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Well Maintenance Checklist: The Yearly Routine That Keeps a Well Clean

Most well maintenance is looking and listening, and most of it costs nothing. Here is the yearly routine, the two pieces of equipment worth checking yourself, and the honest answer on when a cleaning is due.

The yearly well maintenance checklist

  1. 1

    Test the water

    Total coliform and E. coli plus nitrate, once a year, from a county lab or a certified lab. Add a test after floods, well work, or any change in the water.

  2. 2

    Walk the wellhead

    The cap tight and vermin-proof, the casing standing clear of the ground and any ponding water, the ground sloping away, no chemicals, fuel, or mowing damage nearby.

  3. 3

    Check the pressure tank's air charge

    With the pump off and the tank drained, the air pressure at the tank's valve should read 2 psi below the pressure switch's cut-in setting. Top it up with a bicycle pump or compressor.

  4. 4

    Listen to the pump

    A pump that clicks on and off every few seconds while a tap runs is short-cycling, usually a waterlogged tank. A pump that runs on and on is losing pressure somewhere.

  5. 5

    Lift the toilet tank lid

    Orange fluff, black slime, or a swampy smell in the tank is the earliest warning of a colony growing in the well, months before the pressure fades.

  6. 6

    Keep the paperwork

    The well record, every lab result, and the dates of every treatment. A well with a history is a well you can reason about.

Pressure tank and pump maintenance

The pressure tank is the one piece of well equipment a homeowner can service with a tire gauge. Its air charge slowly leaks down, and a tank low on air fills with water, which makes the pump start and stop every few seconds and wears it out years early. Once a year, shut the pump off, drain the tank from a nearby tap, and set the air pressure at the valve to 2 psi below the switch's cut-in. The pump itself needs nothing from you except attention: note how it sounds and how long it runs, because the first sign of a failing pump or a dropping water table is a change in that rhythm, and pulling a pump is a licensed contractor's job, covered in well service near me.

The treatment is the one maintenance job with a kit.

Answer a few questions about your well. The kit is from $329, with a lidded mixing pail and a bacteria test before and after. For context, a professional treatment visit can cost up to $500, and it may not include a bacteria test.

Look up my well See what's in the kit

When is a well cleaning due?

When the evidence says so: a positive bacteria test, slime in the toilet tank, a smell on the cold side, stains getting worse, or pressure fading with the pump and tank ruled out. A well with clean tests and no symptoms does not need cleaning on a calendar. Wells in iron-bacteria country often settle into a rhythm of every year or two, and a planned cleaning in that rhythm beats a rescue: the colony is younger, the dose is smaller, and you pick the weekend. The procedure is in how to treat a well.

What well maintenance costs

The yearly test is the cheapest line, especially through a county program. The tank recharge is free. The cleaning has three paths: a contractor treatment visit can cost up to $500, usually with chlorine; a hardware store chlorine pack runs about $45 plus guesswork; and our chlorine dioxide kit sized to your well record starts at $329, with two bacteria tests included. Pump and tank replacement are the expensive lines, and the routine above is what pushes them years out.

Straight answers

How often should a well be maintained?

Once a year for the routine above, which is mostly free: the test, the wellhead walk, and the tank check. Cleaning is not on a calendar; it happens when the evidence says so, a positive test, slime, smell, stains, or fading pressure.

What should the air pressure be in a well pressure tank?

Two psi below the cut-in pressure of your pressure switch, measured with the pump off and the tank empty of water. On a common 40/60 switch that is 38 psi. A tank charged far below that waterlogs and makes the pump short-cycle.

How do I know if my pressure tank is waterlogged?

The pump cycles on and off rapidly while a single tap runs, and the tank feels heavy and sounds dull when you tap the upper half, where it should sound hollow. Recharge the air first; a tank that will not hold a charge has a failed bladder and needs replacing.

Should I put chlorine tablets in my well as maintenance?

No. Continuous chlorine in a well is not a maintenance strategy; it corrodes the pump and casing and does nothing for the biofilm where the trouble lives. Maintenance is testing and watching. Treatment, when the evidence calls for it, is a full sized treatment with a bacteria retest after it.

More Well Maintenance Tips Beyond the Yearly Routine

Add a professional inspection every ten years. Penn State Extension says to have a water well contractor inspect the well on that schedule. The CDC also says to check your well every spring for mechanical problems. Keep the area within 100 feet of the well clear of debris or items that might pollute the water supply.

Sources differ on how often to test pH and total dissolved solids. The CDC says to test for them at least once each year. Penn State Extension says every three years, along with tests tied to land uses within sight of the well. Both agree on yearly bacteria testing.

Watch how much water the well gives, not only the pressure. Penn State Extension says a decrease of 25% or more in well yield generally indicates that rehabilitation is in order. Waiting can raise the cost and sometimes make the work impossible. If you notice a loss of performance, have a professional water well contractor inspect the well, preferably with a downhole camera.

How often should a well be professionally inspected?

Penn State Extension recommends having a water well contractor inspect the well every ten years. If you notice a loss of performance sooner, it advises having a professional water well contractor inspect the well, preferably with a downhole camera.

When is the best time of year to test well water for bacteria?

Weather changes the result. Penn State Extension says the highest bacteria numbers are found shortly after several weeks of rainy weather, and the fewest in dry, cold winter conditions. Keep the weather in mind when you read a result.

Sources

Penn State Extension, Water Well Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Penn State Extension, Coliform Bacteria

CDC, Guidelines for Testing Well Water

Drafted with AI help from the sources above and checked against them before publishing.

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