Whether you've just purchased a home with an existing well, or dug a well on a new property, owning your own well comes with both perks and responsibilities. Maintaining your well is key to having clean, pure, plentiful well water for many years to come. Here are a few tips to help guide you as a new owner of a well:

Have Your Well Inspected

It is a good idea to have your new well inspected now, and then continue to have it inspected once a year on a preventative maintenance schedule. Your professional well maintenance company will inspect for a variety of potential issues, including making sure that the water flow and level is correct, that the pump is working properly, and that everything is sanitary and up to code. In addition to having your well inspected annually, you should also have it inspected anytime you notice a strange taste or odor to your water.

Avoid Opening Your Well Cap Unless Necessary

Sometimes, new well owners are curious about their wells and open the cap unecessarily. This increases the risk of allowing bacteria and other unwanted substances into your well. Ideally, only your experienced well maintenance company will ever open your well cap.

Have Your Water Tested

When you have your well inspected, you will also need to have the water tested. This is a separate service from the mechanical and physical inspection of the well. Water testing verifies that your water is clean and safe, and free of unsafe levels of bacteria, nitrates, lead, and other harmful substances. The water testing service should come with a written report that you can refer to each year, and that will also be important if you decide to sell your home in the future.

Protect the Exterior of Your Well

Avoid placing landscaping rocks or planting trees too close to the well. It's also important to avoid piling items on top of or next to the well, or ever hitting the casing of the well with a lawn mower or other object. The exterior of your well should remain uncluttered, protected, and pristine, which provides better access to the well and also protects it from damage. If your well casing is damaged, bacteria and other substances from the outdoors can make their way into your well water.

Following these simple tips will keep your new well in great shape and prevent unnecessary repairs and problems. Reach out to companies like Mike's Drilling for more information.