City or well water?

Michael_S · Jul 16, 2002

First of many questions as I begin to construct a new home.
I can tie into the local water system: $2200 for meter and tap fee, then whatever it cost me to get 400 feet to the house.
Minimum monthly bill is $35.00
Or I can drill a well. Driller says average depth around here is 250 ft. @ $10.00 per ft. Another $2000.00 for pump and filters. His guess is a well that produces about 18 gallons per minute, based on his past experience in the area.
I have never had a well, so know little about them.
What do you guys think would be the best option, given my choices?

Argee · Jul 16, 2002

I would jump on the opportunity to hook up to city water.
Drilling a well is like buying a pig in a poke. What if they end up going 450'? What if they drill a dry hole? Is there a provision that protects you from that? You also have long term maintenance of your pump, screen, etc....If your powers goes out, so does your water supply. Problem with with water pressure or quality? With your own well you pay. With city water it's a simple phone call. Down the road if the city restricts water usage for lawn watering, etc., then it may be feasible to drill a shallow well for irrigation, which you could probably do yourself. To me the question is simply answered.......Go with city water if it's available.

Egon · Jul 17, 2002

I'd go city water with a reverse osmosis system for driking and cooking water.
Water is our most precious comodity but seems to be taken for granted.
The aquifier your well will draw from is not under your control. Pollutants can be introduced without your knowledge, the level can drop from overusage as has happened to the largest aquifier in the US as it is used for irrigation.
Town water should be treated and tested on a continuous basis which you will not do with your well. Pumps wear out and certainly are not able to hande the voltage surge of a lightning strike on the power line. When problems do occurr with a well it will be on a Friday evening when you have guests and the toilet can't be flushed.
Notwithstanding, town water may be interupted but for me would be much more desirable.
Egon

RobS · Jul 17, 2002

It probably depends on your area. Around here wells are plentiful, productive and inexpensive to install and operate. Also lets you run sprinklers and such without a huge water bill. Our weak link tends to be the septic system so If I could I would hook up to city sewers but keep my well. Unfortunately, not a choice for us so our new house will have both well and septic /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

looch · Jul 17, 2002

It's a frigid February morning. I'm in the shower getting a good lather going and - oops - no more water out of the shower head. I wipe the suds from my eyes and go downstairs. The pump died. I had a backup in the garage so I went to get it and began the install. Didn't have all the necessary fittings so I made the 30 mile round trip to the store to get them. Hooked up the backup pump and couldn't get it to prime - something must be damaged inside. Tinkered with it for a bit and then made a second trip out to the pump supplier. Bought a 3/4 hp Burks with brass fittings for 550$. Installed it, primed it, and rinsed off my very itchy body - it was 10pm.

Go for the city water. What about sewage? I don't think I've heard of a situation where there was city water available but no sewage. I would consider that more important - I'd take the city sewage over a septic system any day.

gws · Jul 17, 2002

Is the city water any good? I am on city water. Where do they get it? From a well field just outside of town. I would much prefer to have direct well water. All I get is high bills for my city water.

OkieNCognito · Jul 17, 2002

The first gamble with drilling a well is either not finding enough water or even hitting a dry hole. The second gamble is the quality of the water. The depth and quality of water is very specific to a given area. General advice from TBN members will be helpful but rely on some older timers in the area who have knowledge and experience of well water in your area.

Go door to door if you need to to find out about wells in your area. Inquire about the depth and the quality of the water (ie does the well require a filtering systems, has it ever gone dry, have they ever had the water tested, have they seen any effects from heavy mineral content such as yellowing clothes or damage to their plumbing?).

Get references from the driller and check them out thoroughly. A driller is just like a contractor you may be using on your house - some are good, honest and concerned about the end product; some not. Keep in mind they get paid by the foot so the deeper they drill the more $ they make - but a well that is too deep can lead to unsuitable water. Compare the 250 ft average he's suggesting to the depth of wells that are actually being used in your area.

I'm also in the process of constructing a new home. Water in my area can be hit at 40ft but the mineral content requires some fairly expensive filtration, so I'm paying for the city tap ($1,000) and running 800 ft of line to the house. I'd like to have the well just for watering the yard.

Wingnut · Jul 17, 2002

Economics would dictate "city water" ... the cost gets spread over all the users.
Preference (mine) would be to be self-sufficient and divorced from any politics ... I see far too many instances of people being billed huge amounts 'cause the towns running a deficit an dthe money's got to come from spomewhere ... and water/sewer is a captive audience.
I'd also ask about the quality and cost of service. Here, they maintain a 200+ mile pipeline to haul water from Lake Michigan (when Lake Huron is 10 miles away). Lots of maintenance of a long pipeline and all that treatment stuff. The water battle between the treatment center and the various water boards around here is in the papers every week.
So .... you pays your money and you takes your choice. (I'll stay on my well ... and NOT water my lawn).

looch · Jul 17, 2002

I should add that we don't pay for city water consumption here. It's part of our municipal taxes. Whether you use 100 gallons or 10000 - same bill.

Rubintropfen · Jul 17, 2002

Some localities require a house to be connected to any available public water and/or sewer before the house can be sold.

FYI - I live in an area that will be getting city water (there's a brand new dry main across the road) but has no public sewer, or plans for any as far as I know.