Button up your Wonder Lake house for winter, but don’t forget your well water

There's a well cap under that snow somewhere. All goes to
show that winter is no time to find out that your well, well
pump or other parts of your Wonder Lake well system
need servicing.

It’s time to button down the house. Another Wonder Lake winter is coming. Time to take down the screens and put up the storms, drain the hoses and outside faucets, check the furnace and change the furnace filter, check if you need some caulking to keep the cold at bay. Make sure your gutters are clear so icy water doesn’t back up under your shingles. But don’t forget your well outside, either.

You want to eliminate the leakage of warm air to the outside while the cold air has a chance to get in. You want the furnace to keep you warm on cold winter nights. And you want the water to run when you turn on a faucet; you want the water it dispenses to be safe and pure.

Why worry about your well water now? The answer comes in layers – layers of ice and snow.

If something goes wrong with your well or well water, you’ll probably want a qualified well technician to come out and put things right. But, if your well cap is under a couple of feet of water, well, the first thing they need to do is to locate the well cap.

How much of your yard will they have to shovel clear to find the well cap? Will ice make it difficult to open the well cap? These issues can delay the process when the water is off, or when the water isn’t safe.

Well, actually, if the water isn’t safe, you’re liable not to know it. You’ll bathe in the water without knowing your well water has dangerous bacteria or viruses. You’ll wash your dishes and clothes without knowing that the well water can make you sick. You’ll drink the water and, if you knew it was bad, the mere thought would make you sick.

So, get out the storm windows on the house (Northern Illinois Windows can clean and install those storms for you and give you a clear view out the window to see the fresh-fallen snow, and they can also clean your gutters). Clean the gutters. Check the furnace. Caulk those leaks. Put the outside hoses away. But, don’t, don’t, don’t forget to check your Wonder Lake water well.