Maintaining your well water system is important. Education and practice of regular well maintenance will not only help reduce risks to your current system, but also prevent expensive and inconvenient repairs.

Say you just bought a piece of property and you’re looking to build a house, or you moved into a home that already runs off of a well system. Regardless of the situation you probably don’t have a manual with answers to all your questions. That seems to be alright until you run into a problem, but knowing some of the basics could be very helpful.

According to the National Ground Water Association, here are some steps you can take to help protect your well:

• Wells should be checked and tested ANNUALLY for mechanical problems, cleanliness, and the presence of certain contaminants, such as coliform bacteria, nitrates/nitrites, and any other contaminants of local concern, (for example, arsenic and radon).
• Well water should be tested more than once a year if there are recurrent incidents of gastrointestinal illness among household members or visitors and/or a change in taste, odor, or appearance of the well water.
• All hazardous materials, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, and motor oil, should be kept far away from your well.
• When mixing chemicals, do not put the hose inside the mixing container, as this can siphon chemicals into a household’s water system.
• Consult a professional contractor to verify that there is proper separation between your well, home, waste systems, and chemical storage facilities.
• Always check the well cover or well cap to ensure it is intact. The top of the well should be at least one foot above the ground.
• Once your well has reached its serviceable life (usually at least 20 years), have a licensed or certified water well driller and pump installer decommission the existing well and construct a new well. For more information visit “Finding a ContractorExternal” (National Ground Water Association). www.cdc.gov

Maintaining your well water system isn’t hard to do, but there are things you need to know for proper maintenance. Our expert pump technicians have over 50 years of experience combined with well pumps, both installation and repair. For more information please Call us anytime, 24hours a day, 365 days a year, at (203) 732-8585!