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Living a House with Well Water: Know This!

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Living a house with well water has its unique challenges. Homeowners with private wells are fully responsible for their water quality, unlike homeowners with a public water supply who have their water treated by the relevant authorities in the city.

If you’re living a home with a private well, you have to be ready to provide your household with high-quality water.

In this article, we’ll enlighten you on all you need to know about.

Living a House with Well Water

What is Well Water?

Well water is mainly used by houses in rural and suburban areas. Well water is untreated water that comes directly from the ground. It comes from groundwater, rolling beneath rocks and soil. It usually contains contaminants like microorganisms and hard minerals. These contaminants can be filtered out and the water made clean with proper treatment.

Pros of Private Wells

What do you stand to gain from buying a house with its own private well? Here are several benefits attached to using a private well:

  • It is cheap – Using a public water supply means you’ll have water bills to pay. But with a private well, you don’t pay anything.
  • Well water tastes fresher – Well water can taste fresher than regular city water. Undoubtedly, water coming directly from the earth has its own appeal and is cooler than city water stored for mass distribution.
  • It contains more minerals and nutrients – Well water is a good source of minerals like sodium, calcium, magnesium, and even fluoride, which can be good for us in moderate doses.
living with well water tips

Cons of Private Wells

Private wells come with some disadvantages, too. Here are some downsides to using one:

  • Well water is hard – Well water is very high in minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals cause water hardness. Hard water is difficult to use. It makes dishwashing and laundry tedious. It also causes skin irritation and destroys hair texture. It leaves mineral deposits on glassware, kitchen and toilet fissures, and appliances like faucets, dishwashers, and washing machines.
  • Wells contain water contaminants and impurities – Well water contains some natural contaminants like bacteria. Heavy metals and pesticides can also pollute it. These contaminants can affect taste and smell, and be harmful to your health.
  • A well pump depends on electricity to work – If there’s a power outage, your house can lose access to water because the well pump won’t work without power. It’s advisable to have a standby hand pumping system.
  • Maintenance – Buying a house with a private well puts a lot of responsibility on homeowners. When you buy a home with a private well, you have to properly maintain it to ensure your home has a quality water supply.

Maintaining a House with Well Water

Maintaining a private well may seem like too much to handle, but it can be easy if you know what to do. Follow these maintenance steps to enjoy safe and clean drinking water from your private well:

Test Your Well Water Regularly

Your well water’s quality constantly changes because it comes from flowing groundwater. So it’s best to test it as many times as you possibly can. You can test for contaminants and microorganisms using a water testing kit. Test kits can detect contaminants like dissolved solids, nitrates, harmful bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals like fertilizer or pesticides. You should also look out for changes in your water’s appearance, smell, or taste.

how to keep well water safe

Do a Thorough Inspection on the Well Annually

At least once every year, you should call a professional to inspect your water’s quality and check your well for any mechanical issues that may arise.

Use a Water Softener

A water softener is equipment designed to reduce hardness in water. Water softeners remove calcium etc. responsible for water hardness. Hard water can cause plenty of problems for you. For example, hard water leaves scales in water-using appliances like washing machines and water heaters, causing them to be less efficient. This is where water softeners come in. Although, buying the right water softener system can be tricky. You can make a more informed decision by looking through some reviews of softeners for private wells. One popular brand: Culligan. How much do their systems cost? Here is a rundown!

Install a Water Filtering System

A water filtering system improves the quality of your home’s water supply. They filter well water making it much safer to drink.

FAQ

Do houses with a well water supply have low water pressure?

Houses with a well water supply oftentimes have lower water pressure than those with city, but well water pressure is fairly good. Well water pressure depends on how fast the well pump works.


Bottom Line

Having a private well can be demanding, but it has its upsides. It’s cheaper than the city water supply, and if properly maintained, the water is fresher too.