bactiquick App, which is free to download for iPhone and Android – or from our website Buy testing kit (5 pack)

Bactiquick is designed to be durable, lightweight and water resistant - and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Whether you’re on your favourite beach, or exploring rivers and lakes, Bactiquick is a must-have tool to enjoy your watery adventures safely.

Weight = 226grams
Size = Height 104.14mm, Width 50.5mm, Length 79mm

Water quality alerts are issued based on Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) release data and remain in place for 24 hours. With so many variables including tides, currents and wind speed and direction, they don’t provide an accurate or reliable indication of water quality. And sometimes these alerts are due to a fault on the water company telemetry systems and not an actual release of sewage.

So, whether or not an alert is issued for your location, you could be swimming, surfing or paddling in untreated sewage or other bacterial pollutants. Or, depending on tides, currents and wind direction, your swim spot might not be contaminated at all.

Not all locations are tested for water quality, and most are only tested during the official bathing season (May-September). And when they are tested, results take 24+ hours, by which time it’s too late.

There’s currently no other way of knowing for certain whether the water you’re about to swim, dip, or surf in contains high levels of the most dangerous types of bacteria.

The Bactiquick device isn’t waterproof so shouldn’t ever be submerged in water.

The Bactiquick App connects with your Bactiquick device via Bluetooth to log your test results, which will be aggregated to build a real-time picture of water quality and pollution hot spots across the country. You can also order Test Kits through the App.

The Bactiquick App is available to download for iPhone and Android devices

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Bactiquick app, follow the on-screen instructions to create an account.

The App will then prompt you to connect your Bactiuick device.

Turn on your device and ensure you have Bluetooth enabled on your smartphone. You can usually find this under ‘Settings’. 

Holding your smart-phone near your Bactiquick device, select ‘Search for device’. After a few seconds, the device ID will appear on your app screen - tap to connect.

Your Bactiquick device will automatically connect to the app when it’s switched on, and when your smartphone is nearby with BlueTooth enabled.

You can check the connection in the app, or connect with a different device, by tapping on the Settings icon in the top right hand corner, and selecting ‘Connected device’.

If you need to change or cancel your order, please email us on hello@bactiquick.com with the following information:

I hereby give notice that I cancel my contract for the supply of [insert description of the product/s ordered]. 

Your Full Name

Your Address

Your Order Reference