Water well maintenance

[Doublebit]

Gentlemen,
My wife and I retired last year and are moving from the suburbs to a few acres in the Shenandoah Valley. The new place has a deep well with a pump. I grew up on a farm with gravity fed spring water and then moved to town. I have never lived with a well. Are there any suggestions as to care and maintenance of a well and pump?

LT

 

[DWalt]

There really isn't any. I had a well once for irrigation use, about 100' deep. One time the downhole pump went out, and I had to get someone to pull the pipe and replace the pump. I don't remember the cost, but it wasn't a great deal. But my system was fairly simple, just the well pump and a timer. A full house system would be more complex as you would need a pressure tank and possibly some type of water treatment system.

 

[jrm53]

One thing you will want to watch is if the pump starts each time you open a faucet, what you have is a water logged pressure tank and you will need to look for a valve stem in the pipe, it will look like a bicycle valve stem. You just need to use a air tank and put air into it. If this is not watched it will shorten the life of the pump. With the air tank filled with some air you can run quite a bit of water before the pump will start. Jeff

 

[Oldiron]

Doublebit, There isn't really much to maintenance. #1 thing is to check every now and then to make sure the tank doesn't get waterlogged (tank pressure is maintained by an air bubble at the top of the tank). If you have a bladder tank no big deal, it should hold for several years. If you have one of the older tanks the water will absorb the air and every 6 months or so you turn off the pump and drain the tank. When the tank is empty close her up and turn the pump back on. You will then have a full charge of air. As time and money permit buy up spare parts. I keep the pressure switch, start caps and a spare pump in the shop since nothing ever goes out on a regular business day. Lastly, get a generator that will handle the pump and make a convenient place to disconnect from the main power and plug in the generator (no power = no water) In the 40 years I have been on my well, which feeds my house and my son's house, we have gone through three pumps, two pressure switches and one start cap. Submersible pumps pull less power and are less trouble so hopefully you have one of those. Jet pumps have a foot valve and an up and down line and if you lose prime it is a pain. PM me if you need any assistance. Larry

 

[johngalt]

Make sure the pump is in a switch so you can turn it off when leave for an extended time.

 

[DWalt]

In most areas, a standby generator would not be needed often, but it would be a good idea to have one available. And it is necessary to test the generator frequently and do some occasional maintenance. If I had a generator, I'd make it one with large enough output to power at least essential appliances such as a refrigerator and/or a freezer, in addition to the electric water pump. More power output is always better, as electric motors require considerably more current to start than they do to run.

 

[30-30remchester]

The above respondents have some fairly good advise. Some of it needs a little polish. I spent 36 years in the water well industry and carry every license issued. There are 2 basic components to water system. First is the well itself. Basically a hole in the ground that leeks water. Then there is the mechanical system which encompasses the pump, pipes, electrical system, tanks ect. I assume you were referring the entire system and not just the well. The well water quality should be checked before purchase and treated if needed. The mechanical part is just that, pieces and parts. There are many types of systems out their, form captured air type tanks to bladder tanks and each has its own quirks. Other have given advise to air up your tank which is correct but there is a formula to the process. If you have specific questions I would be glad to point you in the right direction.

 

[dave holl]

Most states/counties require a well log which describes when the well was drilled or driven, depth, and type of casing. It would be a good idea to get a copy of yours.
Hopefully your submersible pump is 220V. During my 35 year experience with a well maintence has been minimal but areas to be aware of are: 220V pump, water leaks, water quality. Leaks in the supply line are likely over time in the casing fitting that allows water to pass from inside the casing to the line to the house, called the pitless adapter.
Another source of leaks are the plastic pipe, clamped fittings and pipe resting on gravel. Look for water pooling around casing or in the yard.

It would be a good idea to send a sample of water to your local health dept for testing. Basic testing is inexpensive. Testing for farm chemicals raises the cost a bit.
(edit: I just saw member 30-30 mentioned this as I was writing. I think he knows of which he speaks)
A sediment filter in the supply line before the pressure tank is a good idea too.( edit: after reading posts concerning placement of sediment filter, I checked on mine. It IS AFTER the pressure tank as was recommended by all. Must have been one of my senior moments!!)
Dave

 

[tops]

We built a house in 1972. the well was 52 ft, deep and the pump was in the basement. We lived there until 1989 and I don't remember doing anything to the well or pump.
We built again in 1989 and the well is 265 ft. deep and the pump in the well. Three or 4 years after we moved we got a leak at the top of the well plus I was watering the yard and the pump wore out. I had the pump replaced and it is still pumping this morning.
With a large dia. bored well you can use a bucket and rope to get water if the power goes out. A small drilled well like I have now it takes a generator to power the pump. The wire to the pump has a plug and I just unplug from the main power and plug in the generator. Larry

 

[cowboy4evr]

Here's a some advice that helped my buyer of my residence in NM . When I sold the property I advertised that it came with a Home Warranty . There are numerous companies AHS , Fidelity etc . Getting a home warranty when selling a house is easy because of the home inspection . I added the well on to the warranty .
Less than a month after the sale , I ran into him and his wife in a local cafe , on a sunday . He was all upset , the pump had quit and he was asking me to help pay for the repair . I asked him if he could afford $50 ? He said , " well yeah " but that won't cover the cost . I told him about the warranty that covered the pump and it had just a $50 deductible . I told him this was a good company and even if the well man wouldn't accept the warranty , just pay it and when the well man got the ck from the warranty co to call you to come pick it up .
Making a long story short , it went just like I explained . So , if you're buying a property with a well , get a Home warranty and make sure it covers the well for a small additional fee .

 

[kenv1950]

The above respondents have some fairly good advise. Some of it needs a little polish. I spent 36 years in the water well industry and carry every license issued. There are 2 basic components to water system. First is the well itself. Basically a hole in the ground that leeks water. Then there is the mechanical system which encompasses the pump, pipes, electrical system, tanks ect. I assume you were referring the entire system and not just the well. The well water quality should be checked before purchase and treated if needed. The mechanical part is just that, pieces and parts. There are many types of systems out their, form captured air type tanks to bladder tanks and each has its own quirks. Other have given advise to air up your tank which is correct but there is a formula to the process. If you have specific questions I would be glad to point you in the right direction.

Got you beat--40yrs. here

 

[DeathGrip]

+1 on 30-30 knowing his business. He'd be the first one I'd seek help from and I have 20+ years experience in S.Florida.

I don't recommend the sediment filter before the pressure tank. If you're picking up enough to be concerned the filter will clog and cause the pressure switch to act up and the pump could burn up. It's a good idea to drain the tank frequently and set the air pressure. I'd rather buy a new tank than a new pump.

Good luck.

 

[phantomcycle]

My well supplies water for 12 homes I own the Community well its 230 ft deep and has a 2 hp pump 220 volt and it's about 12 years old now I have a spare pump and motor never needed to use and spare expansion tank only replaced once and spare pressure switches replace these about every couple years this is the only item I think every well owner should have as a spare item
Also have the water tested I test my water every couple years
Pappy

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

 

[Farmer17]

I believe Home depot sells water test kits where you take a small water sample and send it someplace and they tell you all about the water and if it maybe needs chlorine or something added to it.

 

[Muley Gil]

Gentlemen,
My wife and I retired last year and are moving from the suburbs to a few acres in the Shenandoah Valley. The new place has a deep well with a pump. I grew up on a farm with gravity fed spring water and then moved to town. I have never lived with a well. Are there any suggestions as to care and maintenance of a well and pump?

LT

Depending on where you are in the Valley, you may need a water softener. My mom and dad had a place outside of Winchester, near Gainesborough, and they had extremely hard water.

I have a sediment filter and my plumber put it before the pressure tank. It would take a looong time to fill up and keep water from getting to the tank.

 

[Muley Gil]

I believe Home depot sells water test kits where you take a small water sample and send it someplace and they tell you all about the water and if it maybe needs chlorine or something added to it.

In my area, the county health department will test water.

 

[30-30remchester]

Depending on where you are in the Valley, you may need a water softener. My mom and dad had a place outside of Winchester, near Gainesborough, and they had extremely hard water.

I have a sediment filter and my plumber put it before the pressure tank. It would take a looong time to fill up and keep water from getting to the tank.

Deathgrip mentioned it earlier but you should without delay get your plumber to move the filter after the pressure tank. No device be it a valve or filter should be put inline before the tank-pressure switch. When the filter gets plugged it will not let water pass. Your pressure tank will empty and your switch will close and call for water. The pump will run but no water will get past the filter, thus the pump will continue to run and demand water. The pump can literally burn up while sitting in water. I have seen the water get so hot in the well that it melted the pvc drop pipe the pump was hanging on. This is known as dead heading a pump. With some of the new inline filter housings, will have a plugged filter bypass that will let water pass when the filter is plugged. If not fully plugged the filter can and does cause the pump to work very hard to push water though the dirty filter thus putting great demand on the pump and causing early failure. Kind of like driving your car in first gear only and constantly running it at high rmp's to try to get somewhere. It may get you there but it wont last long.

 

[g-dad]

Recently moved off a farm property and well to a city property with city water and a monthly bill. Never had the first problem with the well. I had a 220 line put in to hook a generator to if and when we lost power so we would still have water. It worked great, I really miss my well.

 

[arjay]

My 2nd house was on a community well.Never occurred to me to taste that water before we bought the place [emoji36]

 

[gdnagle]

Just a word of caution if you get a generator, if it isn't rated to run the well pump, other accessories you want to run and the electric water heater if that's what you have may not be able to run the well pump and hot water heater. What I do when we lose power for any amount of time is to run the well pump until it shut's down, with the water heater off. When the pump shuts down I then shut the well pump off and turn the hot water heater on. After the water tank is heated up I then shut the breaker off for the water heater and turn the well pump back on. My water tank is big enough that with it shut off and the well on my wife and I have enough hot water in the tank to take our showers. I'm to cheap to buy a hole house generator and this works for me.

Also if you open a line from the well I was advised to sanitize the system by dumping bleach in the well and run the system until you smell bleach from the hose bib or tap. Then let it sit for awhile. Then open a tap and run the water until you don't smell the bleach anymore. I don't know if this execptable to the well people here but this is what I was advised to do after a well has been opened. I'm sure if this is wrong more knowledgeable people here will correct me.
Not sure how bleach will effect the new pix tubing though.
Like others said the well always works good until the weekend when the rates are high, don't ask how I know. Well pump went out on a Sunday, well line to house started leaking on a Saturday, storage tank late Friday night. If only I had a backhoe my well is 175ft and I couldn't pull the pump myself.