Fall is in full swing now, and with the frigid cold weather approaching, a whole slew of fall home projects are probably on your list. Here in NEPA, fall will bring us a cold day here, a warm day there, and a whole lot of beautiful mild days- along with piles and piles of those brightly colored fall leaves littering the ground. For well owners who experience cold weather in their area, it’s important to make sure that fall weather well maintenance and prep make their way onto your to-do list. So long as you’re prepared and maintain your well properly, cold weather shouldn’t be an issue to your water supply!
Preventative Maintenance
As well owners know, proper well maintenance is an essential part of well care. Being sure to continue your care and testing will ensure your waters purity and safety. When we start entering the cold weather season, it’s a good idea to add “check well cap” to your weekly list of well care. If your well cap is cracked or broken, it’s much more likely that you could experience water contamination issues, or have the cold weather negatively impact your well.
Common Cold Weather Problems
In general, a well that was built correctly, should be well below the freeze line underground, and shouldn’t give you any issues. However, it still isn’t uncommon for problems to pop up in the cold months, especially if the weather in your area gets far below freezing.
Frozen Pipes
One of the most common issues for homeowners in cold weather, with a well or not, is frozen pipes. This tends to happen more in old homes, or homes that were built improperly, however it can pop up in even the most well-built home if the conditions are bad enough. For well owners, pipes are required to bring your water from your well to your homes tap. Depending on how your well and your home were constructed, your pipe can be out in the open air, far in the ground, or anywhere in between. Meaning, for many people, well pipe freezing is a common cold weather issue. An easy way to remedy this is by wrapping your pipes with heat tape or insulation for the time being.
Power Loss
Something that can happen during any bad storm is power loss. With the ice and the snow in the winter, this is even more likely to experience power loss. Power loss is never a welcome idea, however for well owners it could spell disaster without the proper preparations, as power loss also means water loss. The best way to prepare for this is by investing in a good portable backup generator for your well. During storms, it may also be a good idea to prepare a good supply of water ahead of time.
With proper preparations, combined with your usual well maintenance, cold fall and winter weather should pose no threat to your well, or your water supply. It will never hurt you to be prepared to the best of your abilities, especially when it comes to your well!
At Faulstick Plumbing, we specialize in installs, repairs, and inspections for all of your well, water, and plumbing needs. Our family-owned and operated business has built a reputation as the best-doing things the right way with the customer in mind, every time. Give us a call at 570-992-0447 to discuss your needs today!
