Many have said: “I have low water pressure”. Yet after further conversation most reveal that only one point is affected, usually a sink or a shower. Most cases prove to be a plugged shower-head, aerator or water restrictor. Some pressure problems are plumbing related, too long a run with too small a pipe. Sometimes the ports in valves or shower diverters are too small. If you’re problem lies with the whole home or just the upper level, it is necessary to raise the system pressure. Please don’t just start adjusting the pressure switch, there’s more to it than that. If you have great pressure in the shower but the pressure drops to nothing when others start using water, then the problem lies with small pipes or an undersized pump. Whatever your ailment it’s best to find and fix the problem rather than treat the symptom. — David Nequette
How To Run Your Pump With A Generator
Done properly you can run your well pump with the generator during power outages. The best way to do this is with an option switch that allows you to run a generator or utility company power. In one position the switch runs normally with utility company power. In the opposite position you can safely power the pump with the generator. If necessary, in an emergency if you do not have the option switch you can rewire the pump disconnect to power it with a generator. If you’re not familiar with electrical wiring do not attempt this. For those in need of help we can install option switches and power cords to run your generator and pump water safely. Always remember when the power goes out the best way to protect your pump and other electronics/motors is to turn the power off and only turn it back on when the electric company power is stable. Leave one breaker that controls a light circuit on, so you can tell that power has returned. Once power has been on for several minutes it should be safe to turn on the remaining breakers. — David Nequette
Well Tests: To Test Or Not To Test??
Generally speaking people purchasing a home or lot with a well should have the well tested. Along with testing the well the pump and related equipment can be checked for problems. The water should also be checked for bacteria and minerals. Certain wells require a more extensive test than others. Deep wells with limited production and small pumps take an extended period of time just to pump out borehole storage, let alone any formation storage. Only then can any testing be done. If the pump is sized too small a test may not be feasible. This is where some contractors have had trouble and end up in court. The amount of time required, far exceeds that allotted by a two-hour test. Formation storage is an un-known factor and has led to many a bad well test when the well was drilled or tested after. Failure to allow for the possibility of formation storage when testing, results in false production rates being reported. As the TV show says, it all can be calculated with math if you know what to look for. — David Nequette
What Type Of Pipe Is Good For Burial
The old standard K-Type soft copper pipe is still the best if you can afford it. For longer runs we have always gone to plastic. Plastic is the most commonly used water line. There are numerous types; PVC is available in several different thicknesses, Polyethylene is also made in numerous pressure ratings or grades and PEX or cross linked poly is very popular. PVC is okay for hard packed soils but not suitable for rocky or mixed rock/soil as it is brittle and ground that settles or heaves with frost will break it or pull it apart. Additionally PVC comes in 10 or 20 foot lengths with a potential leak at every joint. PEX is relatively new and has numerous different ways to connect it, most of which I don’t consider suitable for burial. Polyethylene can be had in 80 PSI barely suitable for sprinklers clear to 200 PSI. The best is made from virgin resins. It comes in spools of 100 to 500 feet. Poly’s problem has always been the method of connection, insert fittings with clamps. — David Nequette
Check Valves: When And Where To Use Them
A check valve is a simple device that makes sure water moves in only one direction within a pipe. Typically they are made of brass with a popper or flapper valve. It’s easy to determine the direction of flow by the mechanical workings. For those who are mechanically challenged a large arrow embossed on the valve body indicates the direction of flow. Most submersible electric pumps have a built-in check valve, if an additional check valve is used for insurance it should be installed 20 feet above the pump. With a captive air (bladder or diaphragm) pressure tank system, a check valve should not be installed next to the tank or in the line between the well and the house. Additionally check valves should not to be installed above the pumping water level in the well. These well-known changes were made in system design because: check valves installed in these locations can introduce air into the system and cause water hammer (a noisy, destructive bang in the pipes). — David Nequette
Does A Well Add Value To My Property?
A good well always adds to the value of land. Will you recover the cost of drilling if you sell? Maybe! If the well is a good producer and is of average depth for the area you might double the money invested in drilling. With a low yield well you might break even. A much deeper than average well that produces less than say 2GPM may cost you money. A dry hole will devalue the property as a whole. When drilling a well consider all the uses you have; then try to anticipate the uses of the next owner. Whether or not the well you have drilled and the capacity of the pumping system installed is adequate for the house you built and the estimated requirements of your prospective buyer will affect the resale potential. A lot of couples say “It’s only going to be the two of us”. Then they build a large up-scale four bedroom, four bath house. Add to that up-scale plumbing and cabinets, then they to go cheap on the well and pump system??? Surely these folks didn’t get wealthy making investments like that? — David Nequette
Dilemma – Steel Casing or Plastic
State Regulation requires ‘steel surface casing’ for the first 20 or 40 feet pending type of construction and formation. After that it is at the drillers discretion whether to use steel, plastic or nothing at all. Steel casing has a limited lifespan. Steel corrodes in water, concrete and in most formations. The life span of plastic in a well out of the sun is so long that it has yet to be determined. I prefer to use plastic when possible as it has proven to be far superior to steel and does not corrode. Steel casing is used in formations that cave or collapse. Steel casing is driven or drilled into the ground and is a safe haven for a drillers bit and tools. Many drillers do not want to extend their bit very far beyond this safe haven. Different drilling techniques and the willingness to take risks allow us to use much less steel. This saves thousands of dollars not only in the cost of drilling but in the cost of dealing with: rusty water, rusty toilets, sinks, showers, pressure tanks, pipes, water heaters, dish & clothes washers, discolored clothes, corroded casing etc. . . — David Nequette
Well Pits, Why Not? Or Why I Hate Them …
A well pit with the well inside and the casing cutoff below ground has been illegal for some time. While some still install the pressure tank and controls in pits I prefer not to because of the humidity in pits. Humidity corrodes everything and is especially hard on the electric controls and switches severely limiting their life. Working conditions in pits are usually poor with little room to work. They are usually infested with insects and vermin. I have encountered black widows, skunks and rattlesnakes. Ask me again why I don’t like pits??? From an owners prospective the initial cost to construct a pit is relatively high and the additional cost in maintenance should be a deterrent. Pits with the well inside, cutoff below ground are subject to being flooded and contaminating the well. Pitless Adapters were invented to eliminate pits and are the only way to go. Pressure tanks are ideally located in a utility room and require about a 3′ x 3′ space. There are many other locations that can be used, all better than a pit! — David Nequette
Well Witching, Dowsing, Divining???
This ancient practice goes by many names most locals refer to it as well witching. Although there is no scientific proof that it works there are untold numbers of believers and practitioners. As a young boy had my father seen me dowsing I may well have been struck upside the head. I had toyed with witching for many years secretly rechecking the work of many an old dowser. My experimentation left me finding many of the same spots as the old pros. Does it work??? Over 40 years of drilling experience says – ‘maybe’. The dowsers’ rods are definitely attracted to something. I do know for a fact that it is not always water that they are drawn toward. Regardless of how confident a witcher is they ‘all’ have missed. In my observations the success rates between different witchers and or drilling without dowsing are fairly equal. That being said I continue to dowse all my wells as a way to fine tune an area I have chosen using my ‘gut instinct’ (always listen to your gut). One additional observation: The more you pay for a dowsing the less likely it is to work!?!? (Never brag upon a gift). — David Nequette