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Tips for Maintaining Your Well This Fall

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Tomorrow is the first day of fall! To celebrate the change of the seasons, let’s look at what steps you can take to keep your well maintained this fall. 1.Keep Your Well Cap Clear of Debris  Remove any physical debris from around your well. Leaves, twigs, branches or anything else that can obstruct your well cap should be cleared away. This is a great chance to also check the well cap itself for signs of deterioration 2.Prep Your Well For Winter Make sure any exposed pipe that runs through non-heated space is insulated against the cold. Foam pipe insulation is a popular choice for its ease of use. 3. Yearly Service This is also a great time to have your system checked for any issues. Many mechanical problems in your water system will become worse in winter. The cold and snow can also make it more difficult to solve these issues. If you have not had your annual service yet, get it scheduled before snow falls. That is it! Follow these three steps and you are ready to go for the fal

How Deep Does a Well Need To Be?

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  Many people ask how deep their well should be. After all if there is water at 30 feet, shouldn’t we stop drilling? Let's find out.   How deep should a water well be? According to the Water Systems Council’s Wellcare program, the average consumer water well ranges between 100 and 800 feet, but some do reach over 1,000 feet deep. The purpose of drilling a water well is to find water, but there several things to consider when drilling. 1.       Contaminants There may be water very shallow under the surface. The issue with this is there may be any number of contaminants from the surface accessing that water. Road salt, car exhaust, or anything else may seep into that water. Also, in times of drought, a shallow well is more likely to run dry. 2.       What Is In The Ground When drilling, a contractor can go through several different layers of soil before hitting bedrock. There may be water available at a relatively shallow layer of soil, but this soil could be made up of c

Home Water Treatment System

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  So you had your well water tested and need a water filtration or treatment system. What do you need to know about choosing a water treatment system?   What water treatment system you need depends on what is in your water. Systems are created to filter out specific material or chemicals such as minerals or heavy metals. Even if you clearly have sediment in your water, you should have it tested so you know exactly what and how much material is in your water. With that being said let’s look at some common water treatment systems. Ion exchange System Ion exchange systems use resin to replace either cations or anions with sodium ions and chloride ions. They typically use sodium chloride to provide these ions. This neutralizes the water. Salt brine is then used to recharge the water. Ion exchange systems can be used to soften water and remove certain chemicals depending on the resin used. Water Filtration Systems Water filtration systems are used to remove particulates and mate

Is it Time To Get Your Well Water Tested?

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Is it Time To Get Your Well Water Tested? In last week’s blog post about what to know about your well, we learned that well water should be tested at least once a year. In today’s post we are looking at signs that you should get your water tested sooner rather than later.   The number one way you know it’s time to get your water tested is if it has been a year or more since it was last tested. Well water should be tested at least once every year. This should align with having your water system reviewed and serviced each year. Now let’s look at some other reasons. Visual or taste difference in water If there is a sudden difference in how your water looks or tastes, then you should have your system looked at and water tested. Problems in well water usually take a long period of time to become noticeable. If there us a sudden change, that might indicate a a significant breakdown in your water system. Heavy rainfall or extreme weather If there has been flooding from heavy rai

Owning A Home With A Well

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  What's that boy? There’s a well in the backyard! Here’s everything you need to know about water wells, before you close on your house.   In 2015 it was estimated that 42 Million people in the United States used wells for their home’s   water supply. A great majority of these homes are located in the north east, so it should be no surprise to you if you move to a house and find it uses well water. Well, no pun intended, this is your guide to what to look out for when you are interested in buying a home that has a well. How Does It Work? If you remember in high school learning about the water cycle, then you know that a good portion of water from runoff, lakes, rivers, rain, and snow all soak into the ground. This excess water that is not absorbed by plants will pool together deep in the ground. You can access this water by drilling deep enough. The hole has a metal tube placed in it called a casing that stops the ground from collapsing in on itself. Now, unless you plan on

Troubleshooting A Dry Well

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  You reach to turn on your shower faucet, waiting for the soothing hot water to prepare you for the day ahead. You wait. And wait. And wait. Nothing. You turn to the sink and find the same thing. No water! Is your well dried up, or has your pumped failed? Let’s find out! First lets look at some warning signs that you may have a dry well. Dry Well Warning Signs • Your faucet is sputtering more often than normal • Your water appears murky or muddy • Lower water pressure than normal • Pump runs longer than usual • Water well recovery takes ridiculously long to recover after heavy usage • Your neighbors are having similar struggles If you begin having these issues with your water then you may have a dry well. But before you call us, here are some things you can do to troubleshoot your water well and pump. 1. Is it plugged in? Seriously though, check that your pump is receiving power. Especially after being serviced, the pump may be unplugged, or an electrical overload may

Homeowner Well Grant

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Need a new well, but don't have the cash? You may be able to drill your well for free with thi s grant. Homeowner Well Grant N ew York State has a grant through the office of Community Renewal that allows for low-income homeowners to install a new well as as well as some other benefits too. It's called the Community and Development Block Grant (CDBG). Eligible applicants will receive up to $500,000 to use on installing a new well, replacing a septic system, or decommissioning a septic system. The grant is meant for low income homeowners living in cities, towns, and villages with a population under 50,000 and counties under 200,000. You can check if your home is in an accepted location here .     Those who think they qualify must go through a five step application process by 4:00 PM on August 25th to be accepted. You can find everything you need to apply on hcr.ny.gov . Keep reading to learn how to apply.     The application process is as follows:  Step 1 – Completing five onlin