If you’re a homeowner with a private water well, it’s important to keep your equipment in good working order. Being proactive regarding your drinking water will result in easier household maintenance and can help prevent costly repairs. Water well equipment is a long-term investment, and it can extend its lifespan: Here are some tips for keeping your well equipment in top shape:
The Life of your water well equipment starts with regular preventive maintenance.
Regular preventive maintenance is critical to keep your water well equipment running smoothly. How often should you perform this routine? We recommend that landowners schedule a preventative maintenance appointment every year.
Get well system components inspected regularly.
Your well system components can wear out over time, and a regular inspection will help you spot problems before they become more serious, helping you get a head start on repairs. We recommend getting a well system inspection at least once a year. Owning a home requires vital maintenance to ensure efficiency and minimize unforeseen and costly repairs. Regular service and care prolong the use of your well components. Maintenance entails much more than just fixing broken equipment. Inspections ensure that equipment is functioning as the manufacturer intended. Long-term, preventive maintenance programs can help extend the overall lifespan of your equipment. The better you care for your equipment, the longer it will last. Routinely repairing minor issues before they result in equipment failure will save you time and money.
Keep your well screen clean.
Well screens are a mesh filter that keeps debris out of your well. A well cleanout will freshen up your well screen. Water well cleaning is best left to the experts. At C&J, we follow a multi-step process to ensure every part of your well is properly cleaned. After a thorough well inspection, we remove your submersible pump from the well, lower a high-output air line into the well, and airlift years of built-up sediment and gunk out of the top of the well. This freshens up your old well and redevelops the screen, enabling better flow and better-quality water.
If you have to replace the screen, it’s important to make sure you have the correct replacement screen for your well. If you are still determining what kind of screen or filter you need, call a certified professional who can help troubleshoot your issue and recommend the best solution.
Make sure the well and pressure tank are protected from freezing temperatures.
Because your water well is located underground, the water in it probably won’t freeze, as the water level should be way below the frost line. However, the pump system and pipes that run your well and deliver the water to you can be very vulnerable to cold snaps if they are not buried properly underground.
Water expands when it freezes, so freezing water can burst your pipes from the inside if well pipes aren’t adequately installed or insulated. This means no water for your residential, commercial, or agricultural needs and can make for an expensive repair.
Fortunately, you can take a few simple steps to prevent your pipes and pump from freezing this winter. The easiest way to keep your pipes functioning is to let a faucet continually drip warm water, but this isn’t the favorite choice for the conservative-minded. If you’d like a no-hassle, more permanent solution, there are options for keeping your pipes heated during the winter. Foam tube insulation is pretty standard, and you can even get creative with similar materials, like bubble wrap. There are also more encompassing solutions, such as heat cables or heat tape. If you realize the water line from your well to your home isn’t buried deep enough, contact us, and we can solve this problem. If you have a well and pressure tank, you can take steps to ensure they stay in good shape. The pressure tank is usually above ground and should be kept insulated from the elements to prevent freezing. If it freezes, it could crack and cause a leak that would contaminate the water supply.
Use a water softener if you have hard water.
If you have hard water, consider installing a water softener. The best part about a water softener is that it not only makes the water softer but also provides many other benefits.
- Soft water is better for your skin and hair. Hard water leaves behind deposits in your tub and shower, which can dry out the skin and cause itchy rashes or flaky dandruff. Softened water also feels more luxurious because it’s gentler on your skin when bathing or showering (it won’t irritate sensitive areas like eczema).
- Softened water makes cleaning easier. Hardness minerals build up inside pipes and appliances over time, creating limescale deposits that are difficult to remove with standard cleaning products; softened tap water will not cause these problems! Studies have shown that softened tap water instead of bottled mineral waters could help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure levels—an extra perk in addition to better-tasting dishes washed with less soap!
A properly working well system can provide clean, safe drinking water for many years.
A properly working well system can provide clean, safe drinking water for many years. However, if you don’t take the right steps to maintain your water well equipment and ensure it’s working efficiently, the system may not last as long or be as safe as possible.
The most important thing to do is ensure that your wells are properly inspected at least once a year by a licensed professional specializing in this area of expertise. They’ll check for signs of wear and tear, evaluate any issues that might arise based on their findings, and then advise you on what steps need to be taken next for them to function optimally again (or perhaps even better than before).
If there are problems with your well system—whether they’re issues related specifically to one component like an undersized pump or areas where there has been damage done over time due to normal wear-and-tear—you’ll want someone who knows how everything fits together so they can get everything back up-and-running again quickly without having any major setbacks along the way.
We hope that we have given you some good tips on how to prolong the life of your water well equipment. For more information or to schedule preventive maintenance—contact us today!
