Can you tell what I have going on here

[jsheyn]

I'm thinking about buying this home. This home is rural and has septic and well water.

Can anyone tell from the pictures what's going on here. I know very little about well systems, but this just doesnt look right to me. I asked the sellers agent if she knows whats going on, and she said the home owner has had a plumber out there 3 times now, and he says the well is to full, and no action is needed.

Sorry about the picture quality..they were taken with my cell phone








Thanks in advance,
Jeff S.

[valveman]

Looks like a standard pressure switch and pressure tank system to me. I can see the gauge is at about 50 so it must be a 40/60 pressure switch. Pump comes on at 40 and off at 60. It should be doing this in minutes not seconds. Are there any problems? Do you have water? Is the pump cycling on and off too rapidly? Tank looks old, might need to check the air charge. See the sticky at top about pressure tank maintenance.

[cacher_chick]

Looks to me like the water is flowing out the top of the casing and running down the floor drain. Looks like a lot of rust, which would be likely caused by high iron content in the water.

If this is in a basement or is an artesian well, it could be a "normal" condition that I would not really want inside my home. I would make the owner get the water tested by a certified lab to be ensured it is safe to drink as a precursor to the sale.

I am also concerned that the floor drain probably goes to the septic field. I'm no expert on septic systems but having all that water going through the septic field cannot be good.

[valveman]

Good catch! I didn't see that at first. I see why they say the well is too full. If it is a flowing well, it needs to be vented properly.

[Gary Slusser]

Since I've owned a house with a "flowing" well (it can be a real hassle), and if there is no way above the well to get the pump out of the well easily, and because of the high iron content of the water, if not the probable IRB (iron reducing bacteria) in the water too, and nowhere convenient to install water treatment equipment, not to mention any rotting wood from this water all over the floor for probably years, I would pass on this house.