Common Water Well Pump Problems That Could Be Causing a Water Shortage

Drilling your own well can give you the benefit of fresh, clean and low cost water in steady supply. But you still need to be responsible by maintaining and fixing problems in your water well system. If there’s no water coming out of your faucets, there could be a number of problems wrong with your water well system, particularly the pump. They include:

No power supply

The water pump is powered by electricity. If there is not power supply to the pump, it will not run or pump water into your house. You need to make sure there is power running to the water pump and that it is switched on. There could be a problem with the electrical components of the pump due to a power surge, tripped circuit or increased power usage. You may need to call an electrician for this.

Dropping water levels

Well water pumps are often designed to draw water from a specific water depth. If the water level falls below the pump reach, it will not be able to draw up water from the wall and this could lead to a shortage in the water supply. If the weather has been dry lately, this could be the reason why your pump is running but not bringing up any water. Another sign of a drop in the water level is murky or muddy water or a change in the taste of the water.

Pump in the wrong spot

Since the pump is only designed to reach a certain depth of water, wrong placement could cause some problems with the water supply. The water pump should be installed deep enough that a drop in the water level still allows it to draw water from the well. In case the water level is below the reach of the pump, it will end up drawing air into the system. Get a professional to measure the water depth and correctly place the pump to prevent this problem.  

Pump size

The size of your water well pump should increase with the increase in water demands of your home. If you install more fixtures than the pump’s water supply capacity, then you will definitely have a problem with the volume and pressure of water that reaches you. If you use large amounts of water for irrigation or feeding animals, you will need a larger water pump.

Pressure tank problems

The pressure tank works together with the pump to deliver water. If the pressure tank fails, the water pump can’t work either. Too much water being drawn from the pressure tank often causes the switch to shut down the system as a fail-safe feature so check if the switch has not shut down before looking for other problems. You can reset the pressure tank switch by loosing water valves to the delivery system and lifting handle to engage the switch. Reopen the water valves after the pressure tank fills up.

Posted By: Lightnin Quick Pump Repair  http://lightninquick.com/

Common Water Well Problems That Could Be Affecting Your Well

If you have dug and built your own water well in your property, you may encounter a few problems now and then. Most of these problems are usually due to equipment failure, aquifer depletion and improper construction among other factors. Being able to correctly identify the problem can lead to a quick solution instead of abandoning the well like most people often do. The following are some of the common problems that you may find.

Pump power connection

Have you ever been at your wits end trying to figure out why an appliance is not working only to realize that it is not plugged in? Sometimes the main reason why the pump is not working and there is no water coming out of your taps is because of lack of power running to the water pump. Checking the pumps power connection is the first step in the troubleshooting process.

Drop in the water level

Sometimes, prolonged dry weather can cause a drop in the wells water level. Some of the signs of doubt include murky, muddy or a change in the taste of water from your well. You may also notice your faucets sputtering and spitting instead of running like normal. In such cases, you may need to change the pump position or wait until the water level goes back to normal.

Water pump in the wrong spot

If the water pump cannot reach the right depth inside the well, it will not be able to reliably deliver water to your faucets. The pump should be installed deep enough to ensure that in case the water level drops, it will still be able to draw water from the well. So when the water is below the depth that the pump reaches, the pump will be drawing air instead of water. You need a technician to adjust the pump level.

Your pump is too small

Another reason why you are not getting enough water from your faucets is a small pump capacity with too many outlets. If you are using water for irrigation and other activities that demand a large output, you will need to get a bigger water pump.

Well design and construction

You should always work with a licensed well contractor when constructing a new well. Otherwise you will have problems related to poor well design and construction. In cases of poor well construction, you will notice sediments in your water, damage to the pumping system or a reduced yield in the output. You may need to construct a new well if the poor design cannot be salvaged.

Incomplete well development

Well development at the end of the well digging process is necessary to ensure it functions at maximum efficiency. All the drilling mud and borehole cuttings may partially block the aquifer. If this material is not removed by a licensed well contractor, the water will not freely enter the well and you may never get a steady stream of clean water from your faucets. 

Posted By: Lightnin Quick Pump Repair Service  http://lightninquick.com/

What To Expect During A Well System Inspection

Whether you just bought a home with a well and you need the system to be inspected, or you have completed an installation in recent months, and you want the newly installed well assessed, it’s important to understand what goes on during an inspection. A water well system checkup is very important as it ensures everything is in good condition. It is done to ensure that any water tapped by the well is of the highest quality. So what should you expect during the inspection process?

What to do before the well inspection

As you prepare for the well inspection to be conducted by an expert, you need to obtain records that contain all the information about the well. It is important for the well technicians to have a look at the history of the well even before they conduct the inspection. When a new well is installed, the contractor is required to submit a well log to their respective state. This log should be available to the homeowner so that they can provide it to any technician who needs to service the well when that time comes.

What happens during the well inspection?

Soon after you provide the necessary documents to the contractor, the next step is to visit the site and conduct the actual inspection. One of the main things they will have to do is to determine the system’s output and also check the level of water before it is pumped and during pumping. Inspection also covers pump motor performance. This simply means that they have to check whether the well pump has adequate amp load and voltage to optimize performance.

Other inspections

Contractors usually check well equipment used to ensure that it doesn’t carry any harmful bacteria that would make the water unsanitary. In fact, any well equipment used on site should be in line with the local code requirements.

They will also test the water coming from the well to ensure that it doesn’t contain bacteria or other minerals like nitrates, iron and manganese. There are some areas which are known to be at high risk of certain dangerous deposits like sulfides which the contractor must also check to ensure they are not present in your well water. Presence of such contaminants is not just a health risk but may also bring about plumbing issues or change the water appearance and odor.

What happens after the inspection is complete?

When well system inspection is done, the contractors will prepare a detailed report that includes all the findings. You will also have a list of recommendations which may help you to improve the well. All the results of tests done in the laboratory will be included in the report.

You need to go through this report carefully with your contractor and discuss ways to improve the performance of your well and prevent health and plumbing issues that may arise due to certain risks. Take any recommendations given to you by the inspector seriously because they may cost you a lot of time and money if overlooked.

Posted By: Lightnin Quick   http://lightninquick.com/