need advice about well

[inchworm]

We have lived here for about 11 years. Our well has never been great, but it has gotten increasingly unreliable, especially in the last 18 months. We run out of water about every 2 months, usually when we get off our laundry schedule. A local company has suggested that our well is just slow and we should consider putting in a storage tank. It stores about 450 gallons of water. We use water out of the tank and the tank refills itself at a slower rate to avoid a total depletion of the well. Has anyone ever heard of this and does it work? At $2000, it is a lot more affordable for us than the 10k for a new well.

Inchy

 

[Zenbirder]

We do this. We have a storage tank and when we do a big watering of the garden we turn the pump off and water from the tank. Then we turn the system back and the well slowly refills the tank. We could not do as large a garden without this technique. Before we installed it we were dropping the well so far down the sides were caving in and the water was comming out dirty.

 

[MorelCabin]

That's a huge storage tank, you'll never need that much! What we did when we were having well problems was buy a 60 gallon tank. That solved all our problems.

 

[MorelCabin]

I wasn't watering a huge garden back then either though:>)

 

[Zenbirder]

Tank size depends on how much you are watering. A 450 gallon tank would be way, way too small for us.

 

[FarmerChick]

If your problem is a slow refill...then the storage tank is a great option. Just truly consider the size needed. Think of your usage and what you will be using, like water gardens, filling a pool maybe, that type of thing.....A new well is expensive definitely and your storage tank option is a good one!

One question to anyone, since I never owned a storage tank for the well, are they just outside and do they freeze in winter???I don't have a clue...???

 

[MorelCabin]

mine was small so it was in the basement beside the hot water tank. I have no idea what you'd do with the big ones...they would definitely freeze outdoors here...

 

[inchworm]

This tank would go in our basement next to the hot water heater. Thankfully, we can manage to spare the space. I feel really heartened by the feedback. I've been scared that the tank won't work and I'm scared to drill a new well.

Inchy

 

[FarmerChick]

Inchy
Ask your contactor that is putting in the tank.....what is the maintenance of it.
Do you need to occasionally empty it and get any sediment out of the bottom...that kind of thing???? Is it OK to drink this water??? Only reason I ask cause it is sitting in a tank? Does it require chemical intervention ever???

Anyone know answer to what I am asking..LOL

 

[inchworm]

Sludge collecting on the bottom occurred to us. Those with a tank -- do you get sludge on the bottom and can you drain it out?

Inchy