FAQs about the life expectancy of a water well:

Questins and answers on how long can a water well of different types (dug, driven, drilled) be expected to deliver a usable quantity of water.

This article series describes factors affecting the Life Expectancy of Drinking Water Wells & Water Tanks, answering the most basic question of: when will the well run out of water? We also discuss how to increase the well yield or water quantity without having to drill a new well.

Q&A on the Life Expectancy of Water Wells

Questions & answers about the life expectancy of water wells, posted originally

at WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY - please be sure to also read that article.

On 2018-12-03 by (mod) - how long does well water usually last?

Elena

The article WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY gives our best information on how long a water well will last. Individusl well conditions abd sites have so much variety that no simple single number would be correct for your well about which we have no facts.

Adding air to a pump itself will probably cause loss of pump prime and then you'd have no water at all.

On 2018-12-03 by elena

how long does well water usually last in life time and if I add air to the pump will it give me more pressure or no

On 2018-08-28 by (mod) - rebuild the pressure control switch?

No, tapping the control won't fix anything - it'll still be fouled, but sometimes that's a useful diagnostic of a switch that's sticking.

THere are rebuild kits for pressure control switches but normal people just replace the control.

On 2018-08-28 by Paul

Thanks for your quick response! It didn't sound like the bladder to me either.

I didn't know pressure switches could get clogged, but I bet that might be it. We put a whole house filter between the switch and the water softener, and after pulling the well pump to install the pitless adapter,

we were surprised to see what looked like mud in the bottom of the filter the first couple times we changed it, so it makes perfect sense the switch could have residue in it. It is interesting it took this long before it started doing this, though, but always possible.

I suspect tapping on it may not resolve the issue, although I'll give it a shot tomorrow. (I'm on my way to work and don't get home till after midnight.)

If tapping doesn't resolve the issue, how would I flush it out or clean it?

On 2018-08-28 by (mod) -

I don't assume from your description that "the bladder is going" in the tank. 5 minutes is a pretty good draw-down time - unless your cycle used to be much longer.

If a well pump begins short cycling on and off every 30 seconds or less then the tank is waterlogged, it has lost its air charge, which in the case of a tank using an internal bladder usually means the tank or bladder is leaky and shot.

But you say the pressure is abnormally high - have someone watch the gauge to confirm that the gauge is showing a high pressure at that time.

Watch out: a debris-clogged pressure switch may fail to respond properly to the actual water pressure - turning the pump on too late (pressure drops down below the CUT IN pressure ) OR - turning the pump off too late (pressure goes above the CUT OUT pressure) - that could explain the now stinging too-strong shower pressure.

Watch out too: debris that clogs the pressure switch will often also clog the gauge so that it doesn't respond accurately to actual water pressure. Sometimes if I see a gauge not responding I try tapping it gently.

On 2018-08-27 by Paul

P.S. We have a tankless hot water heater, so don't think that's related to the issue.

On 2018-08-27 by Paul

We read all the articles on pressure variance. We are rural.

Three years ago we had our plumber put in a pit-less adapter and moved our 40gal pressure tank into the basement with a new pressure switch, so we wouldn't have to heat an outside well house in NE winter.

Water pressure had always been low, so we had the plumber increase it a little (the gauge shows 37psi right now). The last 3 months the water force spraying out of the shower began noticeably alternating every 5 minutes or so... increasing dramatically (almost stinging hard), and then going back to regular.

We haven't noticed it elsewhere because that's the only place water runs that long.

Articles say if the bladder is going, it would alternate every 30sec to 1 min, but this is 5 minutes, so it doesn't sound like the bladder broke.

We want to fix it to protect our submersible well pump, but don't want to replace the pressure tank (they're expensive) unless necessary. Any suggestions where to start?

On 2018-02-21 by (mod) -

Wet

You're welcome to read the articles in this series which will give you in-depth and detailed descriptions of problems and solutions involving water wells. Your question sounds like you're taking an exam. Good luck on your test.

On 2018-02-21 by Wat are the factors and problems of a water well

On 2017-12-18 by Aaron

@Nicki,
is it every time you flush the toilet?

On 2017-08-22 by (mod) - why would we want to drill a larger-diameter well bore or put in an 8" casing rather than a 6" well casi

Di:

THANK YOU for asking a great question: why would we want to drill a larger-diameter well bore or put in an 8" casing rather than a 6" well casing?

No, Di.

Let's separate

water quantity - how much water can you get out of a well

water pressure - what is the highest water pressure in psi that a pump can deliver

water flow rate - how many gallons per minute can you get out of a system or will you see at a faucet

The pump determines both the water pressure and water flow rate - as it is taking water out of the well and sending it to the building.

The pump's flow rate in GPM to the building is limited

first by the capacity of the pump itself, its design and horsepower


second by the lift height - how high the pump has to lift the water to get it to you since lifting higher reduces the flow's output GPM

third the flow has an upper possible limit of the well's own flow rate - the rate at which water flows INTO the well while you're taking water out.

A pump that has a GPM rate GPM-PF that is higher than the well's flow rate-into the well GPM-WF can still deliver at GPM-PF as long as it is
drawing water out of the well bore itself - the static head or volume of water that is in the well bore when the well is at rest and fully recovered.

But if GPM-PF is higher than GPM-WF, once the pump has drawn water down to where the pump's intake opening is in the well, one of two things happens:

1. the pump starts to suck air, or runs dry, or burns up
or

2. a pump limiting device built into the water system right at the pump or at other controls that may be elsewhere will actually begin to operate to slow the pump's output to protect it from running dry and being ruined.

NOW with all that fantastic dancing about, what does a larger well bore do for you?

It increases the volume of water in the well bore or the well's static head.

Static head is explained in detail at WELL DYNAMIC HEAD & STATIC HEAD DEFINITION - volume of water when the well is at rest (also static head pressure is explained)

THERE - I found it by searching InspectApedia.com for “volume of water in a well casing” )

we explain that

one foot (12") of six-inch well casing holds about 1.5 gallons of water

one foot (12") of eight-inch well casing holds about 2.8 gallons of water

That means that your 8-inch well casing gives you almost double the volume of water in the static head (actually 1.86 times as much as a 6 inch casing if my math is right).

So you will NOT get more PRESSURE from your fatter casing but your well will have a larger static head.

Whether or not that makes the slightest difference depends entirely on the total well depth and even more-so on the actual height of water in the well at rest - the true static head.

If your particular well were just twenty feet deep (chosen to make the math easy) and if the static head were ten feet, then you'd have a static head of (2.8 x 10) = 28 gallons instead of (1.5 x 10) 15 gallons.

Now suppose somebody actually installed that not-very-deep well.

Suppose the installer also put in a pump that has a capacity of GPM-PF just 5 gallons per minute GPM of output. And let’s pretend that the lift height nd piping and other restrictions were zero.

Then the pump in the 6-inch well could run for just 3 minutes (15 gallons / 5 GPM-WP) before it would depend entirely on the flow rate INTO the well - not so nice, right,

But suppose the well has a well inflow rate GPM-WF that is 10 gallons a minute.

A pump with a GPM-PF of 5 is sucking water out at 5 gallons a minute but the well admits water in to its static head at 10 GPM-WF - the well is always ahead and the pump can keep sending water to you.

Hot dog!

For that case, an 8-inch well casing and the 28 gallons didn’t buy you anything because the well flow rate was already greater thant hte pumping rate.

BUT

What if the well flow rate is terrible, say 1 gallon per minute.

In our well with a 10 foot static head holding 15 gallons, during the 3 minutes we are sucking water out at 5 gpm and getting water in at 1 gpm so over 3 minutes we took in 3 gallons and sent out 5.

We have 2 gallons spare - that gets sent out in a jiffy and the pump falls behind and either runs dry and burns up or gets limited by a controller to 1 gallon a minute - and that’s all you’ll ever see in the house after the first 3 minutes (approximately)

So what does the well driller do about this mess?

She drills a deeper well AND / OR she uses a larger well casing (perhaps both) so that she gives you a well with a huge static head, maybe a 100 foot static head holding 150 gallons of water, figgerin’ that you’ll usually turn off the shower well before you’ve sucked out all of that 150.

THAT’s why a driller might want a bigger diameter well casing - you might get a bigger static head without having to drill deeper in nasty ground.

Well flow rate is explained in detail

at WELL FLOW RATE

The total water quantity that can be gotten out of a well is explained

at WELL YIELD, SAFE LIMITS

On 2017-08-22 by di

Would an eight inch well as opposed to a six inch well deliver more water pressure? Are plastic or metal pipes better for a residential well?

On 2017-07-04 by (mod) - well pump, piping keeps on making a loud flushing sound.

Nikki

I'm not sure I can help much with out more information. But I can guess that there is air in your water piping or well piping.

If you Use the on-page search box at the top or bottom of this page to find our article on AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES you'll see the common causes and cures of that problem.

Let me know if that helps and we can proceed from there.

On 2017-07-04 by Nicki

My well pump, piping keeps on making a loud flushing sound.

On 2017-07-04 by (mod) re: loud flushing sound from well pump, piping

Nikki

I'm not sure I can help much with out more information. But I can guess that there is air in your water piping or well piping.

If you Use the on-page search box at the top or bottom of this page to find our article on AIR DISCHARGE AT FIXTURES you'll see the common causes and cures of that problem.

Let me know if that helps and we can proceed from there

On 2017-07-04 by Nicki

My well pump, piping keeps on making a loud flushing sound.

On 2016-06-29 by (mod) re: diagnosing a clogged driven well screen and how to un-clog the point using acid products like Nuwell

Dave: your diagnosis sounds like a good guess.

The National Groundwater Association NGWA http://www.ngwa.org/ has published (unfortunately just part of) an article by David Schafer, "Less Time, Fewer Hazards with Pelletized Acid" (March-April 1971 in an un-named publication) that argues that this approach to clearing well screens can be effective.

NuWell pelletized acid is (I think) provided by Johnson Hole Products, having offices across the U.S. and whose products are also distributed by plumbing & well suppliers.

According to the company

NUWELLTM 100 is a pelletized acid designed for pouring directly into the well. NuWell 100 is best for wells with short to moderate lengths of screen at the bottom.

Here's one contact

California Office
1413 E. Philadelphia St.
Ontario, CA 91761
844.573.0854 toll free
909.939.2581 phone

The National Groundwater Association can be found at

National Ground Water Association
601 Dempsey Rd.
Westerville, OH 43081
USA
800 551.7379 (614 898.7791 outside the United States)
fax 614 898.7786
Email: ngwa@ngwa.org
Website: http://www.ngwa.org/

On 2016-06-29 by Dave Duggan

I have a driven point well. I believe point screen has gotten clogged, you can pump water up but it seems to create a vaacum so pump runs longer. Runs out of water and then recharges. Can I put NuWell pellets in to hopefully unclog the screen? It's cheaper than $3000 for new driven point.

On 2016-06-29 by (mod) re: life span of galvanized vs pvc vs stainless steel piping for wells

Mohd, life span depends on the quality of the metal and the water chemistry, flow rates, temperatures and a range of other factors, so no single answer is absolutely right for all situations.

Generally black ABS well piping has a very long life span; stainless steel has a longer life span than galvanized iron pipe if all other conditions remain the same and the pipe quality, thickness, gauge, workmanship, etc. are comparable.

On 2016-06-17 by MOHD NAZAN

What is the lifespan for,
i.pvc lining well.Galvanise
ii . galvanise Iron
iii.Stainless steel iron

On 2016-04-12 by (mod) re: water leaks out of well piping outside

First let's find the leak. If the leak is between well line and house, pulling the pump won't fix a thing.

Look for wet spots or if necessary try a few excavation points along the run of the well line between well and house. Or see if you can find a plumber with a small camera who can scope the pipe.

On 2016-04-09 by JZ

I have a water well that is more than 30 year old. Now, the water leaks to outside of house and cause the water pressure drop. The pump is currently in a cycle of running 20 seconds and resting 5 min even with no water usage.

I have been given 2 options from well-drilling company to fix the problem.

1. Try to pull the line and the pump/check valve out to replace them. It will cost 2k to 3k. I was told that it has a 75% chance that the pump cannot be pulled out. This will end up drilling a new well. We may not have water for 3 days or a week.

2. Drill a new well that will cost about 5K. The water outage will be short as a few hours for reconnecting the pipe to the new well.

My question is

1. What is the real chance for not be able to pull the pump out well and put a new one back in?

2. What is the best way to go?

Please advise.
Thanks, JZ

On 2016-03-19 by (mod) re: causes of sand and sediment sudden appearance in well water

Terry

Possibly

- a cracked or damaged well casing

- failure of a well screen

- a change in the local water table

- loss of water flow into the well causing more pick-up churning at the well bottom

On 2016-03-19 by Terry

We are experiencing a huge amount of sand and sediment suddenly in our water. Enough to plug the water filters at the tank. What causes this?

On 2015-10-06 by (mod) re: typical warranty period or life of pressure tanks

Angie,

Using Amtrol's well water tanks as an example, water tanks typically have a 5-7 year warranty period.

If your water tank uses an internal bladder (keeping water separate from the tank's air charge) and the tank has leaked I suspect that the bladder failed.

If your water tank does not use an internal bladder, water chemistry as well as the volume of water usage would be factors in the tank's life.

On 2015-10-05 by angie

I have a water well thats six years old and the tank has rusted through ffrom the inside out and leaks. how long does tank last and should there be a warenty on it

On 2015-08-11 by (mod) re: pump keeps running

Jerry:

TURN OFF the system right away to reduce chances of ruining the pump.

At https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Pump_Runs_On.php you will find the diagnostic procedure you need - found by searching InspectApedia for "Pump Won't Stop Running" - read that and let me know if questions remain.

On 2015-08-11 by Jerry

Residential , pressure gage will not go pass 30, and pump runs continuously even when water is off.

Question: minimum life of a water well

(Dec 9, 2011) shakeel ahmad said:
you must describe minimum life of water at least

Reply:

Shakeel, there is no minimum life of a water well. An event can occur the day after a well is drilled or dug that causes it to become dry, while some wells have continued to function for centuries. The article above explains a number of factors that determine the life expectancy of a water well.

Question: well only works intermittently

(Feb 9, 2014) Eddie Pahlavan said:

I have a 45 feet well that works intermittently. While the contacts on the control switch are connected, the pump shuts off, while the pressure gauge stops at 30 or 35 (It usually ends up at 50). the pump start working at intervals, until the tanks fills up (usually in 10 to 30 minutes). while the problem is not the control switch, how can I proceed with diagnose the problem?

Reply:

Eddie, why do you assume no trouble with the switch? Debris clogging can cause erratic switch behavior. Debris can also cause erroneous pressure gauge readings.

Tell us more about the intermittent pump startup. Is that occurring when no water is being used?

See WATER PRESSURE STOPS, RETURNS for diagnostics of this problem.

Question: why does our well water kill leaves on indoor plants?

(Feb 14, 2014) Anonymous said:
why does our well water kill leaves on indoor plants?

Reply:

Anon, bring a water sample to your local water test lab for analysis.

Question: Can a lightning strike crack our PVC water well casing

(Aug 13, 2014) Anonymous said:

Can a lightning strike crack our PVC water well casing - in three places?

Reply:

Anon -
A lightning strike anywhere at the well casing or piping can send current that might damage piping in several locations. For example if water was changed to steam it might burst the piping.

Watch out: Before assuming that a water problem is due to the water pump or the water well itself.,

see WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE a specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost.

If you know that your well is performing poorly with a poor flow rate or poor well recovery rate,

see WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT, and

to protect the well pump from damage due to low well water or other hazards

see WATER PUMP PROTECTION SWITCH
or

see WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE.

[Click to enlarge any image]

...

Continue reading at WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT - how to get more water out of the well
• WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY
• WELL PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY for a related discussion of how long well pumps, well controls, and related water supply system components can be expected to last.

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER WELL LIFE FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS & SPRINGS

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