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Well and Pump Services – Dealing with a Declining Water Yield

Well and Pump Services – Dealing with a Declining Water Yield

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Many people take water for granted until they turn on their taps and no water comes out. This is especially a problematic situation for homeowners who have private water wells as they are responsible to get to the root cause of problems and treat them.

First Things First: Determine the Cause of the Problem  

Knowing is half the battle. If you don’t have running water, there are a few things to check before you arrive at a conclusion. Here are some common causes of reduced water levels.

Lack of Maintenance

First and foremost, check the conditioning equipment attached to your plumbing. If you do not remember the last time you maintained them, call a well water service in Santa Rosa as soon as possible to schedule a maintenance.

Some projects are best left to professionals. Well maintenance is one of them. Avoid taking the DIY route even if you know how your well water system works.

Blockage

A well can become clogged with sediment or sand over time. Clay can build up within your well and block the water pump. In many cases, scale buildups from chemical precipitation cause blockages. Sometimes, bacteria and algae build up on the screen and intake valve, causing them to become clogged, or affect their ability to accept water.

These problems do not occur overnight. Regular well maintenance will reveal these problems before they snowball into major concerns.

Imbalances in water chemical profile can cause blockages and chemical buildups. Have an expert test the pH, acidity, hardness, turbidity, and alkalinity of your well water. Check the level of manganese in your water periodically.

Tests related to land uses should be performed every three years.

Natural Causes

Some water levels do decline over time, regardless of drought. If there is any room in the well below where you existing pump is set, it may be possible to lower the well pump further to gain more access to water.  If there is simply no more room to lower your pump, digging a new well altogether and going deeper may be needed.

Water Well Rehabilitation

Measures taken to rectify these or other water well problems that affect well yield are referred to as water well rehabilitation or restoration. A successful rehabilitation plan maximizes the flow of water from the well. Delaying rehabilitation procedures can result in increased costs, or worse, irreversible damage could occur.

Some signs you need a water well rehabilitation are: decreased water level, decreased pumping rate, decreased total well depth, and increased sediment level in your water.

Upon noticing a decline in well yield, have a professional inspect your well. Many well contractors use cameras to perform inspections. If debris is blocking the water flow, your contractor may introduce chemicals to the well to agitate the water column and get rid of blockages.

Your contractor may be able to scrub the affected well screens to remove scale and bacteria, sometimes with the assistance of acid or chemicals.

In some cases, specialized equipment are used to remove blockages. Some contractors use physical methods to clean wells that involve using a brush attached to a drilling rig, others use well surging, which involves raising and lowering a surge block inside the well to create surging motion that loosens sediment after it has been pulled from the formation into the well.

Oftentimes, blockages occur due to chemical and biological incrustations – physical obstructions that develop on well screens and rock fractures delivering water to it or the borehole. Incrustations occur from the buildup of iron and manganese compounds and calcium and magnesium salts.

If chemical incrustation has occurred, your contractor will use strong acid solutions to dissolve these materials. Once loosened or dissolved, the incrustation materials are pumped from the well.

A damaged pump is a recipe for disaster and can affect your water yield. If your contractor determines that your pump is damaged, they will repair or replace the motor parts in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

At Weeks Drilling & Pump Co, we have extensive experience of constructing and maintaining water systems. We use state-of-the-art technology and time-tested drilling methods. Our commitment and expertise give us an edge. To inquire about our services, call 707-823-3184.