Well Water
Your own water utility: what to check before you buy, how the equipment works, and how to keep the water safe and flowing. Written for homeowners, not contractors. More guides are on the way.
Know your system
How the equipment works, from the aquifer to your tap.
How Your Well Water System Works
How a residential well actually works: the casing, submersible pump, pitless adapter, pressure tank, and pressure switch — and what each part does when you turn on the tap.
VFD vs. Conventional Well Pump Systems: What's the Real Difference?
VFD constant-pressure vs conventional well pump systems compared: how each works, installed costs, energy savings, reliability, and which one fits your home.
How Does a Well Pump Work? Submersible vs. Jet Explained
Submersible pumps push water up with stacked impellers; jet pumps pull with suction and a venturi. How each one works, which you have, and why it matters.
Well Pressure Tank Guide: Types, Sizing, and Precharge
Bladder vs. diaphragm vs. old galvanized tanks, how to size one, the 2-psi precharge rule, and the signs your tank is failing — explained plainly.
Well Water System Costs & Maintenance Schedule
Private well costs: drilling, pump and tank replacement, testing, treatment upkeep, and the annual maintenance schedule — plus what moves every number.
When things go wrong
Diagnose the most common problems before you call anyone.
Well Pump & Pressure Tank Troubleshooting
Match your symptom — no water, short cycling, low pressure, air in the lines — to the likely culprit. Most well problems are the cheap parts (pressure tank or switch), not the pump.
Your Jet Pump Lost Its Prime — How to Reprime It Safely (and When to Stop)
Jet pump lost its prime? Refill the casing and suction pipe with water — power off first. Shallow- and deep-well steps, the stop rule, and when to call a pro.
What's Wrong With My Well Water? A Smell, Taste, and Color Decoder
Rotten-egg smell, rust stains, black stains, white scale, salty taste, cloudy water, musty odor — map what your senses are telling you to the likely cause, the test that confirms it, and the treatment that actually works.
Your Well Test Came Back Positive for Coliform — Here's What to Do
Total coliform vs. E. coli, the retest that rules out a bad sample, what not to drink, how to find the contamination source, shock chlorination dosing, and when to call a pro.
Before you buy or sell
Due diligence for homes on private wells — from either side of the deal.
Buying a Home With a Well
Buying a house with a well? The full due-diligence checklist: water testing, flow tests, hardware inspection, paperwork, and the loan rules that delay closings.
Selling a Home With a Well and Septic
Selling a house on a well and septic? A seller's guide to FHA/VA/USDA lender rules, who pays for inspections, timing traps, disclosure, and deal-killers.
Test your water
What your lab report means — and a free tool that reads it for you.
How to Read Your Well Water Test Results
Decode your well water lab report: every parameter in plain English, EPA health limits vs. aesthetic guidelines, the nitrate as-N trap, and when to act now.
Well Water Treatment Systems: A Buyer's Guide
Compare the four main well water treatment options — sediment filters, iron filters, water softeners, and reverse osmosis. What each fixes, what it can't fix, and typical costs.
Seasonal care
Get the well and septic through winter in one piece.
How to Winterize Your Well (and Septic) System
Winterize your well and septic: pipe insulation, pump-house heat, heat-tape fire safety, extended-absence shutdown, drainfield snow cover, leaks, and tank timing.
How to Winterize Your Sprinkler (Irrigation) System
Blow out your sprinkler system before the first hard freeze: when to do it, the 50 PSI rule, backflow and pump protection, pro costs ($100–$250), and DIY vs hire.
Heat Tape and Heat Cable for Your Well Line
Heat tape keeps an exposed well water line from freezing — if you buy the right type and install it per the manual. Self-regulating vs constant-wattage, the fire rules, and what never to do.
Free tools
Annual Rural Home Maintenance Checklist
Well testing, filters, gutters, alarms — every schedule on one printable page. Sourced, nothing invented.
Well Water Test Interpreter
Upload your lab report (or enter results manually) and get a plain-English verdict on every parameter — what's fine, what to watch, what needs treatment.
No-Water Triage Wizard
No water at the tap? Work the safe checks in order — power, breaker, pressure gauge, switch, tank — and find out whether it's a homeowner fix or a call-a-pro moment.
Pressure Tank Drawdown Calculator
An 86-gallon tank doesn't hold 86 gallons of water. Get your usable gallons per pump cycle, estimated runtime, and a short-cycling verdict from your tank size and switch settings.
Find Your Well's Drilling Records
Your well's driller's log is on file with your state agency in most states. Pick your state to find the official database — plus a five-minute decoder for reading the log.
Water Symptom Checker
Rotten-egg smell? Orange stains? Metallic taste? Check your symptoms — get likely causes and the exact lab tests to order.
Test Panel Picker
What should you actually test your well water for? Answer five questions — get the annual baseline, the right add-ons, and what each round should cost.
How Hard Is Your Water?
Your state's typical hardness from the USGS national map, plus an interpreter for your test number and a water-softener sizer.