How to Properly Maintain Your Well Water System

Many of us live in areas where there is no city water supply; therefore we are our own water system operator. When you are on well water things are a bit different when compared to using city water. First of all you are responsible for any water treatment equipment which may be required in order for you to actually use the well water.

There can be numerous contaminants that we find objectionable, primarily dealing with odors, taste, and staining. There is almost always a water treatment solution that will work for your well, but some problems are more extreme than others, many of these can cause the treatment equipment cost to be exceptionally high. No matter what your well water is like you need to make sure the well and its associated equipment are up to par and always in good working condition.

So what exactly is the well water system made up of? First you typically have an electric pump either hanging deep inside the well, or a specially made "jet pump" above ground that is tasked with drawing the water out of the well casing at a flow and pressure that we can use in the home. Each type pump is specific to the depth and recovery volume of your particular well, and it is important to note that one size does not really fit all. At the very end of the pump in the suction side there is typically a check valve called a foot valve, and this is there to prevent water from flowing back out of the pump line in between cycles.

The casing is put in by a well driller and at the end is a very special point with a screen that allows water in and holds back debris like bits of rock, sand, and silt. This screen is extremely important to the good performance of your well and may periodically need to be blasted clean with a high pressure water jet, or a chemical cleaning, which must be done by a professional water treatment expert. In a poorly installed well or one with acidic water you may have a catastrophic failure of the well where the screen or even the casing collapses and the solids fill the pump and piping until the flow stops and the pump is destroyed. This is rare but still happens today. Signs of a problem would be very long cycle times on your well pump or frequently having low pressure or running out of water.

There is a small tank of some sort at the piping connection as the water pipe first exits the well, and this tank is usually blue, sometimes gray, and occasionally tan. This tank is very special as it has an air bladder which must be set to a specific pressure that is based on your well pump switch settings. The data plate on these tanks shows exactly what to set the air pressure to. Warning is to only check and adjust the air bladder with no water pressure in the house piping. Turn off pump, and open any cold water valve until the pressure gauge at the base of this tank shows zero.

Now take an accurate tire pressure gauge and see if the bladder pressure matches your pump settings. These values must be collected by watching the well pump cycle on and off a few times noting the stop and start pressures. Typically the switches are set to 40 to start the pump and 60 to stop it. Special cases can call for lower ranges but most often it is going to be 40-60 or 30-50. If you need more than a few pounds of air in this tank then the trick is to take it really easy as you do not want to explode this rubber bladder. I use a hand pump intended for pumping up bicycle tires. It is tempting to use an electric compressor but these can pulse hard and might damage the bladder in which case you will usually need a new tank.

The pressure switch is easily adjusted but some caution is in order as it is typically live with power when you are testing and adjusting the system. There are two threaded studs inside the gray cover of your pressure switch, this is the small gray box that has electrical wires and a pressure tubing going to it. With the correct sized nut driver I will adjust the two studs until the pump cycles on and off at the proper settings. This may take three or four tries as adjusting one nut can affect the trip point of the other.

The shorter stud has a heavier spring which typically flips a cantilevered plate that is being pushed by the hydraulic pressure of your water against a diaphragm. This plate shifts across and offset center line to open or close the electrical contacts which are attached to this plate in alignment with the contacts that the electrical wires are attached to.

One very important component in our well water pumping system is the check valve that is on the piping just as the water line exits the well head. This check valve is there to keep water from flowing back down the well tubing. It is usually a flapper check valve design and if it is leaking back in to the pump line can cause the pump to cycle on and off frequently. If you watch the gauge just as your pump stops the gauge will flicker a few psi and stabilize at or near your shut off point. With no water being used this pressure should stay at the same number for at least 20-30 minutes, and much longer in a good solid leak free system. If the pressure goes down faster than this and you are not using water anywhere then this check valve may need cleaned or replaced. Everything wears out over time and these valves are no exception.

Finally there is the rest of your piping system; this needs to be leak free and in good enough condition to handle all of your water usage demands without having major failures. If you experience water hammer then somewhere in your piping system there may be some trapped air that cannot escape. This can be due to an odd plumbing condition where the air cannot vent up to the highest shower head or faucet, or the pressure tank is not set up properly.

Sources:
Well Water Specialist, Water Treatment Expert, Plumber and Mechanic, Homeowner 30+ years.