If you make the decision to live in a rural area away from the busy involvements of city life, you need to be prepared to handle the responsibility that comes with losing access to some modern conveniences. Cutting off your access to a municipal water system and relying on a well is a perfectly valid option, but it's not a decision that should be made lightly.
Serious problems in your well system can leave you without access to water and scrambling to find a solution that helps you avoid any major problems. Rather than forcing yourself to work toward recovery, you should consider some preventative maintenance options that might go a long way toward keeping your well system secure in the first place.
Below, you'll find a guide to some warning signs that might precede well failure. Keeping your eyes and ears open for these warnings can allow you to make a service call at the first sign of trouble, guaranteeing that you won't be caught off guard when a problem arises.
Sputtering Faucets
When your well is functioning properly, it should be almost impossible to notice any difference in service between your well and a municipal system. Water should flow quickly and smoothly when you turn on the tap, hot water should appear without much delay, and you shouldn't have to deal with any unusual interruptions to your flow.
Faucets that function improperly might be a warning sign of more serious trouble with your system. If you notice spitting or sputtering when you turn on the tap, the likely cause is an intrusion of air somewhere in your system.
Since sputter faucets shouldn't occur unless there's damage somewhere, you should make every attempt to find the source of the issue. You might discover a crack in a pipe or an eroding seal that you'll be able to patch before a more serious problem arises.
Dirty Water
Many people take clean water for granted. When we go to our faucets and turn them on, we expect that we'll be able to consume anything that comes out of them without an issue. Transitioning over to a well system doesn't mean that you have to give up this privilege, but it does mean that you need to be more aware of potential signs of problems.
Infiltration of your well can lead to dirt, mud and other contaminants suddenly appearing in the water that comes from your faucets. You might also notice an unusual smell or perhaps even an unpleasant taste.
Tainted ground water has the potential to be a breeding ground for a variety of microbes and viruses that could make you incredibly sick, so you should never consume dirty water. If you notice a lack of clarity or another obvious issue, you should reach out for professional assistance.
Constantly Running Pump
It's important to remember that your well system is likely to use reservoir tanks that keep properly filtered and treated water at the ready for your use. This takes a great deal of stress off of your pump and should prevent it from having to run without stopping.
If your well pump seems to be constantly running, it may be a sign of a leak or a mechanical issue in the shutoff mechanism on the pump. Rather than allowing this to become the new normal, you should schedule a service visit to address the problem.
McCall Brothers Inc. has the necessary skills and experience to
drill a well you can rely on. Making the most of your well means responding to issues as they arise. Staying alerted to these warning signs can go a long way toward finding peace and security when it comes to your home’s water supply.
