Owning a home well can sound primitive and uncommon, but statistics don’t lie. Did you know that over 13 million households (read more) have private wells found in their residences for their aqua consumption? Why is this addition surprisingly ordinary in this day and age of technology? It may be because of the several benefits found in having one’s own well inside their homes.
Still, no matter how advantageous this option becomes, there are drawbacks (as any option would normally have). One of them is the cloudy appearance of H2O after a rainstorm. What makes your aqua source cloudy, and what should you do to keep it sanitary and safe to drink? This article will tackle those questions and more, so keep reading!
All About Well Waters
If you’re not up to speed with the latest water source options, here’s a crash course about well waters and how they operate.
Wells are basically holes drilled in the ground. The purpose of this hole is to access underground freshwater, then taken and contained in an aquifer. A pipe and a pump are used alongside a filter that keeps harmful minerals and particles away from the source during this process. These particles can either be harmful to the biological body (link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/waterborne-diseases) or potentially damage the pipes. Some can even create a clog and lower your well’s efficiency.
Wells can take on different shapes, and such types depend on what material the hole is dug upon and how much water was acquired during the harvest.
Types Of Wells:
● Bored/Shallow Wells – This type of well is dug using a shovel or a backhoe. Their linings are usually made of durable materials such as brick, stones, or tiles. They have a large diameter and are shallow in-depth (about 30 feet deep). This type is not cased continuously.
The main disadvantage of this well is its tendency to be easily contaminated by other tainted sources and their inevitable drying up during hot seasons.
● Driven Wells – Instead of being manually dug up, a pipe is inserted into the ground. They are cased continuously, and although they can still be considered shallow (50 feet at most), they are still safer compared to the previous type. Still, despite being cased continuously, they are still prone to contamination. They draw from surface aquifers.
● Drilled Wells – Lastly, drilled types use drilling machines to make a hole. Driven wells are the deepest, ranging anywhere from a hundred to a thousand feet deep into the ground. Because of this, they have little to no cases of contamination.
Why You Should Consider Getting A Well
1. You Are Independent With Your Water Source
We aren’t saying a municipal source is less desirable than a well, but there are certain benefits to going independent with your aqua, just like your electricity with solar panels!
For one, if problems arise, such as contamination, you’ll be far from the problems the other people around the area face. Sewer contamination will also be virtually impossible. What’s best about having your own source of drinking water is the freedom you’ll have from everyone else’s restrictions.
2. Save Money
Granted, installation, maintenance and repair can be costly. Having a well, in the long run, can actually help you save some money. You’ll have an endless supply of water and fewer incidences, restrictions, and possible dead times (when it isn’t available).
The best part about this? You’ll be paying less—or even none at all—hefty bills! Why pay for restricted access to this necessary source when you can get it right from your backyard?
3. Eco-Friendly
Municipal and other sources use a large number of purifiers and other chemicals to deem it drinkable. However, when you have a well, your filter is much more natural as it is directly from the earth. The filter is made up of sand, rocks, soil, and other natural minerals to fortify your drinking water.
Well, water is a renewable source, so expecting it to dry up is an unfounded fear. By having your own source of water, you don’t have to rely on unethical means that harm the environment.
4. Your Property Value Increases
Just like adding an elevator or a pool makes your house’s value rise up higher in the market, so too does well work in the same way. If you get a drilled well, the most profound type, it adds to your value twice over. More so if your well water is safe to drink and. If your buyer plans to own a farm, then a well after would be a great way to spread an easy, automatic water source around the crops.
Problems Encountered With Owning A Well
Perhaps the most common problem someone can have with a well is during the rainy season when your water turns cloudy. What gives you cloudy well water after rain can be due to a few reasons. One of the most relevant reasons is excess water the ground holds during the first few hours after the rain lets up. Especially if the ground is saturated, some of the rainwater may stay in the surface level of the land, thus having this problem of a cloudy appearance.
This cloudy water is not safe to drink, as the rainwater might bring with it contaminants, bacteria, and harmful chemicals. At best, you’ll get an upset stomach caused by E. Coli or have an undesirable taste, usually sour or bitter. And at worst, it can poison you and cause death.
Other problems can include sediments or excess magnesium/iron. Both of these do not cause alarm as the prior problem does, but they will cause an unsightly appearance to your water.
What you can do for the former problem is have a professional test your water for pollutants and microbes. Until they give you the go sign, buy yourself some bottled water to drink in the meantime. As for the two latter issues, usually waiting a day or two until the water settles again will do the trick.
