Many home buyers think if the house they’re considering has a well that the water quality is as good as municipal water. Au contraire, new buyer. Ground water carries concerns that municipal water has already treated. A Bucks County plumber will be well acquainted with the county water regulations and will know to test the water.
What Are The Concerns?
In most towns or cities, having inspections done on a house is the buyer’s purview. You’ll want to check these things:
Quantity
Older houses should have three gallons of water per minute in the well. Newer houses should have five gallons of water per minute in a well. New homeowners should know there’s enough water in the well for the home’s needs.
Quality
There are several tests for the quality of well water, the results of which you’ll need to know. Your Bucks County plumber will send the samples off to the proper lab for testing:
Ordinary water testing tests for such things as pH, water hardness, alkalinity, and minerals in the water.
Minerals included in water testing are iron, manganese, fluoride, calcium, copper and other minerals like mercury along with testing for heavy metals.
Well water should be tested for volatile organic compounds or VOCs, the worst of which is gasoline and benzene.
Radon is found in water as well as in a structure. In most cities and towns, radon isn’t on the list of elements for which to check well water. However, checking for it now will save home buyers trouble later.
Keep in mind that if radon is found in the well water, it can be removed. It’s not cheap at between $3,000 and $5,000, but it can be done.
Septic System
Hopefully, the property consists of over two to three acres if it has a well. Anything less than that, and the septic system could leak into the well water. They don’t last forever, and when they do, they leach their waste into the ground water. The well draws from the ground water. This is an important thing to ask your Bucks County plumber to keep an eye on.
Drilled Well
Wells are drilled at least 40 feet down while some are drilled up to 100 feet down. Dug or bored wells aren’t processed using the same equipment. As a result, they allow more contamination into the well water. Make very sure your new house has a drilled well.
Lifespan
Wells usually last 30 to 50 years, but their parts tend to wear out around ten years. Figure on replacing the parts soon, and drilling a new well before you move from the house.
