Well Or County Water????

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mom2joshcanpark

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For personal reasons we are going independant. Meaning, we are going off grid and due to recent events with the water company we are about ready to tell them where to stick it.:mad:

Now, I need information on water wells.

I am originally from the "city", my husband is originally from the country.

We live in Southern Indiana. Have 3 children and a hobby farm. This summer we are hoping to be able to put up our 21x41 swimming pool and hot tub.
I am also disabled in which I have to take longer showers.

Anyway, my husband has been through the whole well water thing and I have not. However, he left home at age 17, so that was I guess back in 85. He did not like the well water situation (my guessing mostly is due to having to check the tank, treat the tank, etc, his parents didn't do much of anything on the farm, the kids did). So I have heard stuff from him and I know some people have more water than others, some people use more water than others, etc.

So what I need to know is well, I guess everything that is current. I don't need to know prices on installing or anything like that, just care, pressure, stuff like that. He said I would probably want to buy botttled water to drink (I hate water to begin with). And he said I would have a problem with the pressure (is this still a case this far down the line).

Now let me add this. I dug a hole to put up a wooden fence I got about 2 feet down and I thought I ruptured the water line, I have never seen so much water underground in my life, is this a good sign?

Please let me know anything I need to know about going this route as opposed to staying with my water company and I also want to know, is there a way to use both? I know when you go solar you can stay grid tied.
Thanks
 

Leejosepho

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For personal reasons we are going independant. Meaning, we are going off grid and due to recent events with the water company we are about ready to tell them where to stick it. :mad:

Now, I need information on water wells.

There is possibly some kind of rule saying you cannot have a well where city water is available.

He said I would probably want to buy botttled water to drink (I hate water to begin with).

Well water should be fine.

And he said I would have a problem with the pressure (is this still a case this far down the line).

Down what line?

I dug a hole to put up a wooden fence I got about 2 feet down and I thought I ruptured the water line, I have never seen so much water underground in my life, is this a good sign?

Whatever you found there is considered surface water polluted by run-off, and you would want your well to be much deeper to get down to a different layer.

I also want to know, is there a way to use both [city and well]? I know when you go solar you can stay grid tied.

Since electricity is not a natural "global common" everybody must have to live -- earth, air, water -- it is not as controlled.
 

mom2joshcanpark

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There is possibly some kind of rule saying you cannot have a well where city water is available.
It is not city water, we do not live in the city, we live in the country, I do not see where that is a factor in my case.



Well water should be fine.



Down what line?
years, 15-30 years ago vs currently


Whatever you found there is considered surface water polluted by run-off, and you would want your well to be much deeper to get down to a different layer.
I wasn't meaning put a well 2 feet deep, I know it needs to be many feet, I was just asking if there is that much water would chances of having a good well be more likely than not.


Since electricity is not a natural "global common" everybody must have to live -- earth, air, water -- it is not as controlled.
Don't understand this one.
 

Cookie

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Hi, I was just wondering if your husband doesn't want a well, and doesn't want to take care of it, why would you want one? It is going to be added work and being disabled is this something you really would want to take on? In my opinion, this should be the decision of your husband. In the worst case scenario, have you given thought also to what if down the road something would happen to your husband, you are left holding the bag in figuring things out ( about a well) about something you know nothing about. I have both, ( a well and city) and, I only use the city water. I love turning on the spigot and water comes out and I don't have to know where it comes from or it drying up. I am like the lady on the movie, Baby Boom, I think you can fill up a well with your garden hose.
 

Speedbump

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Well water should be just fine if you have on the well drilled by a pro. Pressure should never be a concern as long as your plumbing is adequate. We can get you all the pressure you desire with a well.

There really isn't much maintenance to a well and pump system if it's set up right in the first place.

bob...
 

Bob NH

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You should at least consider the investment and operating cost of the well versus the county water.

You may have paid or still be paying a charge for having the water available even if you don't use any water from the county.

If you connect a well supply to the house you may be required to disconnect from the county water, or you may be required to put in a back-flow prevention device (particular types depend on utility rules) and pay to have it tested every year.

If the well is not drilled yet you won't know the quality of water and the cost of treatment such as softening or iron removal if that is required. If there are other in the area with well you could inquire what kind of treatment they require.

You could also inquire about the flow they get from their wells. Your well driller should be able to tell you about all of the wells he has drilled within 10 miles of you in the last 10 years and you could check with them about treatment and well production.

Plan on an average cost of about $300 per year to replace pump, tank, and any treatment equipment. Some years you may spend nothing, another year it may cost $2000 to replace the pump and tank. Another year may cost $500 to service the softener and iron reomval filter if you have one. You will same some on that if you do it yourself.

Check the annual cost of purchasing drinking water if you don't want to drink the well water.

If there is an aquifer that supplies water within about 25 ft of the surface you might want to keep the county water for domestic use and use a shallow well for irrigation. You would have a much lower cost system, no treatment, and you would not have to buy water for the garden and lawn.

Off the grid means you need to provide your own electricity if you use electricity. I know in some areas the Amish folks avoid electricity and therefore use hand pumps to put water into elevated tanks. Consequently, they have low water pressure.

Off the grid may not be easy to do with a swimming pool and hot tub. The pool pumps require a lot of electricity and the hot tub usually has a circulator pump and often an electric heater.

Unless you need to treat the water as with softening and iron removal the system should not require regular operating effort; until it fails. The panic sets in. People who have well should learn from the beginning how they work and how to fix them. If you have to call a pro every time there is a problem it will cost you a lot of money.
 

Mikey

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In our area, I'm told it's a state law (FL) that even if you already have a working well, if the local municipality eventually runs a water line by your house, you are required to hook up. I'm not sure if it means you actually have to use the stuff, but you've got to pay for it.

Speedbump, can you confirm/rebut this?

mike
 

Speedbump

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That's BS Mikey, someone is giving you bad advice. I have heard this from customers a lot and I would like to know who is telling them this story.

As far as I know; the only municipality that has banned drilling is Dade City, just North of Zephyrhills. This happened back in the mid eighties. They got involved with some sewer project and said it was manditory to force people to hook up so they could pay the bill or some idiocy like that. This also forced the banning of well drilling within City Limits. I was at Court the day the Federal Judge OK'ed it like it was nothing.

I am sure this sort of thing will eventually flood the country and we will all be forced to pay our government for the water we use. It's just a matter of time.

I do know that the State of Florida own's practically all the Mineral Rights under your property. There are very few people left in the State that actually have Mineral Rights.

bob...
 

Greg Mueller

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I had a piece of property in Everett, WA a while back. Even though we were not hooked up to water/sewer, we had to pay the assessment. I tried to argue but to no good.
 

Cookie

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I got both and only pay for city water, but, I don't use the well, it looks great though. :) Nice decorative pump.
 
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