Before You Spend Thousands on Your Well: Make Sure the Water Sample Was Taken From the Right Place

If you live in a rural area, chances are you or someone you know relies on a private well. And if you've dealt with a shared well, you may have seen something that doesn't seem to make sense: one home tests within acceptable bacteria levels while another home on the same well comes back significantly higher.

So what causes the difference?

After seeing this happen over the years, I started asking questions and doing some research. One of the first questions I now ask is:

Where was the water sample taken?

Was it taken from a designated sampling valve, an interior faucet, an outside faucet, or a yard hydrant?

That detail can matter.

Be Careful With Outdoor Faucets and Yard Hydrants

I would not choose an outside faucet or yard hydrant as my first choice for a drinking-water sample.

Many rural yard hydrants are buried approximately six feet underground (to prevent freezing). When properly installed, they have a drainage system that allows water in the underground portion of the hydrant to drain into the surrounding area when the hydrant is shut off.

That drainage area, along with the outdoor portion of the hydrant, can potentially introduce environmental contaminants or bacteria that have nothing to do with the actual quality of the water coming from the well.

Outdoor fixtures are also exposed to soil, mud, wildlife, insects, fertilizer, manure, and other environmental sources.

That doesn't automatically mean an outdoor faucet is contaminated. It simply means there are additional variables to consider when interpreting the test.

One Well, Different Results?

This is especially important with shared wells.

If three homes are connected to the same well and one tests fine while another shows elevated bacteria, it is easy to assume the well itself is the problem.

But before spending thousands of dollars on treatment, repairs, or other solutions, ask some basic questions:

• Where was each sample collected?

• Were the samples taken from similar locations?

• Was the sampling procedure followed correctly?

• Was an outdoor hydrant used?

• Should the water be retested from an appropriate interior sampling point?

• Is the issue occurring at the well or somewhere within the individual property's plumbing?

  
  

A high water-test result should never be ignored, but it also doesn't necessarily mean you need a new well or an expensive treatment system.

Ask Questions Before Spending Money

My biggest takeaway from working with rural properties is simple:

Before you spend thousands of dollars trying to fix a water problem, make sure you understand what you are actually testing.

If a water test comes back with elevated bacteria, take it seriously and consult the appropriate professional. But also ask where, how, and when the sample was collected.

Sometimes the first step isn't fixing the well.

Sometimes it's making sure you have an accurate test of the water you're actually trying to evaluate.

Again, I am not a water-testing expert. This article is based on my experience, research, and conversations with professionals in the field and is intended only to help rural property owners and buyers ask better questions. It should not be used to determine whether water is safe to drink or what corrective action should be taken.

When it comes to private wells, asking the right question first can potentially save you a lot of time, money, and confusion.

Important Disclaimer: I am a real estate broker, not a water-testing professional, environmental specialist, well contractor, or laboratory technician. This article is based on my personal experience working with rural properties, my own research, and conversations with professionals in the water-testing field. It is for general educational purposes only and should not be considered professional water-quality, environmental, health, or well-system advice. If you have concerns about your water, consult a qualified professional or certified laboratory.