How to Troubleshoot Swallow Wells

You can use a shallow well on your propertyfor a variety of things, such as irrigation, watering livestock or even supplying water to your home. The cleanliness of the water pumped by your shallow well relies on how well the well system is working. It's the responsibility of the drilling contractor to ensure that the shallow well starts out working well. However, over the years, you may need to troubleshoot some of the more common issues that can come up with a shallow well.

Instructions

- 1
  Work closely with the drilling contractor when he is building the shallow well. If the drilling process plugs the aquifer, the contractor should clear out the material causing the clog at no additional cost.
- 2
  Check the ground that surrounds your shallow well. If it is sloped toward the well, rather than away from it, you can encounter issues like water buildup around the well and contamination.
- 3
  Look for problems with minimal distance requirements for your area. Your local zoning department can let you know the distance requirements. For example, the well might need to be about 33 feet away from the septic tank and 165 feet away from fuel storage tanks to avoid contamination issues.
- 4
  Inspect the metal casings and other metal areas of your shallow well. If you see damage or rust, corrosion might be an issue. You may need to replace the casings and other metal will with another material that will not corrode. Shock chlorination can also correct this issue.
- 5
  Replace your well pump or components of it, such as the pump propeller, if your shallow well is not pumping the normal amount of water even though weather conditions seem to be optimal.
- 6
  Shock chlorinate your shallow well system if there is a buildup of slime or other contaminants. This will clean out bacteria that cause various issues.

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