Common Residential Well Issues and Their Fixes
All home plumbing systems can develop issues over time, and wells are no exception. If you own a home that has a well, here are some common issues that your well could develop and how they should be repaired.
No Water Comes From the Tap
If no water comes from your home’s faucets, the well system obviously is malfunctioning somewhere. A few different issues can cause this, however, and they range in complexity.
First, your well’s pump may simply have lost electricity. Your mechanical pump won’t have electricity during a power outage, but it also can lose electricity when there’s not an outage. Check your home’s circuit breaker to see if the pump’s circuit has tripped, and flip the circuit back if it has. If a tripped circuit caused the issue, the pump will work and water will flow again.
Second, your pump could have failed. Pumps are mechanical components, and they eventually wear out even when you take proper care of them. This is likely the issue if your pump runs, but it makes strange noises and doesn’t actually bring up water. A failed pump must be replaced with a new one, which is a fairly simple repair.
Third, your well itself could be dry. Sometimes wells in arid climates run dry, especially toward the end of an extended period with no precipitation.
When a well runs dry, you can either have water trucked in until rain comes again or dig the well deeper. The former option is an easy solution that provides temporary relief. The latter option is an involved process but can serve as a permanent solution if your well regularly goes dry.
Water Sputters When It Flows
If water comes out of a tap but sputters, then air is getting into the system somewhere. Air interspersed with water creates bubbles in the pipes, and these bubbles cause the sputters when they exit a faucet.
An ideal well system won’t allow any air in, and too much air can cause a system to lose its pressure. Thus, this is an issue that you should address even if the sputtering seems minor. A little air leak will eventually grow into a bigger problem.
Sputtering is frequently caused by leaks somewhere in a well system’s pipes and tubes. The joints where pipes meet are a common place where air can get in, as pipes can become misaligned and sealants can wear out over time. A well repair technician can figure out where a system is allowing air in when this happens, and they can fix the issue.
Water Is Cloudy When It Flows
If water comes through a faucet brown, gray, or cloudy, then the well system is drawing from a low water level. This may be a temporary problem, particularly if your area has gone through an unusually dry period. It also could be a sign that a well is misaligned.
When a low water level is the result of a prolonged dry spell, you don’t necessarily need to repair the well itself. You should, however, avoid using water as much as possible until rain comes again. The cloudiness in the water is from little particles of silt or sediment, and they can shorten the life span of your pump if too many particles go through the system.
When cloudiness is a persistent problem, a professional technician should reassess the well’s design. Even though the well may have been properly installed, water levels may change and adjustments might need to be made as a result.
If you have a well system or water pump that needs service, contact Bruce MacKay Pump & Well Service.