Wells
A well will be installed for a home when there is no municipal water source.
Before drilling a well there are certain things that should be taken into consideration to be sure that the home has an adequate supply of water for the family. Many local well drillers will be familiar enough with the area to help in placement of the well and also might have a good idea of the yield. Homeowner's will want to take into account all of the items listed below and make the well driller aware of any high use water items in the home such as whirlpools, sets of body sprays in the shower etc.
"Enough" water means sufficient quantity to meet the following need:
- Everyday use: drinking, cooking, and water for "plumbing" (toilets, bathtubs, showers, automatic washers, dishwashers, and many other water using automatic appliances)
- Seasonal use: lawn and garden watering, car washing, and swimming pool
- Other special uses: animal watering, crop irrigation, and water treatment devices that require backwashing
- Fire protection: this is a special need for which a home seldom depends on a well. The local fire department usually has access to large quantities of water from nondrinkable ponds or surface water.
It is not unusual for the peak water usage in the home to be over a few hour period, typically in the mornings and evenings and it may be used all over the home, bathroom, laundry, kitchen and lawn at once. It is imperative that the well system be able to handle this demand.
Three factors must be considered when determining how much is enough:
- Flow rate: continuous rate of yield for well
- Size of the well: diameter and depth of well
- Static level: level at which water stands in a well when no water is being pumped from the well
An experienced well driller and pump installer will be able to size a well according to the needs of the family. However, the amount of water that is available to use is only the amount that is in the ground. If the well is a low yield well, there is nothing even the best pump installer can do to "make" more water.
