# How to use a supplemental house well **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-supplemental-house-well/664150 "2013-07-22T00:08:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-supplemental-house-well/664150/1 "2013-07-22T00:08:13Z")
As I mentioned a couple months ago, I’m house-hunting. I think we’ve found the house for us, and it happens to have a supplemental well. I assume this is non-potable and should be used for things like watering the lawn and filling the pool. The house has public water and sewer, so the well should really be just a bonus. But I have no idea how to use one or what I should look out for. The fact sheet says it was updated this year, but I don’t know what that means. Obviously there still needs to be an inspection and we need to make an offer, but I was wondering if it is something to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-supplemental-house-well/664150/2 "2013-07-22T01:10:31Z")
You need to know how the well is plumbed. If your assumption is correct, then there should be one or more hose bibbs that are fed by the well, and you can use those for irrigation and pool filling, or whatever. If it’s somehow tied into the house plumbing, then you need to have it tested to be sure it is potable. Sounds like mostly a bonus. The only potentially significant concern I see is that if you decide to have it taken out, you’ll need to use a licensed well driller and get a county permit, which may run you a few grand. You can’t just throw dirt down the hole - that leaves a potential pathway for contamination to get into the aquifer. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-supplemental-house-well/664150/3 "2013-07-22T01:16:34Z")
I could do with a supplemental house, but I probably wouldn’t use it well. Just throw constant parties there, never clean up… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-a-supplemental-house-well/664150/4 "2013-07-22T01:24:44Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I could do with a supplemental house, but I probably wouldn’t use it well. Just throw constant parties there, never clean up… That’s how I read the thread title too.