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Well Flow Test
When you own a well, you want to make sure it delivers a sufficient quanity of good clean water to meet the needs of your family.
This can be done during your home inspection or as a separate tests. It consist of 2 different procedures.
The first is to test your water quality. We use a state certified laboratory to do this. Massachusetts does not require certified labs for private well testing. However, we use this more complicated and expensive process so you can be sure that you are receiving the same testing as done on public water systems.
There are a number of different things you can check in your water. The most common tests ensure the water is "potable" (suitable for human consumption). Another popular test is a Title V test to ensure there is no interaction between your well and your septic system. You can also test for pesticides, herbicides, lead in your water, bacteria in the water, etc.
The second is to test your well yield. We test your well for an extended time to ensure it can meet the needs of the house. Occassionally, your mortgage provider or local town has specific minimum criteria that must be met for a well. Our test uses your criteria or the following calculation:
A typical well flow/quantity test takes about 4 hours. Generally, a well should deliver at least 5 gallons per minute for 4 hours with no significant change in flow. This will deliver about 1,200 gallons of water.
(number of bedrooms plus one bedroom) x (110 gallons per bedroom) x (a safety factor of 2) = number of gallons needed daily
Plus
measured static water level and the depth and radius of casing (The 6-inch diameter well will hold about 1.5 gallons of water per foot of casing while an 8-inch diameter well will hold approximately 2.6 gallons/ft.)
Following the pumping test, the water level in the well must be shown to recover to within 85 percent of the prepumped static water level within a 24 hour period.
For a 3 bedroom house with a well that is eight (8) inches in diameter and contains 200 ft. of standing water:
(3 bedrooms plus 1) x (110 gallons per bedroom) x (2) = 880 gallons needed daily.
The volume of an 8 inch well is 2.60 gallons for every foot of length. Therefore, (200 ft. of standing water) x (2.60 gal/ft.) = 520 gallons.
880 gallons + 520 gallons = 1,400 gallons that must be pumped from the well in 24 hours or less to demonstrate suitable capacity. If the well casing is only 6 inches, the number drops to 1,180.
We take well testing seriously. Call for a quote today (1-508-822-5677)
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