Where is my Well?
Wells are typically located within your property lines, near the home, and away from ground water contaminators like barns, street drainage, and septic tanks. When in doubt look for the giant plastic rock adorning your lawn and peek under it.
How much water is in my well?
This is a good question and to find the answer you need a few measurements: the drilled depth of the well, the diameter of the casing, and the static level of the water. Newer wells will have a metal stamp on the outside of the well that includes the drilled depth and diameter (information for older wells should be available at your local county or state office). The static level can be determined by measuring from the opening of the well to the surface of the water in the well.
A note about measuring the static level. Traditionally, long weighted tapes were dropped into the well posing a risk of entanglement or contamination. Please be careful when lowering anything into your well or consider a non contact sonic water level meter and skip the math in the next paragraph .
Once you have all of the measurements you can calculate the volume of the well using a simple equation, V=Pi* r2* h, or you can let your sonic meter do the calculations for you and give you the total number of available gallons.
Monitoring your total number of gallons and understanding usage can save you time and money. Imagine running out of water mid-shower! Don't get stuck with soap in your hair. Watching your well's water levels will help prevent this soapy catastrophe.
How healthy is the water in my well?
What's in your water? Why are there rings in the toilet bowl? What is that blue stain in the bathtub? What does the water have a bad smell? All signs of water quality issues. There are some serious nasties that can live in your water, then there are just annoying bacterias that make it hard to bleach your whites. Make sure you test your well water at least annually for any bacteria, nitrates, and local contaminants. Find a certified water inspector in your state by clicking that pointer here.
How healthy are my wells components?
Static water levels, recovery and flow rates are usually a good indicator of the health and behavior of your well's supply, but you also ned to maintain the well's operating equipment. Poor water pressure, leaky pipes or slow flow rates could indicate problems that should not be ignored. Your well should be serviced yearly by a professional to prevent these issues. A well maintained well can provide you with years of good service and you need to know that your well can continuously perform when you need it.
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