ANSWERS

What should I look for when choosing my drilling contractor?

Make sure that he is licensed by the State of Tennessee to drill or install well pumping equipment, or drilling and grouting for geothermal bore holes. It is a legal requirement that all well drillers, pump installers, and water treatment contractors must be licensed. Too many homeowners have been exposed to shoddy work by inexperienced contractors. Check the contractors reputation and reliability from references such as neighbors who own wells. Check with the Better Business Bureau or the State of Tennessee Department of Water Supply. His success and reputation are built upon doing a good job for each customer. Check to see if he has the experience and knowledge to perform the job. Does he have modern well kept equipment? Will he provide me with a record of the work done? Does he have liability and worker's compensation insurance to protect me while working on my property? Will he work under a written contract agreement? And will he work in a timely and professional manner? It is good if he is a member of his local State and National Associations of drilling contractors. This is evidence that he keeps abreast of all new developments by continually attending educational seminars. Developing a well is not for amateurs or contractors who do not care about quality. WATER IS THE SECOND MOST PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCE THAT WE HAVE. Watson Company understands the importance of our position in handling this resource. You can depend on us to deliver a professional service with qualified personnel and state of the art equipment.

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Where should I drill my well?

Your well should be higher than any point of contamination such as septic tanks and drain fields, feed lots, dog pens, flood plains or where water will flood or stand. Away from foundations of buildings and property lines or highway right of ways and not under power lines. Your well should be in a place so that future maintenance can be done. If you have and abandoned well not being used on your property, it should be sealed by a qualified licensed contractor. By doing this it will prevent future ground water contamination. Minimum Distances From Potential Sources Of Contamination. Spacing From Boundaries. Sewage lagoons, leaching pits..............................................200 feet Animal pens, feed lots...........................................................100 feet Sludge, septage, disposal sites..............................................100 feet Pits, privies.............................................................................75 feet Sewer lines.............................................................................50 feet Septic tanks, drain fields.........................................................50 feet House to septic tank connections (tight lines).........................10 feet Foundations of buildings..........................................................5 feet Property lines...........25 feet....(With special conditions)........10 feet All these spacing distances are for the protection of ground water. Special conditions can be met by variances granted by the State of Tennessee. We can help you with the well site selection if needed. We will make a visit to your property at no charge, to assist you in making decisions and explaining the drilling process if you so desire.

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What will my well cost?

Wells are usually priced by the foot for both the drilling and the casing. The pumping equipment is priced separately and depends on the depth of the well. Pumps are defined by horsepower and gallons per minute. They are sized to match the depth of the well and the demand the homeowner will place on the system. The need for water treatment equipment required to bring the water to the desired quality depends on the quality of the water found when the well is drilled. Watson Company can give you an estimate for your well. Remember a low bid for a well is not necessarily a good deal if the contractor cuts corners or does not construct the well properly or drills the well unnecessarily deep.

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Do I need a permit?

There is a well registration fee payable to the State of Tennessee. Your well will be tagged with a number assigned by the State of Tennessee. It will be subject to inspection to make sure that it meets construction standards. A notice of intent to drill the well will have to be filed with the State of Tennessee before the drilling process begins. We will obtain all necessary permits and file intents to the State of Tennessee for you.

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How much water will I need to supply my needs?

If you properly plan, a well can supply you with all the water you need. A rule of thumb is to allow 65 to 85 gallons of water per person per day. You need to take into account for peak periods of such as mornings and evenings, extra guest and outside water use such as irrigation and farm use. We can help you determine how much water you will need on a daily basis.

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What if I get a low producing well?

In Middle Tennessee some wells are not capable of producing the amount of water normally expected for domestic supply of 5 to 10 gallons per minute of flow rate. However with a storage system, a well that produces as little as a gallon or less per minute can be sufficient to furnish a household with adequate water. A six inch diameter well will store a gallon and a half of water per foot of well depth. If for instance you have a well with a depth of 300 feet and the water is at the 50 foot level in the well, you already have 375 gallons of water stored in the well. When properly designed with timers and shut off devices, a low producing well can and will take care of a home. There are 1440 minutes in a day; a well that produces a gallon per minute will then produce 1440 gallons per day that can be pumped into and stored in a storage tank. A family of four uses approximately 300 to 400 gallons per day, this amounts to approximately 35% of the total well yield. Most wells in Middle Tennessee will produce the required amount of water needed without a storage system. Our Company has installed many of these systems and have found them to be very effective. We can if necessary help you with a low producing well, creating a very useful water supply that will give years of dependable and reliable service.

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How deep will my well be when finished?

It is almost impossible to determine in advance just how deep the well will have to be drilled to find adequate water supply. A good way to find out some indication is to ask your neighbors who own wells for their water supply. You can call Watson Company for information on wells that we might have drilled in the area or contact the State of Tennessee Division of water Supply for some information. The staff at Watson Company can provide you with useful information about the area that you will be drilling in. We can provide you with records of wells drilled in your area, such as the depths of wells, potential quality and quantity of the water and can supply you with useful brochures that will help you with things that you do not understand about water and wells.

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Now that my well is drilled, what type and size pump will I need?

There are a lot of things that will determine what size and type of pump you will need. First is the depth of the well, the wells potential yield, the water requirements that you will need, the distance and elevation of the house from the well. Contact Watson Company for pump recommendations. We have the experience, training, and knowledge to advise you on what you need. Watson Company can provide you with a complete well to house water system. There are many advantages in purchasing a system from a single contractor; in doing this you are giving the contractor the responsibility for your complete water supply. If you have a problem, you just need to make one phone call. We will have the records of your entire well system and will be prepared to understand the situation. We will provide you with a warranty and will give you professional service when needed. All wiring, plumbing, and installation will be done with a licensed certified company, using factory trained installers. This will insure that your well, pump and water treatment system have been sized to meet codes and that it will give you years of good dependable service. Do not sacrifice quality and efficiency for a cheaper price. The reliability and service you will get from your water system will more than off-set the cheap price. We can computer engineer a pumping system for you that will give you the ultimate performance and service.

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What should I do if I have taste, odors, or color in my well water?

If you have water that tastes or smells bad, call Watson Company first. With our experience as professionals, we can advise or recommend a solution. Groundwater is naturally filtered by clay, sand and rock layers as it makes its way to the aquifers. However as this filtering takes place it sometimes picks up taste and odors. New methods in effective treatment of groundwater can solve these problems. Public water supplies have required treatment for years and the treatment of groundwater is becoming more common. Watson Company has been supplying water solutions for 25 years. We can design a system for most any type of water problems. Sulfur smells, iron, hard water, bacteria control and other point of use problems.

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What should I do to maintain or safeguard my well?

Safeguard the area around the well. Do not have wells near dog or animal pens. Do not pour used oil from engines on the ground near the well site. Do not store paints, chemicals, or fertilizers in or around the well site. Be sure your well casing is at least 6 inches above ground level, cutting the casing off below ground level is illegal. Buried wells tend to develop leaks and allow contamination to enter your water supply. Wells which extend above ground make pump maintenance and repair easier and cheaper. Also you cannot disinfect the well regularly without digging up the well.

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How can I disinfect my own well and how often?

You need to test your well on an annual basis. Contact Watson Company for instructions on when and where to take the sample. If the results show the presence of bacteria, then you should shock chlorinate your well. It should be done on a yearly basis without knowing if bacteria is present or not. This will insure that the well remains in a safe condition. This can be done with household laundry bleach. Take a 5 gallon bucket and add 1 to 2 quarts of bleach add water and mix well. Pour down the well making sure that it coats the pipe casing wall. Using this formula for every 50 feet of standing water in the well. Turn on the outside hose and circulate water down the well until the smell of chlorine appears then continue for at least 10 minutes. Turn off the hose and open all faucets in the house until the smell of chlorine appears. Shut the system off and let set for at least 12 hours. Flush the system until the strong odor of chlorine disappears. This may have to be repeated. Do not run strong chlorinated water into septic. If bacteria still exists, you may have to install a continuous chlorination system. You may contact our company for more information and literature on this process.

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