To cap it off, the well cap was full of bugs

The well that provides water for your Bull Valley home silently operates day after day until, one day, it doesn't. The water is safe to drink until, one day, it isn't.

In both instances, the solution is to maintain the well supplying fresh water to your Bull Valley home. This means chlorinating the well annually. It also means checking the well pump, motor, electrical connections and water quality on a timely basis – also suggested on an annual basis.

While checking your well, one part you don’t want to leave out is the well cap.

Now, you might be thinking, “Well, the well cap is just a well cap; what’s so important about that?”

Think about it – what does the well cap do? The answer is in the name – it caps the well. Imagine if you didn't put a cap on your well. What would happen?

Without a well cap, your Bull Valley well is open to the elements, as well as to wildlife. Contaminants can freely flow into the well. Now, having the water tested is something you may want to do on a daily basis.

What this all comes down to is that the well cap is as vital as any other part of the well. If it doesn't properly cap (seal) the well, you’re inviting unsafe water into your home and, from there, into the bodies of you, your family and friends.

How does a well cap go bad? Have you hit it with the lawn more, kicked it while running across the yard or dropped a log on it? Any of these activities can jar the cap sufficiently to break the seal.

If the well cap is bad, you may open the well and turn the cap over to find a colony of bugs on the inside. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to assume this isn't good for the water quality.

Of course, you don’t just want your well cap checked; you also want your well checked in general. The point is to make sure this vital step isn't missed.

Don’t get all lathered up in Spring Grove – have your well inspected

At what point will your well pump in your Spring Grove home stop working because it wasn’t maintained – because it went so long without an inspection? Will you find yourself lathered with soap in the shower, squinting to keep the soap out of your eyes when, suddenly, the water stops?

It could happen. Of course, it’s just as likely it will happen while the washing machine is halfway through a load of laundry. Or, it might happen while you’re filling a pot to cook dinner. Maybe the pump will expire while you’re away from Spring Grove and you’ll return home to find you have no water.

Whenever it happens, when the pump stops working, one thing is certain – it’s an unexpected inconvenience. Another thing is almost equally certain – you’ll spend some money fixing the problem. But, you can avoid both the surprise and most of the cost.

The solution, whether you live in Spring Grove or Timbuktu, is to have an annual well inspection. A qualified well technician will quickly assess the status of your well, from the pump and tank to the electrical components and more.

A thorough well inspection will include checking your:
• Well cap
• Well tank for pressure and charge
• Wires and motor
• Pressure switch
• Water quality

If all of these components and factors are not assessed you may still have a weak link in the chain. If the cap doesn’t seal properly, contaminated water may mix with your drinking water; bugs and/or rodents may infest your well.

If the tank doesn’t have the proper pressure and charge, the bladder can tear and now you need a new tank. Once the bladder tears it puts additional strain on the motor and, well, you get the picture. It’s the same with the pressure switch and the wiring. They’re all part of an integral system that silently, and unseen, provides a constantly available flow of water inside your home.

You may take that water for granted but, shut the water supply off and you’ll suddenly realize how big of a part it plays in your home.

Finally, checking the water quality will address odors and contaminants that can make your water less than safe to consume. Once tested, assuming all is well, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing water quality is one more concern you can cross off your list.

Time for that annual well check and chlorination, unless you’d rather wait until the water doesn’t flow

Spring Well Inspection Special good until May 1, 2014.

Remember when there was a pump at the kitchen sink. If you wanted water, and didn’t want to lower a bucket down the well outside, you simply pumped the pump at the sink and, with a little effort, the water flowed. Well, you probably don’t remember that. Few of us do. It was a generation or more before us.

Today, you turn a handle, or lift a lever, and out comes the water in a way that, folks back then, would have classified as nothing short of magical. In McHenry County today, is doubtful anyone relies on a hand pump at the kitchen sink to pump the water up from the well. They rely on an electric pump down in the well that provides indoor access to water.

“Rely” is really the right word, too. They ‘rely’ on that pump to the extent that they hardly ever think about it. About the only time they would ever think about it is if the lifted the lever, or turned the handle, and nothing happened. Well pumps are so reliable that, when they don’t work, it comes as a bit of a shock.

Actually, it’s not as shocking as most might think. In fact, unless folks in McHenry County think about their wells a little more often, it may happen when they least expect it.

The need to think about your well and well pump is really an annual event. At least once each year, you should do a little well maintenance. That includes checking the pressure in the water tank. It includes checking the motor and wire connections on your well pump and equipment. And, it includes chlorinating your well.

Checking the well tank will ensure that the bladder in the tank isn’t damaged, which would cause the pump to cycle and burnout prematurely. Checking the motor and connections will ensure that your equipment is up to the job for the foreseeable future. Chlorinating your well, on the other hand, will ensure that your water is clear and safe for consumption.

You may feel tempted to chlorinate your well yourself. That’s fine, as long as you know what you’re doing. If not done properly, chlorinating a well can cause more problems than you imagine. Properly done, it will ensure that your water doesn’t become contaminated with bacteria and pathogens. 

“If it’s not done right, well chlorination could clog the well pump and damage the pit-less adapter,” said John Matthesius of McHenry Water Well & Pump. “If it’s not done right, you could even cause damage to your plumbing.”

Matthesius recommends calling on a professional to chlorinate your well. He said the expense is low-cost insurance to make sure your water is safe and the job is done properly. While chlorinating the well, the professional should also check to make sure the well tank is charged properly and in good repair, as well as checking the motor and the connections.

“This time of year, we offer a $75 Spring Well Inspection,” said Matthesius. “It includes checking the tank pressure and charge, the well cap, the wires and motor, the pressure switch and fresh water quality.”

For more information about McHenry Water Well & Pump, call 815-403-3333 or visit: www.mchenrywellandpump.com.