Is all well with your well contractor? Don’t take it for granted

You’re having a little trouble with your well. But, you’ve called a well company and you’re confident everything will turn out fine once your well professional shows up. Hopefully, you’re right. Unfortunately, that’s not guaranteed.

The unfortunate truth is that some well companies know wells, and well maintenance and repair, better than other companies. Even more discouraging is the reality that some well companies aren’t, well, quite as trustworthy.

John Matthesius, the owner here at McHenry Water Well & Pump was recently called by someone who wanted to abandon a well. They told John about the price they were quoted by another McHenry County well company that had come out to look at the job.

John said that he’s usually a little lower but would be happy to come out and take a look, as he wasn’t comfortable giving a firm price without looking at the job. The price could vary primarily based on the depth of the well. With a well that was 150-feet deep or more, the price would be higher than a shallower well.

Based on the price the other company quoted, John expected to find a deep well. Instead, he found a 20-foot well and was able to knock the price down considerably.

“The customer didn’t know how deep the well was, or didn’t know what to expect to pay to abandon a well,” John said. “The other well company appears to have tried to take advantage of the customer’s ignorance of pricing for well work. Their price had a whole lot of profit built in.”

By giving the customer an honest price, based on the actual depth of the well, John developed the kind of good will he has with the vast majority of his clients. Realizing that honesty pays in more ways than one, including a clear conscience, John has no doubt that he handled the job the right way.

“The customer was clearly happy with the news that she was saving several hundred dollars,” said John. “It kind of makes you feel good when you can make a difference in someone’s life that way.”

Wells are abandoned for several reasons. For instance, someone may tie into city water, they’re demolishing a home and need to cap the well, a well has gone dry and they need to drill a new well.

“I never give a firm quote without coming out to measure the well and look at the project first,” John said. “Customers have a right to know what to expect.”

All is well in Lakemoor when your wells are well chlorinated

In Lakemoor, many of the homes and businesses are served by well water. Unlike city water supplies, where, for the most part, the only requirement is to turn on the water when you want it, a well requires a degree of maintenance and care.

More than a few of the residents in Lakemoor have become familiar with maintaining their own wells. Hopefully, they’re doing the job right. For instance, while well chlorination seems fairly straightforward, if it’s not done correctly, a homeowner or business owner in Lakemoor can actually cause problems with their wells.

Proper chlorination goes beyond simply pouring the chlorine into the well. To do it properly, you want to avoid pouring the chlorine over the well cap and pit-less adapter, as well as electrical connections in the well. Over time, the chlorine does a nasty job of eating away at these parts of the well.

When the pros at McHenry Water Well & Pump chlorinate a well, they add the chlorine so that it doesn’t corrode metal parts and connections.

It’s also important to completely flush the chlorine from the well and water lines after the chlorine has had time to sanitize the well. The chlorine will break considerable amounts of mineral deposits from the well and plumbing pipes. Those deposits can clog small diameter water lines and fixtures.

Last winter, John Matthesius, the owner of McHenry Water Well and Pump, filmed a video as he chlorinated an artesian well. It’s a short video that provides some insight on how to chlorinate your well. It also demonstrates that John is a consummate professional who knows wells inside and out. You may want to simply call John and let him handle the job at your Lakemoor home or office. It’s not that expensive and it’s comforting to know the job is done correctly.

Is it time to test and chlorinate your well?

What kind of water are you bringing into your home? Is it safe, clean and odor free?

The enemy lurking, waiting for a chance to contaminate your water is known as bacteria. It assaults your water supply and moves through your house in the pipes that carry this vital resource.

Water is an essential element in your home. You use it to bathe, cook and clean. Most importantly, you and your loved ones consume it – allow it to enter your bodies where it plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health. But, what if the water is tainted, if it contains toxic elements? Clearly, that’s not good.

If you have city water, the hope is that the city is doing a good job keeping the water safe and clean. In the process, they probably help to improve the taste while removing any negative odor. But, if you have a private well providing water to your home, you can’t count on municipal workers to do that job. The burden falls on your shoulders.

Where the city falls short, you might call in a water treatment company to help. Through filters and softeners they will help to improve the quality of the water in your home. With a private well, however, a really good place to start is at the source. In other words, proper well maintenance is the first step to ensuring good water quality in your home.

Water well maintenance includes ensuring that your well’s delivery system is up to par – that the pump works properly, the well tank is properly charged, the electronics are in good condition and the well cap is sealed so foreign insects and matter can’t get in. Proper water well maintenance also includes annual tests and chlorination of your well.

You may be tempted to chlorinate your well yourself. A word of caution in this regard: if you don’t do it right you can cause damage to parts of the pump, tank and electronic connections. Your best bet is probably to call in an expert, such as John Matthesius with McHenry Water Well & Pump.

One aspect of John’s job that he enjoys the most is the good feeling he gets knowing he’s helped to ensure that his customers are drinking and using safe and healthy water. Well maintenance is extremely cost effective. On the other hand, avoiding timely well maintenance can prove very expensive.

Do-it-yourself well chlorination isn’t always the best idea – especially if you wait until winter

Chlorinating a well is a fairly straight-forward procedure. It helps, of course, if you know what you’re doing. In fact, it helps a lot.

There are many who don’t think that’s the case; they think they can get by chlorinating their own well without any difficulty. After all, what’s to it other than removing the well cap, removing the cap on the container of chlorine and pouring it into the well? Put the cap back on the well, and the seal up the chlorine container, if any chlorine remains, and – Tada – all done, right?

Not quite. You may get by that way for years. When friends come to visit, they’ll look at you in awe as you proudly proclaim, “I chlorinate my own well.” Some may be so impressed that they’ll ask you to come over and chlorinate their well, too.

The problem is that chlorinating a well isn’t quite that simple. If all you do is open the well and pour, you may later discover that you’ve created a costly headache that will come back to bite you.

The problem is that the pump and connectors don’t react real well to chlorine. If you need to replace a pump down the road sometime, your well technician is liable to look at you with a frown and say, “You chlorinated your own well, didn’t you?” That’s the moment when you’ll realize that there is more to chlorinating a well than open and pour.

Another question is when to chlorinate your well. Technically, you can chlorinate a well any time of the year. But, there are good times to chlorinate your well and there are not so good times. One not-so-good time is in the middle of winter. Why? Not only because it’s cold out and darn uncomfortable to play with water in that kind of weather, but also because, to do it properly, you’ll want to run your outside faucet after words to clear out any sediment the chlorine broke off the inside of the well.

If you’re planning to bill a skate pond in the backyard, that’s not a problem. On the other hand, maybe you’d rather not turn your yard into a skating rink.

It’s amazing how much sediment the chlorine can break loose in your well. If you don’t run it out the faucet outside, that sediment gets into your lines inside the house. You may suddenly find that you have clogged pipes.

Another reason to flush your well when chlorinating is if you have a septic system at your home. If not flushed, the chlorine could mount an attack on the bacteria in your septic tank. That bacteria is vital to breaking down waste.

Another problem, if you wait until winter to chlorinate your well is finding the well. That’s not, generally, a problem unless it’s covered by a foot or more of snow.

In any case, yes, you can chlorinate your own well and you can do it whenever you want. But, then again, you might just want to call in an expert.

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.

Turn those frowns upside down by maintaining your McHenry Water Well and Pump

The kids are so excited. They’re getting their suits on while you setup the Slip’N Slide out in front of your McHenry home. Their eyes are sparkling with excitement as you go to turn on the water. You turn the faucet but nothing happens. You turn it back the other way and still nothing.

Not realizing there is a problem, the kids start in with, “Come on, Mom.” They’re ready to slide; they’re ready to get wet. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about it today. Your well pump isn’t pumping and there’ll be no slipping and sliding for the kids today.

Well, you may call a well and pump professional who can make it to your house right away. With any luck, it’s just a loose wire. If that’s the case, maybe you can calm the kids with a snack while the well and pump repair technician gets the water flowing again. If not, or if it’s something more serious, such as a bad pump motor, it may take a while before the kids can start sliding through the water out front.

There is really only one solution. So, you pick up the phone and call the well repair expert and explain the problem while trying to convince a three-year-old to stop crying. That’s all you really can do once the well pump stops pumping. Of course, you could have avoided the problem altogether; you could have employed some timely well and pump maintenance.

The likelihood that you’ll find yourself without water someday is extremely low assuming you maintain the well and pump regularly. Fortunately, regular maintenance for a well and pump is annual maintenance.

All you need to do is call out your well and pump repair technician before you have a problem. Once a year, have them come out and check your well and pump. They’ll make sure the wiring is good, the tank bladder is good and properly charged and the well cap seals properly. They’ll check the motor to make sure it still has a good, long life left. They can even check the water quality.

If you follow that simple, annual procedure, you’ll probably never find the water has stopped flowing at your house. Then, whether you’re setting up the Slip’N Slide for the kids, filling a pot at the kitchen sink for cooking, taking a shower or even relaxing in a bath, when you ask your McHenry well for water, your pump will bring it to you on demand.

With a little well maintenance Richmond residents won’t have to yell

The quiet tranquility of Richmond is suddenly shattered when you turn the faucet on and nothing happens – no water comes out. “Aaargghhh” Neighbors on the other side of Richmond can hear you holler.

An inconvenience? You bet. Your well provides water so loyally that you’ve come to take it completely for granted. When, unexpectedly, it stops working, you discover just how much you’ve come to depend on that well.

Think about it: you use water to bath and shower; wash your hands, clothes, car and dishes and to cook. You probably use the water from your well to water the lawn and garden and to give your pets a drink. When the water stops, all those trivial actions take on new importance and you also discover that you can’t flush the toilet.

This isn’t hypothetical. This is precisely what will happen if you fail to properly maintain your well. Maintaining your well includes checking the well pump and motor, well tank, electrical connections and the well cap. It also includes making sure the water is safe to drink. Of course, that’s a whole different crisis.

The good news is that you don’t have to check your well every other week. Rather, an annual well check and maintenance, including chlorination, is all it takes. Follow those simple steps by calling a qualified water and well technician, and you’ll have the confidence of knowing your water is all but sure to keep flowing. Neglect your well and you may have reason to yell, not to mention the additional cost of fixing a well as compared to simple maintenance.