4 Reasons Why Your Water Well Yield Is Low

Do you have a water well on your property? Are you having trouble getting enough water from the yield on a regular basis? If your water yield seems low or the pressure from your faucets and shower heads is low, then you likely have a problem in the well itself. It could be a problem that was caused by errors in the water well drilling or it could just be a natural result from the soil shifting around the well. You'll likely need a water well expert to examine the well. However, here are a few possible reasons why the well isn't working properly:

Bio-film build-up in well casing. This happens when bacteria and other material accumulates on and around the well's casing. That bacteria plugs up the casing's boreholes, which prevents water from entering the well. Instead, the bacteria and other elements enter the well, resulting in the slime that's accumulating around your water fixtures. Bio-film build-up is common in water wells and isn't anything to be too worried about. Your well may need shock treatment with chlorine to clear the sludge, but it should be back to normal after that step.

Well-casing collapse. The well casing separates your water well from the surrounding soil. When the casing collapses, soils starts to filter into the well. Soon you have less water coming out of your faucets. An early sign of casing collapse is a decrease in water pressure along with sediment in the water. A water well drilling expert could use a camera to look into the well and analyze the integrity of the casing. You may need to have the casing repaired. In some cases, the more affordable option is to plug the current well and drill a new one.

Aquifer depletion. This problem happens when you simply pump more water than the well can provide. There's not enough water around and below the well, so the well doesn't have time to refill in between pumpings. You water well pumping expert can run a few tests to determine if this is the case. If so, you may need to add a storage unit onto the well to act as a backup. You also may need to drill a complementary well in a different location to take some of the burden off the primary well.

Leak in the system. This is often the result of an error made in the drilling process. The casing or borehole may have been unknowingly damaged, and now water is leaking out through that damaged area. The only way to determine if this is the case is for a water well contractor to inspect the well. Small holes can often be patched, but larger ones may require a new casing or a new well altogether.

Contact a water well drilling company like Schneider Water Services for more information. They can inspect your well and offer solutions.