What is better to have-Well water or city/county water? Why?

Question

We are looking to buy our first home and saw some houses that have well water. What are the benefits of having well water vs. city or county water and vice versa? Thank you

Answer 1

Some factors to consider when looking to purchase a home with Well Water:

The quality of the water -- does it taste bad, or smell bad? If you are touring the home.... just take a moment to turn on the hot water at the sink, and let it run for awhile.... this will tell you very quickly if there is a high content of sulfur in the water. It has a very distinct odor, and can be a pain to get rid of.
You might want to take a package of dixie cups with you, in your car, when looking at homes, to taste the water. Remember, if you buy the home, you will have to either live with the water, or find a solution.

You may want to consider asking the homeowner to have the well water tested by the local health agency. They can pick up a test kit for free, and I believe, in most places, the first test is free...after that, it runs about $10 per test. They will need to carefully follow the instructions in the test kit, to avoid contaminating the sample. Large home supply stores also carry these test kits, if you would like to check on this yourself. (Something you should do as part of your normal home maintenance over the years, to help ensure that your water stays pure)

Look for 'scaly deposits'. "Hard" water, whether city or well, will leave a scaly buildup.... if the home has a water softener system (the most common solution to hard water), then you know it has hard water, and you will need to consider the ongoing expense of maintaining the softener system.... purchasing salt, for example.

How deep is the well? How is it cased? Where is the water level at in the well? Where is the pump located? I placed all three of these questions together, because they are related. I live in an area, where 25 to 50 years ago, it was common to put in 'shallow wells'... that is about 60 ft deep. This is because the water table is actually fairly high here. You should ask the neighbors at what level their own wells are at, and if they have any issues with the water.... silt, hardness, taste, smell, etc.

When I had a new well drilled, we went 250 feet. (to avoid a pocket of lime, which was building up in the original well) After drilling, the water level was less than a foot from the top of the steel casing. We cased to around 220 ft, and put the pump, in the well, at about 160 feet. We do not have to be concerned about the well 'caving in' on the pump because we cased (with steel) so far past where we were placing the pump. And with the water level so near the top of the well head (where the casing comes up out of the ground) we have a large volume of water to draw on, whenever we want it.

Shallow wells will often be very small diameters, sometimes as small as 2" pipe. It is often very easy to run out of water. Jet pumps are another type of well pump. These are most often located near the well head, on top of the ground, rather than in the well itself. There are pro's and con's of using jet pumps, and 'in the well' pumps. Obviously, it is easier to work on a jet pump... its right where you can get at it.... a pump in the well, has to be pulled out, to work on it. On the other hand... if for any reason the jet pump has been shut off, you may have to 'prime' the pump, before it will work, that is, you have to actually pour water into it, to get it to work. "Priming" isnt necessary with submerged pumps. These are things you need to consider if the pumps are several years old.

Water pressure - this can be affected by the bladder tank. If the well has low water pressure, putting a little air in the tank will usually take care of this problem. The bladder tank is usually located at the well head, its often a light blue in color. If you look at the top (the usual location) you should see an air valve... just like you see on tires.....and stamped nearby, should be the PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) that the bladder should be set at, just like you would have on your tires. You can use a hand pump, or air compressor to add air, and a standard tire gauge to check the actual air pressure level of the bladder tank. Increasing the psi in the bladder, will increase the water pressure, so it is very easy, to get the water pressure you want out of your system. With a city or county provided system, you get what pressure you have from their system.... you have no way to increase it, but you can, if need be, reduce it (this isnt a normal occurrence however).

City and County water, of course have things like chlorine, flouride, and other things added to it, to keep it clean, and in the case of flouride, to help with your dental health. I would pass on the advice of our dentist.... if you use a well, then make using a flouride rinse a daily part of your dental care.

The 'taste' of water does vary. It will be affected by what is in it. (Dasani bottled water for example, adds minerals to give it a unique taste) Often times, well water DOES taste better than the nearby city or county water.

You, as the homeowner, are responsible for the upkeep and quality of your water, if you have a well. I have installed things like water pumps and purifiers, in homes on city water supply systems... so that is no gaurantee that city water is better.

Taste is taste... and varies from person to person. What some folks can taste in water, others cannot even tell it is there.

So, the big questions, when looking at well water... how deep is the well, how is it cased, where is the pump, how old are the components (the pump, bladder, switch, etc.), and what quality is the water (smell, taste, hard/soft, etc.).

Personally, I like to know what kind of pipes are in a home I am considering for purchase too. Because this will affect maintenance costs, over the years (and sometimes, flavor). Does a home have galvanized steel, copper, cpvc, or pex?
Galvanized steel does eventually rust.
Copper pipes, if used as the electrical system's "ground" can suffer from a "leech effect", where copper atoms are actually pulled out of the copper pipes.... I once saw a home where the copper pipes had actually become thinner than paper, hehehe... causing many leaks.
cpvc is easy to install and maintain. The only real concern with cpvc, is that it breaks when frozen. I keep a repair kit handy myself.... water never freezes during a plumber's working hours, lol.
pex tubing is very popular with a lot of mobile home manufacturers.... the down side... its expensive for the homeowner to work on. A typical valve made for pex, will run 2 to 3 times, the cost of a brass, or cpvc valve. Pex tubing, in most cases, is installed using a copper clip.... the tool to install that crimp band, costs about $100. Just something to think about, hehehe.

Oh, by the way.... the USDA Rural Development now keeps track of well locations, and quality. You may consider checking with them, if you have concerns about a particular property, or the current owners are unable to answer your questions.

Happy Shopping!

Answer 2

Well water is generally considered better by most people. That is not true. City or county water is tested and monitored continuously to be sure it meets all state and federal standards. You can be 99.999 percent sure it is safe to drink and that if it is not you will be notified. Well water is tested when you buy the house and unless you pay for it - testing is not done again till you sell the house. If you live in low lying farmland or in or near a floodplain. what perks into your well is anyone's guess. Luckily, you can smell or taste if water should be tested or purified. Water is not as big an issue as American "capitalists" want you to think. About 75% of bottled water is city/county tap water. Up to 98 percent is the same just having been filtered or evaporated or minerals deleted or added. Some cities are extremely poorly maintained and have frequent water problems - two you hear about frequently are New Orleans and Washington DC.

Answer 3

You've gotten yourself into a really screwy situation here. How on earth is your landlord able to tell that it was not the other couple that used excess water? The excess should be divided between you and the other couple. I don't like the wording that "a fee" will be charged to lessees who do not conserve on water usage. What is the fee? Is he saying he can charge any fee? Including the entire difference in excess? His only "evidence" appears to be that your boyfriend has been watering flowers. How does he know how many showers and baths the other couple takes weekly? Perhaps that accounts for the excess water consumption. How often does he himself wash his clothes, do laundry, and have guests over who use the water? There are just too many reasons why the water bill could be in excess. You have left yourself wide open to problems here with the way he has worded the use of water. If he refuses to talk with you and discuss this in a mature way then I would refuse to pay the excess until he does. You may have to go through small claims court to settle this matter. I can't see how he will get away with this because although he's presented you with invoices those invoices only show that there has been an increase in water consumption. The invoices do not show who is responsible.

Answer 4

My wife swears by well water. She hates the taste of city water. The advantage to city water is that it is treated for contaminants etc, where you have to have a filter on your well... If you go with well water, be sure to ask how deep the well is drilled and how long the well has been in place (how long have people been pulling from it). If you can, also find out how many people 'share' the water where your well was tapped... This may give an idea as to how long your well will last before you have to re-drill...

Answer 5

If you chose, check out the water in the area you looking to buy your home. Some area's you have good spring water, and some area's have sulfur in the water, that you will need to have filter's installed, to take the sulfur out. Some place's have too much Iron in there water. It all deepens on where you live. If you live close to a city us the city water, if you live in the country well water. If you live just out side a city, use the county water.

Answer 6

City water is required by the EPA to be safe, and to have a specified number of tests run to assure continued safety. Depending on the population served, small privately operated well water systems could range from adequate water quality to unsafe. All other things being equal, I'd go with city water.

Answer 7

Well water may require softening and may be fed by contaminated ground water. I had to cap my well when people on my street started dying from rare forms of cancer. If you do have well water and need to upgrade to city later, they may charge you a few thousand to connect. City water usually increases the value of the home.

Answer 8

County water o'kay to drink?