Private Well Care North of Newmarket

Topic

private well water testing

For

Newmarket homeowners

Need a hand?

(365) 990-3021

The reason it counts

With a private well, keeping the water safe falls to you as owner, along with the equipment that delivers it. No municipal treatment plant stands between the ground and your tap. Bacteria can enter after heavy rain or snowmelt, through a damaged well cap, or from a nearby septic system. Pumps and pressure tanks also wear out, and a failure means no water at all until repairs are made.

Testing your water

Public Health Ontario provides free testing of private well water for bacteria, including E. coli and total coliforms. Sample bottles are typically available from public health offices and some designated pick-up locations, and samples are returned there. York Region Public Health can tell you current pick-up and drop-off points. Testing several times a year is generally recommended, especially in spring, after heavy rain, or whenever the water changes in colour, taste or smell.

1. Collect a bottle from a public health location and read the instructions carefully.
2. Remove the aerator from a cold-water tap, let it run a few minutes, and fill without touching the inside of the bottle or cap.
3. Return the sample promptly, kept cool, within the time stated.
4. Read the result and follow the guidance given if bacteria are detected.

Chemical tests for things like hardness, iron, sodium or nitrates are usually arranged privately through an accredited laboratory.

Pumps and pressure tanks

Most wells use a submersible or jet pump that fills a pressure tank, whose trapped pocket of air lets the pump rest between cycles. When the air charge is lost, the pump switches on and off rapidly, which is called short cycling, and pressure at the tap swings. Signs to watch for:

• The pump clicking on every time a tap opens.
• Pressure surging and fading during a shower.
• Air spitting from faucets or cloudy water after the pump runs.
• Higher electricity use without explanation.

Protecting the wellhead

Keep the casing above grade with a sound, vermin-proof cap. Grade soil away from it, and keep fuel, fertiliser and road salt well clear. Mark the well so snowplough operators and contractors avoid it. If you also have a septic system, its care is covered in our septic circular.

Ringing for help

Call us for short cycling, loss of water, a noisy pump or a leaking pressure tank. We provide well pump service for properties around Armitage, Queensville, Mount Albert and beyond. We can also add filtration where iron, sulphur or hardness are a nuisance, and replace aging poly-b supply lines found in some rural homes.