Can My Santa Fe Well Run Dry, and What Can I Do If It Does?
Santa Fe home owners with gardens and landscaping often assume that as long as their well is producing plenty of “good” water, everything is okay.
However, private wells also can experience a decrease in the flow of water over time, and water levels may drop during dry periods. Sometimes low water pressure or no water is due to one of a few possible causes.
Here’s how to determine whether the problem is the result of a well having gone dry.
Watch for Signs of a Dry Well
If you’re experiencing any of the following, your private water well could be running dry or be influenced by drought:
- Murky or muddy looking tap water
- A difference in taste in the water to drink
- The spigots may sputter as air passes through the system
If you’ve watched any of these, it might be time to take a gander at the depth of your well water. All you need to do is unscrew the cap and let an ice cube fall in.
Record the time until you hear the ice cube making a splash in the water. You should then be able to estimate the depth of the water in feet with the following equation:
16 X (time measured in seconds) X (time measured in seconds) = depth of water (approximately)
How Can I Revive a Dried-Up Well?
Homeowners have a few choices when deciding on how to increase well water yield without jumping to drilling a new well.
It could be that the position of the water pump is to blame. If you have a well water pump, your pump is submerged in your well water and it is a submersible pump.
Submergible pumps will suck in air if water falls beneath the pump level. This can easily be corrected by hiring a professional to measure the water depth and then perform a lowering of the pump.
Another issue could be the old age. The life span of a well is generally 20 to 30 years. Yield could even drop over time due to sediment or scale.
There is also water well deepening as means to improve well productivity. If you deepen a well, you might hit new fractures that have water. The likelihood that a new fracture you find contains water commonly increases as you go deeper, but not always. If the amount is low, a professional construction company may advise you on what are the chances of getting more water and can assist you in the matter.
Additional Dry Well Considerations
Water testing should always be performed any time work is conducted on a well to ensure the quality of water.
Boylan Water Well Service and Supply also advises that customers maintain a file on any work performed on their well, particularly if they are interested in selling their home. In New Mexico and several other states, records of any major work that has been done on wells are shared with potential buyers.
Stay Calm! Get the Pros at Boylan Water Well Service
Sputtering faucets and the appearance of cloudy water could also be from other causes. For instance, there may be a trouble in the electrical system supplying water to the water pump or pressure tank.
The best way to positively fix the issue is to reach out to a water well system expert – such as Boylan Water Well Service & Supply. While your provider can help you solve some problems, you really need a well water expert to quickly pinpoint and correct the source of your well water issues.