The 1950s TV sitcom “Green Acres,” about the hilarious situations and misunderstandings when a city couple, played by Eddie Albert and ZsaZsa Gabor, move to the country was big fun us boomers to watch as kids. But the problems that someone new to country living encounters are not always lots of laughs, and a well is one example.

    If you have lived in a house with municipal water service all your life, you never question whether the water will flow when you turn on the faucet. But both a well and the well pump require maintenance and occasional replacement, which means you may have no water service for several days. A hurricane power outage can also leave you with no water pressure unless you have a backup generator.

    So it’s important to buy a house with a well and pump that are in good condition and not ancient. Testing the water for bacteria and contaminants is also a priority. Click on the image below to download a two-page guide to buying a house with a well by the Water Systems Council.

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about WELLS:

• What is the average life expectancy of a well? 

• What is the average life expectancy of a well pump?

• What is the blue dumbbell-shaped tank at the well equipment?

• What is the tank marked "potassium permanganate" in the water treatment system for? 

• Does an abandoned well need to be capped or removed?

• Does a homeowner need a permit to drill a water well on their property in Florida? 

• Is a high iron level in well water a health hazard?

• How often should a well be disinfected? 

• Should I test my well water for arsenic?

• What is the danger of radon in well water? 

• What size generator do I need to run my submersible well pump?

• Why would a well need to have a chlorinator/dechlorinator system? 

• Why does my well pump turn on and off every time I use water?

• What is the required water testing for an FHA, VA, or USDA mortgage application? 

     Visit our WELLS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.