The Private Well Owner’s Maintenance Manual – Volume II
In Volume I of this two-part series for private well owners, you were advised not to get your expectations too high. This series will not teach you how to service and maintain your well all by yourself.
But it will guide you in how to be a prudent, practical owner of a private well. It will also help prevent you from encountering many of the debilitating, expensive, frustrating experiences private well owners incur when they aren’t informed of the basics and fundamentals of private well ownership.
Some of the guidelines in Volume II are reiterations of points that were touched upon in Volume I.
Volume II presents additional, supporting insight into private well ownership, so you’ll be even more educated on when, why, and how to service and maintain your private well.
Use certified, experienced, credentialed water well system professionals. Find out if the state you live in has a licensing procedure for well system professionals; if so, only select one who is properly licensed by your state. Inquire as to whether this professional has certification via the NGWA – National Ground Water Association.
Inquire also as to whether this contractor submits what are referred to as well logs. Well logs are documents that go on file when the new well is completed. This document has critical information regarding the well’s history and the surrounding ground.
Other things you need to discover about the contractor, which will enable you to determine if that company is right for you, can be discovered by asking these questions:
- Do they have sufficient, proper equipment?
- Are they properly, legally covered with worker’s compensation and liability insurance for your protection?
- Do they have familiarity with safety and health codes as they pertain to water well system?
- What kind of reputation do they have? Are they willing to offer you referrals, testimonials or references from past customers?
Is this contractor willing and able to clearly explain the problem you have – in detail – in a manner that allows you to not only understand but also learn more about your well? Taken one step further, is the contractor patient as you ask questions and willing to share options based upon the problem and the service work that will be required to fix the problem?
Are they willing to give you a formal contract in writing which spells out the specifics of the job?
If you only have one take away from this article, make sure it’s this: You must know exactly what your contractor intends to provide and do based upon the price you have been given. If you don’t have this, you can price shop and quality compare. Furthermore, this is your protection guarantee in the event any type of dispute arises.
Essentially, by spending time with your contractor, or prospective contractor, you will learn about your well not only in the context of the problem you may be having at the time but also for future reference. This will give you comfort and a sense of security. The more you learn and know about your well and how to take care of it, the more confident you will feel.
We provide Water Well Drilling Services in the following Michigan Counties: