Rural Montana homeowners have limited community sources for domestic water, so most rely on private wells (unless they use cisterns). So it's not uncommon for this very important utility to cause a problem or two, especially the older the water well.
What can you do if you start to have troubles with water production? Is your well going dry? Has the casing fallen in? Has the well pump broke?
Some areas are very much affected by the season of the year and of course the amount of rain/snow fall. We've had a good amount of moisture the last 18 months in the Yellowstone County area, but we had some dry well issues over the last 15 years, just because some of the aquifers haven't been replenished.
If you turn on your water, and nothing comes out, it may be an electrical problem, perhaps to a pump.
If your water seems to run pretty well for your shower, but then it starts to sputter and spit instead of flow evenly, maybe your water level has dropped:
- Seasonal reduction in volume
- The holes in the casing where water flows into the well from the surrounding ground are getting plugged
- Sediment may have collected in the bottom of the well and the available column space for water recharging is decreased (like a small glass of water compared to a large glass of water)
What if your well pump seems to be sucking air? You better cut the power to the pump and call a water well technician, because you'll burn up your pump if it's not cooled. Water well pumps typically sit in the well casing about 10 feet or so above the bottom of the well (in the water) to prevent sucking up sediment. Wells use the water to keep the machinery cool, so no water? burned pump!
Some water wells suffer from just being old and having their casing cave in (a casing is a pipe that makes a water reservoir in the ground).
If your well casing caves in, or your well fills up with sediment, you may need to drill a new well. On occasion, a well can be "blown out" with a high air pressure pump to clean and remove sediment. This is an operation for a well driller, not a do it yourself thing.
Luckily, for me, my well driller, Gary Mayes, is my neighbor, so if I ever have problems I know I can give him a call. Gary's Drilling Inc. 406-373-5951 or his cell 406-671-0406
The Quilting Realtor
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Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. |
