Wells in SFH

[Mark Forest]

I want some opinions from those of you with houses with wells. After some experience I have to say that having a well in your house is like taking on an additional mini water procurement and treatment factory in addition to all the other things that goes on in a house. It starts with the pump which can go bad given all the moving parts, and the fact that it is worked every day. Next you must have either an expensive water softener system installed or go with a few hundred dollar single unit. There is a lot involved and the tenant has to remember to put in salt. The cheaper unit will probably have to be replaced after a few years. In addition you have to have a large holding tank for the water and I have been told that those do not last forever either. In my experience even if everything is working fine the water may still cause yellow stains on sinks and tubs.

I have also noticed that houses with wells are by definition in areas with a high water table, so your crawl space or basement will also have water issues. I have been told that wells can be a positive thing since you can advertise your house as having “free water.” I am starting to think that is not worth it. Have I just had bad luck or have any of you noticed problems? I thank you in advance for all input.

[Jeremy Wells]

I have had two homes with wells and both required very minimal maintenance. Here's some tips and answers to your questions:

* You need to have a pump specialist in your contacts just like a plumber or electrician. If a lot of houses in your area have wells, one should be easy to find. They can also handle your water softener system and give you advice on how high of quality system you need based on your well water quality.

* Neither of my houses had water storage tanks - just 25-gallon pressure tanks. These tanks have a bladder that gets compressed and maintains your plumbing at 40-60 psi just like a municipal system would be, and also provide a little bit of storage. A pressure switch turns your pump on and off as needed. Your pump specialist can also handle this. Don't use a standard plumber.

* Instead of advertising free water, consider charging a $20/month well service fee for the tenant's water.

* A well doesn't necessarily mean a high water table. My homes were in the mountains where many homes had Wells that were over 500 feet deep. If your state requires well permits, the permit will tell you how deep your well is and how deep the water table was at the time of drilling. If you do have basement water problems, they can be solved with a well-designed french drain.

* If you are having more problems with your well than what is typical for that area, you may need to get your well inspected to see if your well casing needs to be replaced. That is the slotted pipe inside your well that allows water to infiltrate from the ground into your well. If it is badly corroded you could be pumping rust out of your well or you could be letting more than just water through your well casing.