Learn the anatomy of a well

Somewhere under your property there is water. Inside your home, you have faucets that will bring forth water when you turn or lift a handle. Some kind of magic takes place in between to make the water rise up from the ground and pour out of the faucet. That magic is performed by a device known as a well.

A well is a remarkable instrument. Quietly and unseen it performs its job day in and day out. It works as well in the middle of the night as it does in the middle of the afternoon.

If you have city water, the city has a well further from your home that performs the same task, though on a larger basis. With a private well, you’re dependent on your own well to make this magic happen. With city water, the price is paid monthly when a bill from the city arrives in the mail. With a private well, there is no bill. However, there is a cost. That cost is lower if you do a good job of maintaining your well.

If you don’t do a good job of maintaining your well, you’ll spend more in the long run. You’re also liable to find that the magic of the well is interrupted. You’ll notice this when the water stops flowing. Or, you may, or may not, notice this when the water has a bad odor or is even tastelessly unsafe.

So, what is the anatomy of this magical well – the bringer of water? The essential parts of a well include (sections in quotation marks are taken from the American Ground Water Trust list of definitions and explanations):

• The Well: The well is a hole in the ground that provides access to an aquifer as a means of bringing ground water up to the surface for consumption and others uses in homes, offices, etc.
• The Well Pump: Other than when using a jet pump, which is generally installed above ground, the well pump is usually found in the well where it pumps water up through the pipes and through the rest of the well system.
• The Well Casing: The well casing is a “cylindrical device (steel or plastic) that is installed in a well to maintain the well opening and to provide a seal. In most states casing is required for at least the first 20 or 40 feet of water wells. Well drillers typically install well casing in 20 foot lengths.”
• The Pitless Adapter: The pitless adapter is a “device installed in a vertical well casing to allow water to be piped horizontally below the frost line to its use point (usually a home).”
• The Aquifer: The aquifer is a “three dimensional sub-surface geometry of a geologic rock formation … that contains ground water in the spaces between sediment grains, in voids, or in fractures …. (a) geological formation or structure that has the capability to store and/or transmit water to wells and springs.”
• The Pressure Tank (or Well Tank): The pressure tank is a “tank installed as part of a water system to minimize the on-off cycles of the well pump. Pressure tanks typically store a few gallons of water and obtain their pressure from the well pump.”
• The Well Pressure Switch: The well pressure switch detects when the air pressure inside of the pressure tank is below a certain setting and then turns on the well pump. When the pressure in the well tank rises beyond another previously determined setting, the pressure switch turns the well pump off. In this way, the pressure switch maintains the pressure in the pressure tank between a certain range.

All these parts conspire to perform the magic that brings water into your home or office, assuming you’ve maintained proper well maintenance.