3 Tips For Buying A Home With A Private Well

Posted on: 2 March 2017

Buying a home with a private well offers potential benefits to homebuyers, but also comes with new considerations if you've never had a private well before. When you own your own private well, you don't have to receive your water from a local municipality which means you will most likely not have a water bill. In regions experiencing water shortages, your well may boost your new home's value. In addition to these potential perks, you will need to learn well water responsibilities. Here are three tips for managing your new private well:

Start by Researching Water Issues in Your Area

It's important to educate yourself about private water issues in your state because water quality varies greatly depending on where you live. The EPA's state guide to private water is a great place to start. The main thing you want to discover is if specific contaminants are common in private water where you live. These contaminants may include lead, bacteria, or even naturally occurring arsenic.

Have Your Well Inspected

Not all states require a well inspection when buying or selling a home, but as a prospective buyer you should insist on it. Your inspector will determine if the well is in good repair, clean, safe, and accessible. If your private well is completely buried you will need to decide if it's worth the purchase, since digging up the well to repair it in the future may be costly, and your inspector will not be able to access the buried well. Your well should be easy for professionals to access but have safety features that prevent children or pets from falling in.

Have Your Water Tested Before You Buy

In addition to a physical inspection, you will need a water expert to test the well water for contaminants. If minor contaminants are present, you may be able to counteract them with a filtration or water softening system, and will need to account for the cost of installing this system in your budget.

If you decide to purchase the home, you will need to continue having your well water tested on a regular basis (the EPA recommends annual water testing) because contaminant levels can change over time, and water that is safe now may not be safe a year from now.

By following these tips, you will help ensure that the ownership and maintenance of your new private well go as smoothly as possible. For more information, visit sites like https://www.watersystemscouncil.org.

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