How would I tap in to feed water to my toilets and showers from my shallow well? Is it possible?
you want to source the water to your toilet and showers from a shallow well pump in addition to their current source?
Not really sure yet. I would like to use as little of the current source as possible.
give a description of your current plumbing and water source. describe the shallow well.
Well, I’m a rookie at this. There are water feeds that run through the attic and I have city water. The shallow well is a 41 ft deep 2" pvc pipe setup.
You have city water, yet you want to use the water from a well? That would require some plumbing duplication. Is it worth it?
You will need a pressure tank and the associated hardware to turn the pump on/off when the pressure changes. Maybe you already have that? How was the well used before?
I haven’t installed the well as of yet, but I was thinking about feeding at least the toilets and showers with the well. My current city water bill just increased from $50 a month to around $75. I was looking at cutting cost and hoping to save money over the next few years as a whole.
you wouldn’t want to simply connect the city water and shallow pump together. the systems would need to be isolated from each other. state and local laws would describe if and how they would need to be isolated.
you could alter and put in the plumbing to feed toilets and shower only from the shallow well.
if you are in a city the plumbing would need to be done to comply with building codes. beyond legal reasons plumbing should be done to that level of quality.
do you know the depth you can find water at? do you know the cost of a well to that depth? are you in a city or get city water outside of a city? can you get a well permit where you live?
In the city - well would cost $700 - 40ft minimum for water - probably not legal to pipe the house in the city if that’s where you are going with this? It is legal to have one for gardening in the city
state governments issue permits to put in wells. you would need to find out if they would issue a permit to you. you would have to find out if your city would allow a well to be put in.
you should investigate water conservation methods for in house use.
for garden and yard you could investigate such things as rain water collection and choices and methods of land scape to minimize water needs.
My home uses a 90 foot deep well. Sure, you can run toilets, showers, etc. off a shallow well.
I am puzzled why you would do this for a mere $25 a month.
First, assuming you can even get permission to do this, the cost of drilling the well, which you’ve priced out to $700. Then, as mentioned, you’ll need a pressure tank and a well pump. The well pump eats electricity just like any other appliance you own, and while it’s not going to be a huge amount your electric bill will go up to power it. Then there is the cost of install all necessary plumbing - how much an hour are plumbers in your area? Will you be allowed to dump the wastewater into the existing sewer line? If so, you’ll still need to connect the well water plumbing to the sewer line. If not, you’re looking at a septic drain field installation, which will run you thousands at the minimum. While I assume you can use the sewers local regulations are sometimes amazingly stupid.
How’s the ground water quality in your area? Ours is hard. I mean, so hard when you turn on the faucet the water goes >thunk< into the sink. We spend extra on the cleaning supplies to keep the toilets and sinks from turning orange.
I strongly suggest you get the water tested regularly - especially if you’re only 40 feet down. If you have a leaking gas station nearby (as an example) and it’s screwed up the ground water you don’t want to shower in it (toilet is OK, as long as neither you nor your pets drink out of the bowel).
How often does the power go out in your area? If we have no power we have no water in the house. With city water the pressure is high enough that is unlikely to happen.
Oh, yes, water pressure - our well pump doesn’t exert high pressure. Shower water is kind of… wimpy. Yeah, you get clean, but the spray is much less intense than you’re probably used to. A stronger pump and higher pressure will impose more costs.
Seems to me it would take years to pay for itself, and you’re adding ongoing expense and maintenance issues.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Very goods point you made. I was just somewhat considering the idea, that is why I wanted to get others opinions. If I did indeed go with the shallow well, I would hope to decrease my bill to save around $50 per month.
states do regulate wells and issue permits for them. every well is a potential source of ground water pollution if things don’t go well (ha very punny). if you have a sufficient source of water the state or city may not allow a well. you need to check what applies to you.
trentp, I think you are getting yourself into a world of hassle, trouble, legal red tape and expenses. It’s unlikely you will save any money in the long run. It’s a money pit.
You’re lucky to have city water available. I don’t, and have no choice but a well.
Others have addressed some of the potential issues. I just wanted to step in to say as someone who makes their living on domestic water systems, a municipal supply(city water) is almost always going to be cheaper and safer. Thinking you can save money by supplying your own water is a pipe dream.
Depending on you city you can have other expences. You will need a permit to dig the well, cost for permit. Then there will be drawings and permits for the piping chances to the house. Then the cost of plumming changes to the house.
And this may be where it gets sticky. Shower water comes in contact with the body, so the health department will want to chec the water and may require some form sanitation system. Also a lot of cities use the water bill as a means of collecting fees for the sewer. You may be required to put a meter on the well and based on how much water is being used start getting a sewer bill.