Well Inspections
Having your well-inspected annually is crucial for protecting your family’s health, preventing expensive repairs, and ensuring a reliable, long-lasting water supply. Unlike municipal water systems that are regularly monitored, the responsibility for maintaining a private well and ensuring its water is safe falls entirely on the homeowner.
For your health and safety
- Identifies contaminants: A professional inspection includes lab testing of your water for invisible but dangerous contaminants like bacteria (such as E. coli), nitrates, and heavy metals. Contaminants can enter the well from agricultural runoff, septic systems, or other sources, often without affecting the water’s taste or smell.
- Tracks changes in water quality: Consistent annual testing creates a baseline record of your water quality, making it easier to spot subtle changes over time. Changes can signal a developing problem within the well or in the surrounding environment.
- Protects vulnerable individuals: Infants, the elderly, and pregnant women are especially susceptible to certain contaminants, like high levels of nitrates. Regular testing is vital to ensure their safety.
Why Should I Test My Well Water Annually?
Water is supplied to homes from a city water supply or a private well in New Jersey. While the EPA regulates public water systems, they do not have the authority to regulate private wells. That means if you have well water, no experts are inspecting your water quality before it is channeled to your tap!
Households relying on well water should take special precautions to ensure their drinking water is safe for consumption. In addition to testing hardness and pH levels, homeowners with well water systems should have their water tested for bacteria and nitrates.
When Should I Have My Well Inspected?
It isn’t always easy to know when to test your well water, but here are a few recommendations from the professionals at PlumbWell:
- If you have no recent test results or any record of previous tests for your home, request a well water inspection ASAP.
- Test annually for nitrates if you live in an agricultural area or have an on-site septic system.
- If you notice any change in your water’s taste, color, or odor, you need to request a test of your water.
- Test more than once a year in special situations, such as someone in the household is pregnant or nursing; there are unexplained illnesses in the family; your neighbors find a dangerous contaminant in their water; or a spill of chemicals or fuels occurs into or near your well.
- Test after flooding in or near the well to determine if flood water carried bacteria or other contaminants into the well system.
How Else Can I Protect My Groundwater Supply & Well System?
Preventing issues with your well water is the best way to ensure that your water is safe for consumption. Here are a few ways you can protect your system:
- Ensure your well is properly capped. If your well is not capped, surface runoff could impact your water source, including pesticides, fertilizers, animal feces, road salts, oil and gasoline runoff from roadways, and animals and bugs that could crawl into your well and die.
- Keep household chemicals and paint away from your well and dispose of them properly.
- Limit your use of pesticides and fertilizers.
- Be careful when you mow around your well so you don’t damage the well casing.
Want to ensure your well water is safe to drink? Call today to schedule a clean water check with PlumbWell.
The check-up includes:
- On-site water testing for hardness, pH levels, total dissolved solids, and sulfur.
- Special FREE on-site bacteria test.
- 36-point well system inspection that covers: well pump and motor specifications, outside wellhead, well tank, electrical check, general well health.
PlumbWell provides expert water quality and well system services. Our staff is available all day to ensure your water flows as it should and is clean and healthy for consumption.