Water Well Check-Up

Today I am writing about a water well check up and how to do a mini one for yourself.  Now if you live in Haslet, Bridgeport, Chico, Rhome, Springtown, Denton, Boyd, Paradise, Alvord, Decatur or any city in Wise, Montague, Parker, Jack, Denton or Tarrant counties and you have a water well then you may want to take notes.  Firstly the worst thing that can happen is you would have to replace your pump and that can run from around $550.00 for a 1/2 hp pump to upwards of $1,000.00 for a 1 1/2 hp pump.  Usually the well company will charge a dollar a foot round trip, that means if your pump is 240 feet then it will cost you $240.00 for labor.  You can prevent some of this.  An indicator that something is wrong is if your pump cuts on and then off in a matter of seconds, this could mean that the pressure tank may be bad, the first thing you want to do is check your pressure tank.  If you have a bladder tank you can check it by turning off your pump and then draining the water from the tank, you can use an air gauge and check to see if there is any air in it at the top of the tank.  If there is no air then your tank is bad and you need to replace it.  You can put some air into the tank and if it holds you can wait until you get the money to buy another one.  I am not sure of others prices but ours go for $350.00 for a 33 gallon, $450.00 for a 44 gal tank, these are the most common and come with a 5 year warranty.  If you don't have an air gauge you can shake the tank and if you hear water sloshing around in the tank then it is bad, or if the tank feels as if it is full of water then it is bad as well.  Now if you have a galvanized or large silver tank and your pump is cutting on and off in a matter of seconds then you have either a water logged tank or air locked tank.  You can tell by putting your hand at the top of the tank and slowly run it down to the bottom and feel for a temperature difference.  The difference should be about 12-18 inches from the top.  If it is the same temp to the bottom then your tank needs fixing.  Now if you get a lot of air in the house out of the faucets then it is probably air locked and you need a new AVC valve, (air volume control) it is what sticks out of the side of the tank and has the pressure gauge on it.  You can turn your pump off and drain all the water from the tank and then take a 9/16 inch wrench and remove the pressure gauge slowly.  Be careful as with all the pressure it may pop out of your hand and it will make a lot of noise so you may want ear plugs if in a small space.  Once all the air is out you can turn your pump on and wait until the water begins to come out of where the pressure gauge goes in and quickly put your pressure gauge back in and it will pressure up normally and you will have time to call someone to fix it.  Now the way to tell if the tank is water logged you can do one of two things, first you can push on the snifter valve (air valve stuck in the pipe or check vavle) and if water comes out with your pump off then the check valve is bad, if you don't see one then you can remove the pressure relief valve on top of the well head and if water comes out then you have the same problem.  Becareful removing the pressure relief valve because you could accidentally break the pipe your pump is hanging on.  You will need to apply consistant pressure with two pipe wrenches when taking it off.  You can either replace the check valve yourself or call someone who can.  FYI, we at All American Water Softeners&Filtration can do this for you.  (940) 389-4305 or you can call your favorite water well company.  This is the easiest way to check your system and if you need someone to come out ask them to check your start capacitor and pressure switch, if you have any questions you can call us and we will help you over the phone.  Have a great day and may all go well with you, pun intended!!!