What’s the purpose of a
Well Flow Inspection?
I hope I’m not aging myself with this one, but do you remember all those old movies where someone was taking a shower and in another part of the house someone flushed the toilet? Do you remember that classic scene? What happened next? The person in the shower screams, as they get scalded by hot water, right?
Well, if more people got Well Flow Inspections—like what Top To Bottom Services provides—maybe that classic scene wouldn’t exist and the Hollywood writers would’ve had to come up with a different slapstick scenario.
You see, what was happening here was the toilet uses cold water to refill the tank and because the home has a low flow rate, the cold water is diverted from the shower—where it was mixed with hot water to provide a comfortable temperature—leaving only the hot supply for the shower.
Why would I get a well flow inspection?
How is a well flow inspection done?
What types of issues could be found, and what do I do?
Why would I get a well flow inspection?
→ If you are buying, and the home you are interested in has a well, this inspection can help identify issues with the above ground components of the well system
→ If you own a home and have noticed a dips in pressure when multiple fixtures are running, or a complete loss of pressure.
→ If you own a home and have noticed a dips in pressure when multiple fixtures are running, or a complete loss of pressure.
How is a well flow inspection done?
→ We start with a timed sample to determine the initial flow rate; i.e. if from the hose we can fill up a 5-gallon bucket in 1 minute, the flow rate is 5GPM.
→ Leaving that initial source of water running, we add stress to the system by opening several other fixtures at different levels of the home.
→ We inspect the piping, connectors, gauges and tanks for the well system.
→ At the end of the inspection, we perform the timed test again to determine if the flow rate has dropped.
→ All findings are included in a report with photos identifying the issue.
→ Leaving that initial source of water running, we add stress to the system by opening several other fixtures at different levels of the home.
→ We inspect the piping, connectors, gauges and tanks for the well system.
→ At the end of the inspection, we perform the timed test again to determine if the flow rate has dropped.
→ All findings are included in a report with photos identifying the issue.
What types of issues could be found, and what do I do?
→ Find a campground nearby you can shower at…just kidding… But depending on the findings it may be necessary to remind your housemates to not flush while you’re in the shower.
→ Buyers should always consult with their Realtor® first, regarding their contract terms.
→ Some things that these inspections have revealed in the past include not only low overall flow rate, but insufficient well supplies—causing the well to run dry—and defective components causing short-cycling and other issues.
→ Buyers should always consult with their Realtor® first, regarding their contract terms.
→ Some things that these inspections have revealed in the past include not only low overall flow rate, but insufficient well supplies—causing the well to run dry—and defective components causing short-cycling and other issues.
