Well inspection

Water Well Repair Near Me is an independent referral service, not a well contractor, inspector or laboratory. When you send the form, your request goes to this site’s operator, who passes it to an independent local well pro who can contact you and prepare a quote for the work.

Why inspect a well that works

Because the owner is the one responsible. EPA states that private well owners are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to their households, and that private wells are not regulated by the federal government under the Safe Drinking Water Act, nor by most states. An inspection is how an owner finds a cracked seal or a failing tank before it becomes no water on a busy morning.

What EPA asks owners to check

EPA’s advice to well owners includes a short list of things to inspect from time to time at the wellhead. Any well inspection should start here:

• Cracked, corroded or damaged well casing
• A broken or missing well cap
• Surface seals that have settled or cracked
• Ground around the well that slopes toward it instead of draining away
• Chemicals, fuels, fertilizers or pesticides stored or used near the well

EPA also asks owners to install a well cap or sanitary seal, to keep hazardous chemicals out of septic systems, and to have septic systems pumped and inspected as often as the local health department recommends. Florida’s Department of Health lists poorly maintained septic systems, livestock areas, fertilizer and poorly built wells as ways bacteria and nitrate reach a well.

What a well inspection may cover

There is no single national checklist, so ask the pro what theirs includes before the visit. A thorough inspection may look at:

What a well inspection may include

Part	What may be looked at
Wellhead	Casing, cap, seal, the ground around it and what is stored nearby
Pump	Whether it starts and stops as it should, and how it sounds
Pressure tank	Air charge, signs of waterlogging, rust or leaks
Pressure switch and gauge	Whether the pump starts and stops at the right pressures
Wiring and controls	The pump’s circuit, breaker and any control box
Flow	How much water the system delivers at a tap
Water	A sample for a certified lab, or a recommendation to have one taken

If the inspection finds a problem, the pro can explain what they saw and prepare a quote. The pages on well pump repair and well pressure tank replacement explain two follow-up jobs.

The water test

An inspection of the equipment says nothing about what is in the water. EPA’s advice is to test a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, at a laboratory certified for drinking water. The local health department may provide private well testing for free. Ask the pro whether their inspection includes a lab sample, and which lab they use. The well water testing page covers the rest.

Buying or selling a house with a well

For a sale, the inspection protects both sides. A buyer learns what condition the well is in and what the water test shows. A seller can deal with problems before they surface in negotiations. Florida’s Department of Health publishes guidance for anyone buying a home with a well; check whether your own state’s health department does the same.

• Ask the seller for the well’s records: when it was drilled, its depth, past repairs and tests.
• Book the inspection and the water test early, so results are back before deadlines.
• Ask whether your lender or your state has its own well testing rules for a sale.
• Keep copies of everything for your own records after the sale.

Keep the records

EPA asks owners to keep accurate records of well maintenance. Add each inspection report and lab result to the folder. Over the years, those papers show whether anything is changing, and they give the next pro who works on the well a head start. The well maintenance page lists what else belongs in a yearly routine.

Questions people ask