Well water quantity measurement FAQs.

This article series describes how we measure the amount of well water available and the well flow rate - the water delivery rate ability of various types of drinking water sources like wells, cisterns, dug wells, drilled wells, artesian wells and well and water pump equipment.

Q&A on Well Flow Rates

These questions and answers about the delivery rate or flow rate of water wells were posted originally at WELL FLOW RATE - you will want to review the advice given there.

Why do we discuss well flow rate and not just "water pressure"? We need to know How Much Water is In the Well and How Much Water Can Be Drawn Out of the Well for How Long?

Sketch of a well drawdown test shown here was provided by Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection and education firm.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2018-09-13 by (mod) - On a submergable pump is the pressure switch down there on the pump?

Edward

I'm disappointed, too, to hear that you bought a new property, spent all your available cash, and thus got bad advice along with failing to have basic inspections and tests performed.

That exposes you to just the risk of discovering expensive surprises.

About the well: that sounds to me as if the well has poor or no water in-flow (recovery) rate. There could be a different (and less costly) problem like a bad well pump that quickly overheats and jams or shuts-down.

You are describing a submersible pump (in the well) - meaning it's a deep well (more than 25 feet); but deep doesn't mean lots of water.

The pressure control switch will normally be at the pressure tank.

It's time for you to ask for a well flow test.

On 2018-09-13 by Edward havelka

We just moved into a new property. I hooked wiring from existing pump house to breaker and turned it on.

Water flowed from pipe coming out of ground ( where i would be hooking to main pipe on mobile home) for about 5 minutes.

Then it stops.

If you stand there in about 3 minutes it flows great again to fill from 5-7 gallons and stops,again etc.... ive installed one,well pump.

Piping and bladder tank before. Im stumped here. Only tbing i can say is the pump i put in once before sat on top of the well pipe.

This one,seems to be in the bottom of the well pipe. Also.... i do not see a pressure switch. Would this still pump if it didnt have one?

On a submergable pump is the pressure switch down there on the pump? Please help. Weve spent ALL our savings on the property and now mobile home.

Also will i be notified if someone replies to this?

Or would someone,PLEASEEEE e-mail me an answer. Bige322002@yahoo.com. thank you to anyone who can help. Edward

On 2018-06-14 by (mod) - a 1 gallon per minute flow rate won't be adequate

Art

Well flow rates in the one gallon range that you described will not be adequate for active use. You'll need to install a larger water storage tank that can recover during periods of off use.

On 2018-06-14 by Art

Newly drilled well in northern Ontario, 400 ' deep 1 gallon per minute, sufficient for a family of 4 plus visitors??.. Thanks any recommendations to make it sustainable??.. Thanks

On 2018-02-08 22:01:40.998407 by (mod) - 8 gpm is good flow rate

Rick

If the 8 gpm is the actual well flow rate, that's pretty good - the minimum most lenders would want to see is 5 gpm.

On 2018-02-08 by Rick

My well is 165ft in total depth. The static water level is at 80ft. The flow rate is 8 g/m. Is this well sufficient for a 3 bedroom home?

On 2017-10-25 by (mod) - what to do with an old low-yield well

You could feed that well slowly (not exceeding its flow rate) into a larger water storage tank.

On 2017-10-25 by Doug

I'm having a second well dug due to my current well yielding less and less water over the years

. I dont want to pay the cost of filling the original well especially since its not completely dry. Does anyone have suggestions on how to use or what to do with a second well that doesn't yield enough water to sustain a family of four?

On 2017-07-07 0 by Christo

I have a deep well that the 1hp franklin stopped working, the recovery rate is 2.8 gpm, there is no data on the depth of the well or any other info, I guess definitely more than 100' and 80' uphill to the storage tank.
Can I replace the submersible 1hp with 1/2hp ? Thank you

On 2016-11-12 by Kevin

I have a new well with the depth of 340', I measured the static level at 104' and 24 hours later i measured it at 38'. If my math is correct it gained roughly 100 gallons in 24 hours. This is a terrible well yield rate if my math is correct ? The static water level was still rising and it rose to 35' in one hour. From my understanding of this article, this is not a sustainable well for a family of four ? Is this a accurate way for measuring the well yield or should the well be pumped down near the bottom and then measured to confirm these results ? Thank you.

On 2016-10-22 by (mod) - well flow rate of 0.5 gpm - adequate?

No, Carlos but let's double check that decimal point.

0.5 gpm or 1/2 gpm is a terrible flow rate and suggests a marginal well that may run dry at any time as well as a need for extra equipment such as a large water storage tank to assure adequate water supply in the home.

10 x that amount, or 5 GPM, that's 5.0 NOT 0.5 gpm, is a typical minimum flow rate that federal lenders such as FHA want to see when loaning on a property purchase.

Buying a home with a 1/2 GPM well flow rate means that a significant expense is likely to be encountered in trying to assure an adequate water supply system.

On 2016-10-22 by Carlos

My folks are looking at a new property, with its own well. The listing says that it has a flow of .5gallons/min. Is this a good flow rate?

On 2016-10-07 by Gift

How much gallons of water can you get from a typical well in an area where you have 7months of rain in a year? (This is in the Caribbean). And how much on average can be the cost to construct this well? Thank you so much for your kind help.

On 2016-09-19 by (mod) -

Sam:

First let's separate well flow rate - the rate at which water flows INTO a well and thus the maximum rate at which you can pump water out of it over a sustained interval - from the pump's flow rate capacity.

The output of a water pump in GPM is limited by the pump's horsepower, design, and critically the total lift height that it has to achieve.

Take a look at the table of flow rate vs. lift height for the brand and model of your pump and then get back to me here.

Also search InspectApedia.com for WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM - to see more about this factor.

On 2016-09-19 11:45:10.317347 by Sam

I am trying to get 10gallons per min from my new well. It is 400' deep and I do not know it's capacity.i installed a 1 horsepower pump at 100' down,and it produces only 3 per. My question is if I lower the pump to 200' down, will I get more gallons per minute?

On 2016-08-04 21:01:50.595069 by (mod) -

Gee, Beth I don't know anything that would let me guess at an answer;

You want to know where your well is located, how far from the pond, what sort of excavating is being done for pond construction, where equipment will drive, and whether or not pond run off is likely to carry septic field effluent or other contaminants towards the well;

Check with your building department about required clearance distances between wells and other site features including bodies of water. Same for septic fields.

On 2016-08-04 13:33:00.062370 by Beth

I have well water. Behind my house someone is putting in a 370' by 270 pond. What is going to happen to my well water?

On 2016-03-30 21:26:47.230299 by (mod) -

Of course, that seemed likely. Sorry to be too picky. My own computer sometimes helps me across streets of spell-checking that I didn't want to cross.

Still, you should have your own independent water test performed by someone working for you, with your interests foremost. That protects all parties.

Please see our well water testing advice at https://inspectapedia.com/water/Water_Test_Advice.php

On 2016-03-30 16:50:14.529596 by Paula

Thanks, I meant to say Feb 2016 (not Apr 2016). So the last test is very recent.

On 2016-03-29 18:17:19.043033 by (mod) -

Definitely yes

1. water conditions can change

2. the sellers cannot responsibly warrant the potability of their water to you based on their own water test - there are conflicting interests

3. the report of when water tests were done are incoherent as we are not yet into the month of April 2016

On 2016-03-29 17:35:29.653167 by Paula

Question: I am looking to buy a house with private well water. The sellers got the water yield test done in Apr 2016 and in Oct 2015. For inspection, should I get the water yield test redone now?

On 2015-11-18 14:15:59.865355 by (mod) -

Possibly yes, in dry weather water table drops and a water spring output can slow or stop entirely. With global warming and changing weather patterns, depending on where you live, lack of water may be an increasingly serious problem.

On 2015-11-18 13:23:33.144738 by cliff elner

i have a spring fed well which occasionley gets airlocked in very dry weather does a spring fed need rain to keep the water level high

On 2015-08-30 09:18:31.479196 by mashhour

I have a dug well in my land since last year , the water flow is 1 inch,which was not enough for my irrigation,i took permission and went 40 meters deeper 2 days ago, to have a stronger flow,the water is coming out with mud and it is stopping every minute for 30-40 seconds and resuming for one minute, they told me that i need a bigger pump.
what si the norm in this situation, a water echo showed the presence of water on the new level,if at the new level i don't get consistent flow, would the original level provide the previous amount?

Question: well flow sleeves

(Feb 26, 2015) Antonio said:

Want to learn more about a "flow sleeve" at the bottom of the well to protect the electric motor from overheating by
forcing the drawing up of the water to go PAST the motor and not directly into the pump...HENCE a cooler running motor

FLOW sleeve is an option to ensure that ?
Your Opinion

(May 3, 2015) Pat said:

My well's flow rate is 20 gpm but my neighbor's well, which is a half mile away, is only 5.5 gpm. Is my well taking water from her well?

Reply:

Antonio: you're right.

See WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE for details.

Other well or pump protection equipment is electrical: controls can sense when the pump is running dry or cavitating or when well water flow rate has fallen dangerously low and can shut off the pump.

Pat at that distance it seems unlikely.

...

Continue reading at WELL FLOW RATE, or see our complete INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES. or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

In a companion article, WELL FLOW TEST PROCEDURE, we describe both valid and questionable ways people measure well yield, and we offer some simple steps any home owner or home buyer can take to check the adequacy of water pressure and water quantity at a building.

WATER FLOW RATE CALCULATE or MEASURE - how much water is delivered at a plumbing fixture

DEPTH of a WELL, HOW TO MEASURE

WATER PUMP DRAWDOWN VOLUME & TIME

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• WELL DYNAMIC HEAD & STATIC HEAD DEFINITION - how much water is in the well at rest
• WELL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS
• WATER PUMP CAPACITIES TYPES RATES GPM
• WELL FLOW RATE
• WELL FLOW TEST PROCEDURE
• WELL YIELD, SAFE LIMITS
• WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE
• WELL YIELD DEFINITION
• WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS - home
• WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY

Suggested citation for this web page

WELL FLOW RATE 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

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