For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

You can check the size of the pump and storage tank to give you an idea
of the volume of the water supply. You can take a sample to a water
testing lab to see how clean it is.

Jantero wrote:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

I manage 8 shared wells for a small HOA. It amazes me the number of people who
buy very expensive homes and don't ask the questions you are asking, so
congratulations. You're off to a good start. If you are thinking about selling,
you'll be ahead of the game if you have this info for your potential buyer.

If I was considering purchasing a house on a well, I would insist that the
seller pay for a well contractor of *my* choosing to measure the water level and
flow rate of the well. That's going to cost a couple of hundred dollars to open
the well, perform the test, sanitize it and close it up. I'd also want an
assessment of how old the well pump is and what kind of condition it's in.
Replacing a pump can cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars (+/-)
depending on the depth of the well.

I'd insist on a copy of the drilling record. If the owner can't find it, there
should be a copy on file with the county or state engineer. That shows the
original level and flow rate for comparison purposes, as well as the geography
you're dealing with.

Then I'd find a local lab that will do water quality tests. At a minimum, I'd
get a nitrate/nitrite test and a total coliform/e coli test. Each test should
run less than $50 and will tell you if the well is being contaminated by a
nearby septic system or getting surface runoff water. The EPA publishes minimun
standards for public water systems. They don't apply to private wells, but will
give you an idea of what to look out for.

Finally, I'd talk to a couple of neighbors and ask them how their wells have
been doing and if there is any significant neighborhood information (irrigation
plans, new subdivision, etc.) you should be aware of.

"Jantero" wrote in message
...
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable - so
it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks



What part of Colorado? We have good water areas and bad water areas WW

On Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:04:55 -0700, Jantero
wrote Re Residential water well question:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

1) Do a flow test. Open an outside spigot and let the water flow at
full open. Let it continue to flow for several hours watching for any
loss of flow. If you get a loss of flow you have a problem well. If
no flow-loss you very likely have a good well. Of course you need to
monitor this test. Don't start it, leave, and come back. You don't
want the present owner to "interfere" with it while you are not there.
You can probably proceed with other inspections while the flow test is
running. Note: measuring the water level in the well is not a
sufficient test. You need to measure the well recharge rate. That's
what the flow test does.

2) If (1) proves ok, send a sample of the water to be tested. You
will need to be sure that the sample bottle is clean. Check with a
testing lab to see if they can provide a bottle.
--
Work is the curse of the drinking class.

On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks


In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata to
reach the aquifer. This would be versus a shallow well that depends on
ground level water and can run dry in a bad drought.

When I bought the house many years ago we had a note from the well
digger that the recovery rate was about 15 gal/min and I think minimally
acceptable is 5 gal/min. We've never had a supply problem.

Had water tested by plumber once for free for mineral content as they
were trying to sell a treatment system. I found results acceptable and
did not add a system.

Water, of course, has to be drinkable. Some chemicals may be harmless
but make the water unpalatable and you may need to treat or just use for
sinks and toilets and bring in bottled water.

Besides the water, you might want a plumber to check the system - pump
and pressure tank. I've had both fail and have to be replaced. Not
cheap but in the long run maybe half the cost of buying municipal water.

"Jantero" wrote in message
...
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable - so
it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks


Most states will test your well water for you
Go to your local county extension office
They will most likely have reams of brochures to help.

On Feb 28, 4:39*am, Caesar Romano wrote:
On Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:04:55 -0700, Jantero
wrote Re Residential water well question:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

1) Do a flow test. *Open an outside spigot and let the water flow at
full open. Let it continue to flow for several hours watching for any
loss of flow. *If you get a loss of flow you have a problem well. *If
no flow-loss you very likely have a good well. *Of course you need to
monitor this test. *Don't start it, leave, and come back. *You don't
want the present owner to "interfere" with it while you are not there.
You can probably proceed with other inspections while the flow test is
running. *Note: measuring the *water level in the well is not a
sufficient test. *You need to measure the well recharge rate. That's
what the flow test does.

2) If (1) proves ok, *send a sample of the water to be tested. *You
will need to be sure that the sample bottle is clean. *Check with a
testing lab to see if they can provide a bottle.
--
Work is the curse of the drinking class.


An approach like the above seems reasonable to
me. A decent flow rate is 15GPM, which is enough
to support a decent lawn sprinkler system, for example.
10GPM is still OK for normal domestic use. 5GPM is
probably the lower limit, but I'm sure there are wells
out there in use that are below that. It also obviously
depends on the area.

On Feb 28, 2:04*am, Jantero wrote:
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

All water problems can be fixed. Just some cost more than others.
Google potable water treatment or drinking water treatment.

On Feb 28, 6:07*am, Frank wrote:
On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata to
reach the aquifer. *This would be versus a shallow well that depends on
ground level water and can run dry in a bad drought.

When I bought the house many years ago we had a note from the well
digger that the recovery rate was about 15 gal/min and I think minimally
acceptable is 5 gal/min. *We've never had a supply problem.

Had water tested by plumber once for free for mineral content as they
were trying to sell a treatment system. I found results acceptable and
did not add a system.

Water, of course, has to be drinkable. *Some chemicals may be harmless
but make the water unpalatable and you may need to treat or just use for
sinks and toilets and bring in bottled water.

Besides the water, you might want a plumber to check the system - pump
and pressure tank. *I've had both fail and have to be replaced. *Not
cheap but in the long run maybe half the cost of buying municipal water.

Artesian water comes at the cost of settling the land, and depleting
the aquafe's ability to even 'hold' water. It is my understanding that
the land south of the bay in California has setteld over 90 feet!
Plus, in the 'old' days, if you didn't stop your well the water
literally gushed up and out and you were fined for not stopping it.
Now, it takes a lot of pumps to get that water up out of the ground.
If you go to the Yacht Harbor in Alviso and stand on the roof of the
two story Yacht Club building, you are about level with the bay.
That'sa lot of settling.

IMO water contamination is not adequately covered. People say, "Just
don't drink it." But, they'll still shower in the water, covering 100%
of their skin with the water - keep in mind a nicotine patch is what?
1 inch diamter? and it puts a LOT of stuff into your body THROUGH your
skin. Now, compare that to contaminated water [or at least, contining
questionable chemicals] over your whole body. How much absorbs?

On 2/27/2012 18:04, Jantero wrote:
For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks


Start here.

http://www.dwr.state.co.us/WellPermitSearch/

A whole lot of information about your well. Depth, type of rock at what
depths. GPM tests. etc. etc. Check out all linked documents for
images of original filings, etc. Who did the drilling, emplaced the
pump, did the tests.

The fastest way to a particular well is if you have the permit number.
Else use the location search.

County Assessor offices in Colorado mostly have ways to search for the
records of a property. Sometimes the well permit number will be there.
What county are you in? I might already know where the assessor records
are.

If you have access to MLS sheets, the permit number will be there.
(Realtor M.ultiple L.isting S.ervice).

Sometimes searching for a property at remax.com, zillow.com, or
realtor.com can get you to a property description with permit numbers.

On Feb 28, 10:49*am, Robert Macy wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:07*am, Frank wrote:





On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata to
reach the aquifer. *This would be versus a shallow well that depends on
ground level water and can run dry in a bad drought.

When I bought the house many years ago we had a note from the well
digger that the recovery rate was about 15 gal/min and I think minimally
acceptable is 5 gal/min. *We've never had a supply problem.

Had water tested by plumber once for free for mineral content as they
were trying to sell a treatment system. I found results acceptable and
did not add a system.

Water, of course, has to be drinkable. *Some chemicals may be harmless
but make the water unpalatable and you may need to treat or just use for
sinks and toilets and bring in bottled water.

Besides the water, you might want a plumber to check the system - pump
and pressure tank. *I've had both fail and have to be replaced. *Not
cheap but in the long run maybe half the cost of buying municipal water..

Artesian water comes at the cost of settling the land, and depleting
the aquafe's ability to even 'hold' water.

??? where did you get that? Not that there may be examples of it but
AFAIK that would be rare


It is my understanding that
the land south of the bay in California has setteld over 90 feet!

Are you confusing ground settling with aquifer depletion. Levels in
aquifers are getting lower all over the states but I don't hear
reports of the ground going down with it.

Plus, in the 'old' days, if you didn't stop your well the water
literally gushed up and out and you were fined for not stopping it.
Now, it takes a lot of pumps to get that water up out of the ground.
If you go to the Yacht Harbor in Alviso and stand on the roof of the
two story Yacht Club building, you are about level with the bay.
That'sa lot of settling.

If the ground were settling as the water dropped, then the distance
from surface to water level would remain the same.

snip

You may be right for the local area but I would want some cites before
trusting it.

Harry K

On Feb 28, 10:49*am, Robert Macy wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:07*am, Frank wrote:





On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata to
reach the aquifer. *This would be versus a shallow well that depends on
ground level water and can run dry in a bad drought.

When I bought the house many years ago we had a note from the well
digger that the recovery rate was about 15 gal/min and I think minimally
acceptable is 5 gal/min. *We've never had a supply problem.

Had water tested by plumber once for free for mineral content as they
were trying to sell a treatment system. I found results acceptable and
did not add a system.

Water, of course, has to be drinkable. *Some chemicals may be harmless
but make the water unpalatable and you may need to treat or just use for
sinks and toilets and bring in bottled water.

Besides the water, you might want a plumber to check the system - pump
and pressure tank. *I've had both fail and have to be replaced. *Not
cheap but in the long run maybe half the cost of buying municipal water..

Artesian water comes at the cost of settling the land, and depleting
the aquafe's ability to even 'hold' water. It is my understanding that
the land south of the bay in California has setteld over 90 feet!
Plus, in the 'old' days, if you didn't stop your well the water
literally gushed up and out and you were fined for not stopping it.
Now, it takes a lot of pumps to get that water up out of the ground.
If you go to the Yacht Harbor in Alviso and stand on the roof of the
two story Yacht Club building, you are about level with the bay.
That'sa lot of settling.

snip

I did a bit of googling. water in artesian wells is not forced out by
ground setling, water pressure in the aquifer pushes the water out if
the well is drilled in a spot lower than the surface of the
underground reservoir.

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclien...iw=942&bih=448

Dunno what all that hash is. Just google 'artesian well'. First hit
is good Wikki ref with pictures.

Harry K

Frank wrote:

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata
to reach the aquifer.

If you have to use a pump, you don't have an artesian well. "Artesian"
means that the water rises to the surface by hydrostatic pressure; i.e.,
there is a "head". A free flowing spring is an example.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On 2/28/2012 2:58 PM, dadiOH wrote:
Frank wrote:

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata
to reach the aquifer.

If you have to use a pump, you don't have an artesian well. "Artesian"
means that the water rises to the surface by hydrostatic pressure; i.e.,
there is a "head". A free flowing spring is an example.


Underground water that's replenished is what I have. Rock strata
reaching into Pennsylvania and down to the coast.

Local water company is Artesian Water and they call their wells artesian
wells. Closest to me is about a mile and a half and when first put in
some nearby wells dried up. Occasional droughts have led to water
restrictions but none have been called in maybe the last 5 years. I've
never noticed anything on my well which is about 125 foot deep.

In over 35+ years, we've gone through three pumps and three pressure
tanks but all in all maybe half the cost of buying water - which is not
available in neighborhood anyway. Similar comments for septic which is
another issue of concern with wells particularly shallow in high water
table areas, probably not op's.

On Feb 28, 12:56*pm, Harry K wrote:
On Feb 28, 10:49*am, Robert Macy wrote:



On Feb 28, 6:07*am, Frank wrote:

On 2/27/2012 9:04 PM, Jantero wrote:

For houses with their own water wells, what kind of evaluations and what
info sources do you go to?

Obviously, if you can't get enough safe water, the house is unlivable -
so it's number one on the list to be checked out.

I can't find any books that focus on this and I'm hoping some people in
here know about this kind of stuff.

The specific are I'm interested in is Colorado.

Thanks

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata to
reach the aquifer. *This would be versus a shallow well that depends on
ground level water and can run dry in a bad drought.

When I bought the house many years ago we had a note from the well
digger that the recovery rate was about 15 gal/min and I think minimally
acceptable is 5 gal/min. *We've never had a supply problem.

Had water tested by plumber once for free for mineral content as they
were trying to sell a treatment system. I found results acceptable and
did not add a system.

Water, of course, has to be drinkable. *Some chemicals may be harmless
but make the water unpalatable and you may need to treat or just use for
sinks and toilets and bring in bottled water.

Besides the water, you might want a plumber to check the system - pump
and pressure tank. *I've had both fail and have to be replaced. *Not
cheap but in the long run maybe half the cost of buying municipal water.

Artesian water comes at the cost of settling the land, and depleting
the aquafe's ability to even 'hold' water. It is my understanding that
the land south of the bay in California has setteld over 90 feet!
Plus, in the 'old' days, if you didn't stop your well the water
literally gushed up and out and you were fined for not stopping it.
Now, it takes a lot of pumps to get that water up out of the ground.
If you go to the Yacht Harbor in Alviso and stand on the roof of the
two story Yacht Club building, you are about level with the bay.
That'sa lot of settling.

snip

I did a bit of googling. *water in artesian wells is not forced out by
ground setling, water pressure in the aquifer pushes the water out if
the well is drilled in a spot lower than the surface of the
underground reservoir.

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclien...+well+definiti...

Dunno what all that hash is. *Just google 'artesian well'. *First hit
is good Wikki ref with pictures.

Harry K

I did not say the ground settling CAUSED the water to come out. It was
merely a statement that the water USED TO come out, no longer
does ...for whatever reason.

When I first drove by the Yacht Club building at the Yacht Harbor in
Alviso, we thought it was some kind of joke, labeling a building below
water line that way. It was not until a few years later I ran across
the articles describing the 'sinking' of the area that I realized the
article was true. I had seen the resulting effect for myself. The
article attributed the settling to the removal of water.

On 2/28/2012 2:58 PM, dadiOH wrote:
Frank wrote:

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata
to reach the aquifer.

If you have to use a pump, you don't have an artesian well. "Artesian"
means that the water rises to the surface by hydrostatic pressure; i.e.,
there is a "head". A free flowing spring is an example.

In some/many places the term also is used to describe any underground
water "formation" that's "pressurized."

As an example, our home is within a few hundred feet of literal
tidewater. We are less than 100' above sea level. Our well is about
240' deep and I was told my the guy who replace the old pump (which was
30 years old, BTW) that the pump was about 200' in the ground.

But the "well guy" also said that the static water level was only about
80' down. IOW: the water formation has enough pressure not only to
keep out the tidal salt water but also to fill our well casing to "sea
level."

Many of the folks who were born and raised in the Virginia Norther Neck
would say we had an "artesian" well despite the fact that the pressure
isn't sufficient to bring the water to the surface.

I'm inclined to agree with them. My thinking is that were I to have a
"true" artesian well with the water flowing to the surface with the aide
of a pump and the pressure dropped just to the point where the water
stopped flowing out of the casing but still rose to the ground surface,
the well is essentially the same but the pressure dropped by less than 1
psi. If it was an artesian well before the 1 psi drop, it's an
artesian well after the drop.

On Mar 1, 9:02*am, John Gilmer wrote:
On 2/28/2012 2:58 PM, dadiOH wrote:

Frank wrote:

In my case I think it is an artesian well as it is dug through strata
to reach the aquifer.

If you have to use a pump, you don't have an artesian well. *"Artesian"
means that the water rises to the surface by hydrostatic pressure; i.e.,
there is a "head". *A free flowing spring is an example.

In some/many places the term also is used to describe any underground
water "formation" that's "pressurized."

As an example, our home is within a few hundred feet of literal
tidewater. * We are less than 100' above sea level. * Our well is about
240' deep and I was told my the guy who replace the old pump (which was
30 years old, BTW) that the pump was about 200' in the ground.

But the "well guy" also said that the static water level was only about
80' down. * IOW: *the water formation has enough pressure not only to
keep out the tidal salt water but also to fill our well casing to "sea
level."

Many of the folks who were born and raised in the Virginia Norther Neck
would say we had an "artesian" well despite the fact that the pressure
isn't sufficient to bring the water to the surface.

I'm inclined to agree with them. * My thinking is that were I to have a
"true" artesian well with the water flowing to the surface with the aide
of a pump and the pressure dropped just to the point where the water
stopped flowing out of the casing but still rose to the ground surface,
the well is essentially the same but the pressure dropped by less than 1
psi. * If it was an artesian well before the 1 psi drop, it's an
artesian well after the drop.





Yes, the term is used that way and you can find it in dictionaries as
such but never as the first meaning. I think it is one of those
meanings that has come to be accepted because of icommonly being used
incorrectly.

Harry K