If you recently purchased or acquired a new property, it may come with a well for water supply. Chances are the well was not used for a little while and may need repairs done. Here are some things you will need to know to update your well.

Disinfection

The first step to any well repair is disinfection. You will need to hire a professional, licensed well contractor for this. Bacteria and viruses can get into the water and need to be treated. If you disinfect the water after several attempts and the contaminant still is present, you will need to double check that the equipment isn't defective. If the well equipment is fine, then you may need to locate the source of the bacteria and remove it.

The most common way to disinfect a well is to use chlorine bleach with no additives. This can be run through the entire well system and disinfect as it is run through. This is not a permanent solution for issues with bad construction or faulty equipment within the well (like a septic tank that does not work properly).

Test

Throughout your repair process, you will want to test your water to make sure that no harmful products have gotten into your water. Prominent contaminants include coliform bacteria, which should be tested for once a year, and nitrate, which should be tested for every two to three years.

Should your well ever test positive for nitrate, then you will need to continue to test for it every year. If you notice a change in the taste or smell of your water, you will want to test for these two immediately.

Other products that may contaminate your well water include lead, arsenic, pesticides, or household chemicals.

You should test your water at least once a year, and possibly more often if you have a shallow well.

Tests can be done with the county health department or through private labs. If you test positive for any contaminants, you can choose from a number of treatment plans which depend on the specific contaminant. A licensed well contractor can help you determine which treatment will be best for your particular well issue.

Repairs and Maintenance

Wells are an intricate construction of parts that work together to bring you safe water, and any number of things can go wrong with various parts. If you find, or think you may have, faulty equipment in your system, hire a licensed well technician to help you fix faulty parts of the well system.

Make sure to keep records of any work done on the well or any new concerns you have in order to better help any well professionals that come to help.

If you have older equipment that runs your well, you may want to think about if you should replace parts before you use it. You can test your water first to see how many contaminants you have currently in your water and decide if replacement of parts is necessary.

If your well is in a dangerous location, such as near a septic tank or other potential contaminants, you should consider the need to construct a new well entirely. You do not want to constantly battle bad water that results in these locations.

Well updates can be a challenge for anyone, and in many cases you will need professional help. For any of your well, pump, or repair needs, please visit our website ! Brown & Cox is happy to help you have the highest quality well for your family or business, and help you with any questions that surround your well.