It’s no secret that water is one of the most important resources on earth. Your average household depends on water for numerous appliances like washing dishes to showering.
But all these amenities are readily available for many Canadian homes thanks to a system moving this precious resource through a complex network of pipes, tanks, and pumps called a well system.
This is essentially the heart of your home’s plumbing system, and it needs to be well maintained. To ensure that you get the most out of your Well system, here’s a list of well water system maintenance tips (vetted by professional plumbers in Toronto) for Canadian homeowners.
Note: If you find any of these tips difficult or confusing, hire a professional plumber to take care of your well system maintenance. You’ll save yourself from the long-term headache.
Do I have a Well Water System in my home?
A Well System is a water supply that draws water from underground. It consists of, at minimum, a pump and well tank housed in your home’s basement or crawl space. The well pump does the work of sucking water up to the surface while the tank stores it for consumption.
The problem is you can’t always guarantee that all parts are made of quality material. That’s why it’s important to do some well system maintenance every so often.
So if you have a well water system supplying your home, then these 17 best Well Water System maintenance tips are for Canadian homeowners like you:
1. Get well water testing done regularly. There are numerous reasons why well systems fail. One potential main reason is contamination from bacteria or other microorganisms. For this reason, it is important that you test for bacteria and other contaminants on a regular basis.
2. Have your tankless water heater inspected regularly by a professional plumber. Since the tankless water heaters work with intermittent heating, they can wear down quickly if there are internal problems. It is therefore wise to have them inspected often and serviced as necessary.
3. Ensure that the water pressure in your home is high enough to meet the demands of your household. High pressure can damage internal components of your system, so it is important that any problems that lead to low pressure be resolved as quickly as possible.
4. Check pipes regularly for signs of freezing or breakage, especially during extreme weather conditions such as long winters or hot summers.
5. Have a professional pump tune-up done on a regular basis. This can ensure that your system is working well, and it could save you huge amounts of money in the future.
6. Ensure that you have an appropriate well cap on your system to keep out rainwater, insects, and other pests that could contaminate your water supply.
7. Look for signs of heat loss within your system. A poorly insulated well system could be losing valuable heat due to leaks, bad insulation, or sub-optimal placement.
8. Ensure that your well piping is sloped towards the house so that gravity can take care of moving water all the way to your home’s main water supply. If there are sections where this is not happening, it may be time to call a professional.
9. Drain your pressure tank regularly and inspect it for damage or leaks. This will help ensure that it is working well, and also provide you with peace of mind about the health of your systems’ components.
10. Have your well water tested at least once a year by a qualified lab to test for any potential problems. During this process you can also get useful information on any bacteria or contaminants that may be in your system, allowing you to focus on problem areas and develop a plan of action for addressing them.
11. Be aware of maintenance requirements for other systems in your home which use water directly, such as the irrigation system of your yard or washing machine.
12. Get regular inspections of the exterior components of your well system, including pumps, tanks, and piping. This will help ensure that there are no problems with these items which could affect the overall performance of your water delivery system.
13. Look for any signs of leakage within your systems. This may require turning off all water in your home and checking for wet areas. If you notice any, don’t hesitate to call a plumber right away.
14. Look for any signs of corrosion within your systems, which is another common cause of leaks and can damage both exterior and interior components of your Well System.
15. Look for signs of buildup within your piping and valves which can cause all kinds of problems with your well system. Before this becomes a serious issue, have a plumber check things out to ensure that there is no internal damage or deterioration that will need to be fixed.
16. Ensure that there are no leaks within your pressure regulators and check valves which could cause issues with the water flow throughout your systems. These gaskets and valves are designed with plumbing components that are very sensitive, so any damage to them is something that has to be fixed as soon as possible.
17. Have a professional come out to your home and inspect your system for correct usage. This should be done every five years unless there is a problem, which would require it to happen more often.
What if I don’t have the time or ability to follow these tips?
Well water is one of the most important systems in your house, making life much more pleasant through its supply of fresh running water.
If you don’t have the time or lack confidence in your ability to properly check on your well water system maintenance, then you can hire a professional pair of eyes on your plumbing system.
Mister Plumber is Toronto’s go-to professional plumbing service running for over 18 years, and they can tend to all your Well Water system maintenance needs.
Good luck!
