Water System FAQ

We have a minimum repair charge of $200 including travel. We have to mobilize two workers and a service truck that costs $150k to every service call in anticipation of the worst case repair scenario.

We know that changing a $40 pressure switch in five minutes does not necessitate a $200 charge, service truck, and two employees. The issue is if the pump needs to be changed we need to be sure we can accomplish the repair in one trip, and $200 basically covers our expenses in most scenarios.

For basic service calls such as pump replacements, we may have to back our hoist truck up to your well which may leave ruts in your yard or damage driveways. We are not responsible for driveway or yard damage. If you have concerns, please mention them prior to our arrival so we can estimate a cost for additional precautions that may be required.

For complete water system replacement, we will be excavating a trench at least 6 feet deep and depending on the soil type the width at the top could be from 4 feet to 12 feet. When the line is in place, the trench will be backfilled. Over time, the path of the water line may settle so we recommend waiting a few weeks before doing lawn repair. We do not provide landscaping services and are not responsible for yard damage.

The only people who will debate this are installers who did not purchase the proper equipment to service your well. If you are trying to work on a deep well and do not have a hoist truck, coil plastic is the only option. Purchasing a hoist truck at over $150k is not in the cards for many installers, a van is much cheaper. As a customer, you should insist on Schedule 80 drop pipe with either stainless steel or Schedule 120 couplings.

Reasons to Choose Schedule 80 Pipe:

1. The well is straight, putting something that was coiled in the well is asking for wire rub through in the future. The weight of the pump does not completely straighten the coil. Coiled plastic can be used if you are putting centering guides the suggested 5 foot interval, which is time consuming, is added expense, and very few installers do this.

2. Rigid pipe is stronger, if your pump becomes stuck there is a greater recovery chance.

3. Coil plastic is nearly impossible to keep sanitary when changing your pump. Most installers will drag it out into your yard, change the pump, give it a wipe on the way down and move on. Rigid pipe in 20ft sections is easier to place in a sanitary place and clean properly.

From experience, water system components such as pressure tanks or pumps purchased from big box stores are nowhere near the quality of the products we sell. The misconception is that a tank is a tank or that a pump is a pump, but in reality is that many are foreign made with subpar quality control and materials.

Even if you would like to do the repair yourself, we are happy to sell you materials and you might be surprised how competitive our prices are! Why replace a tank every 3 years, which can destroy a pump when you can buy a quality one that lasts far longer for not much more?

As an example a 1/2hp pump in a well that is 40ft deep, there is no difference between a 110V and 220V pump in performance or operating cost. Due to wire sizing cost and other factors, 220V pumps become the only option as you go deeper in well depth.

Functionally there is no difference between the two. We only use 2 wire pumps as we have found them to be more reliable long term.

-A 3 wire pump has an additional wire from the pump all of the way into the house and into a control box mounted on the wall. Sometimes the control box needs to be replaced, the control box costs additional, and the wire costs more.

-A 2 wire pump has the controls built into the pump where they stay cool and tend to last longer. It also does not require the control box in the house and the wire costs less.

We install water lines 6-8 feet deep and sometimes much deeper under driveways. In areas with solid bedrock near the surface, we will use foam insulation sheets. In problem areas such as coming up through concrete into a pre-fab homes, farm usages, and other scenarios where a line could be prone to freezing we will install a heat tape to give the ability to keep the line from freezing.