Crystal Lake living is better when your well water flows

Crystal Lake is a great community but, if
your well water doesn't flow, you might
not feel that thrilled at the moment.

Living in Crystal Lake, you feel blessed. You have a beautiful home in a beautiful town. But, when things go wrong with your home, your enthusiasm for Crystal Lake can dwindle, such as if the water ceases to flow.

You go to the sink and lift the faucet with time-tested confidence. The faucet always responds on demand. You lift the lever and water comes out. But, not this time. Your train of thought is suddenly disrupted when you realize nothing has happened. You lower and raise the handle a few times and still nothing.

Living in some areas of Crystal Lake, such as yours, you rely on a private well. So, when the water stops, you can’t blame anyone else. You can’t call the city and ask them what the problem is and when they’ll have it fixed. It’s your well and it’s your problem. This probably means that you’ll have to call a water well technician. Until they arrive, however, you’re without water.

Fortunately, wells are fairly reliable. This explains why you’re so shocked now that your well has failed and the water doesn’t flow. As reliable as they are, however, private wells do break down.

There are essentially several reasons that a well will cease delivering water. They include:

• Electrical Failure: Electricity is a key component in the operation of a well. If the electricity is interrupted the water is interrupted, too. In some cases, a well is struck by lightning and this can short out components disabling the well. You can also blow a circuit breaker (go check your circuit breaker now but, if the circuit keeps tripping, someone needs to find out why).
• A mechanical part has broken: this can include the motor burning out, a pipe breaking (not real common) or the well tank bladder rupturing, which will cause the motor to cycle and burn out. There are other components that can break but these are the most likely.
• Something was installed incorrectly: If the well was providing water and stopped, if the problem is improper installation, this probably means that something was damaged as a result. This is why it’s essential that you rely on someone who knows their way around your well – such as a well technician – for installation, repairs and maintenance.
• Age: Your refrigerator will eventually wear out. Your microwave will wear out far too soon. Your well pump and well tank will wear out, too. It’s inevitable. In fact, it’s a good idea to have a well technician take a look at your well system annually to make sure it’s in good shape.

One way to avoid problems that unexpectedly interrupt the flow of water in your Crystal Lake home is to have your well checked regularly Once again, annually is best. While the well technician is checking your well, they can perform well maintenance, including chlorination, to reduce the risks of a water-flow interruption. In the process, they’ll also extend the life of your well-system components.

Why is your Long Grove water well pressure falling?

The water pressure at your Long Grove home or office
won't drop without a good reason.

The well outside your Long Grove home was so reliable, for so long, that you hardly gave it a second thought. But, now, your well water is running slower and you don’t know why.

At first, you weren’t sure. In fact, you chalked it up to your imagination: “I’m sure that’s the way the water has always run.” But, overtime, you began to realize that this wasn’t your imagination; your well was running slow or, at least, the water coming out of the faucet wasn’t coming out with the same force and volume you were accustomed to.

Once you realize that it’s not a figment of your imagination, your next thought is the most drastic: “THE WELL IS GOING DRY!!! If you’re at that point now, take a deep breath and relax; the odds that your Long Grove well is actually going dry is minimal. There is probably a different explanation and one that is far less dramatic than a dry well.

It’s far more likely that the reason you’ve seen a drop in water pressure is related to something to do with your well system. For instance, you could have a problem with …

• A short-cycling well pump
• A leak competing for your water pressure
• A clog somewhere in water well system

A short-cycling well pump is often an intermittent problem. In other words, you’ll have times when the water pressure is better than other times. The problem could be that the water pressure switch isn’t operating correctly. You could also have a bad bladder, or improper air charge, in your well tank. Without proper air pressure or with an occluded line going to the pressure switch, the well system isn’t getting an accurate read on when the well pump should run. Cycling makes the well pump and motor work overtime. As they work, and heat up, they can begin to wear out.

Something competing for your water pressure generally refers to a leak somewhere. Or, it could refer to a toilet that is constantly running. The leak could be inside the well or underground where you can’t see it.

Your pipes are clogged is a problem that, rather obviously, would cause a problem with water flow. Old pipes can rust (which could cause a leak) and sediment can accumulate in the pipes until, instead of a standard 3/4” pipe opening, you may have a fraction of that. You may also have a clog in the pressure switch line.

Whatever the problem, you can try to track down the cause yourself. But, be careful you don’t cause a bigger problem trying to fix the issue yourself. Or, you can call an expert – a water well technician – who knows their way around a well system and can get your well pressure back to the flow you’re accustomed to in your Long Grove home or office.