What are the Best Methods to Maintain My Water Well?
Water is one of the few things that life of all kinds needs. As a result, clean, potable water access defines survivability, and, in this case, quality of life.
Sure, there are plenty of locations within the distance of a local municipality, but there are still many that rely on natural sources of water (such as wells) to supply them with the water they need.
However, if you live in a remote area where no water utility services it or whether you want to live off the grid of local infrastructure, installing a well is only half of the work.
After the well itself has been placed, the maintenance is needed. But it needs to happen often, things like bacteria testing to make sure the water is clean and without pathogens.
As such, well inspection and maintenance can be critical for reliable, safe water supply independent of outside water infrastructure. While you may believe that the water you draw from your well is pure, there is a lot of hidden perils that lurk within your well system without regular inspection, testing and maintenance.
Keep reading for five actions you can take to help keep your water well in good condition and ensure that your water is the best quality it can be.
Hire a Water Well Professional
The average homeowner isn’t a trained expert; it would be foolhardy to try to maintain a well purely on instinct or common sense, without guidance from a trained water well professional.
That’s why you need a well specialist to maintain your well if you will use it as a drinking water. The average person does not have the knowledge, expertise, or equipment to properly service water wells, and amateur well service attempts can make matters worse in some cases.
Always call for a well service professional for regular inspection and service.
Be Proactive in Maintaining Your Well
Routine maintenance is something many people ignore or delay because they do not believe it is essential to well operation.
But, as with so many things, a little preventive maintenance goes a long way toward preventing bigger, more costly problems with your well that can arise down the road. Mistakes that are easily remediated when initially discovered can soon flower into all-out disasters that might contaminate your drinking water, so be proactive and protect your home with preventive water well maintenance as if your health depended on it.
Inspect Your Well Casing Regularly
You want to protect your well casing because your well casing is like the armor for your well.
First, your well casing must protrude above the ground at least a foot, so it should be visible, sloping the ground away from it to drain properly.
Visual inspections should also be done regularly to ensure that the casing is intact, the cap is pushed tightly into position and there are no cracks that would allow outside contaminants access to the water well.
Perform Annual Testing
Annual well testing is perhaps the single most important maintenance task you should perform.
Many pathogens that can hide out in your water are not detectable by human senses but can be detected easily with regular water testing. Tests should include those for bacteria, viruses, organic material, mineral content and chemicals.
Although, an annual well test is generally enough to ensure the safety of drinking water under most circumstances, you should perform a well test whenever you notice any deterioration in the quality of the water which you can smell, see, or taste.
Seal Old Wells
A well’s productive life is roughly 20 years on average. Old wells were often never closed off and sealed, so you may have wells on or near your property that provide an open door for pathogens to gain access to your groundwater supply.
Even if those nasty substances don’t seep into your well directly, they can leak through open wells into the groundwater and ultimately degrade your water supply. That’s why any old wells on your land should be identified and properly sealed by a well professional.
Take Action!
If you depend on your well for drinking water or irrigation, you must focus on performing these well maintenance tips to preserve the sanctity and quality of your water supply.
Call Boylan Water Well Service and Supply at 505-438-3416 to learn more about how to keep your well healthy!