Water Well Maintenance Strategies All Private Well Owners’ Need to Know
Owning your own well comes with some big responsibilities. But don’t stress! With a little well maintenance, and know-how, keeping your well system humming is totally doable.
In this post, we’ll dish on everything you need to keep your well working and your water safe.
Leave Major Repairs to the Experts
When something’s wrong with your well, it’s tempting to go into DIY mode. But hold up! Messing around in stuff you don’t fully get can make problems way worse.
Take a whiff of stinky water and want to pour bleach down there? NOOOO – bad idea. That can trash your well parts and contaminate the water you drink!
Let the pros handle major repairs or maintenance. They’ve got the skills and tools to make your well right as rain again.
An Ounce of Prevention = No Big Bills!
An annual checkup for your well keeps big issues away. Kinda like how a yearly physical stops little health probs from getting huge.
During a well system exam, an expert will:
- Check your well’s water flow – gotta ensure it’s pumping strong!
- Inspect equipment like pipes and storage for damage. Can’t have leaks!
- Test your water for hidden nasties like bacteria. Ew!
- Give you a full report with recommendations. Knowledge is power!
Paying a little now for prevention saves tons later if something breaks bad. And it means your water stays clean and yummy! cha-ching!
Do Your Homework before Getting Your Well Serviced
Way before an issue pops up, research well companies in your neck of the woods. Chat with a few and see who sounds like the perfect fit.
Ask tons of questions to find out if they really know their stuff when it comes to your well type. Are they certified and licensed? Membership in a national org is a great sign.
Talk money – what’s included in their regular maintenance? Cheaper isn’t always better if they skip important stuff!
Finding just the right pro means you can trust them when an emergency strikes.
Give Your Well Some Love between Checkups
Sure the pros keep the big stuff running right, but there’s a few easy ways to show your well some love:
- Only let licensed peeps touch your well parts. Handle with care!
- Check the well cover is solid and keeps out dirt. You don’t want creepy crawlies falling in!
- Keep risky stuff like chemicals and motor oil away from your well. Toxins bad!
- Make sure your well is far enough from shady areas like septic tanks. Space it out!
- Watch for sinking or flooding around your well after big rains. Water woes!
- Keep all well records in a safe spot. They’re your well’s life story!
Stay alert for any weird changes in your water’s taste or color. Give your pro a call ASAP to test it.
Hire a Pro You Can Trust
When it’s time for big repairs, hire someone with care. Look for:
- Proper licenses needed in your state
- Certification showing they know groundwater
- Great reviews that say they fixed it right
- A clear contract for what they’ll do and the exact cost
- A guarantee that their work won’t fail
The best pro may not be the cheapest, but will solve the problem properly so it sticks. Worth it!
Search and Destroy Old Wells
Got abandoned wells hiding on your land? You gotta get ’em sealed up pronto! Old wells give contaminants an easy path to groundwater and your fresh water. Plus they’re crazy dangerous for pets and kids.
Signs to look for:
- Crumbling brick, concrete or pipe sticking out of the earth
- A dip in the ground indicating a buried well
- An old windmill minus pumps or pipes
Hire a pro to seal abandoned wells using special methods. Don’t risk your family’s water! Safety first.
Final Thoughts
If your water seems cloudy or smells funky, clean up your well before testing the water. Gunk and grime mean germs and dirt.
Adding some chlorine tabs doesn’t cut it – the pros need to pull up the pump and scrub out all the gunk. Then they can check if more fixes like disinfecting are needed.
Only with a sparkling clean well will a water test show if dangerous stuff like bacteria is swimming around in there. Skipping this step is a no-no!