Well Maintenance Calendar: How to Care For Your Water Year-Round

As the seasons change so should your well maintenance routine. Different weather patterns—like heavy rains, snow, and long periods of dryness—affect your water quality in a variety of ways. Testing your water during certain times of the year can also provide greater insight into your water quality. 

A little upkeep each year can help your well stay healthy for decades. Use the seasons to keep track of your well’s maintenance and water quality across its lifespan.

We cover well tips for every season, read more about: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Spring Well Cleaning and Maintenance

Whether you shut your well down over winter or kept it in use, do a visual inspection for any winter damage. Look out for:

Check and change water treatment filters. Check that your treatment filters are working properly according to their manuals. Replace filters if they have reached their lifetime use. 

Flush and fill the system. If the system was drained and unused over winter, turn on the breaker and run every faucet in the home. Let the water run for at least five minutes to flush your plumbing and check for new leaks. 

Test for bacteria and nitrates. Test and treat for any new microbes that might have grown over winter if the well was not in use. Spring is a great time for coliform testing during wetter months, before the weather gets too hot. 

Avoid pooling. Prevent water from ponding around your well during heavy rains or flooding.

Gardening. Only plant low-maintenance greenery with short roots within 4 feet of the well. Don’t use any pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers within 100 feet of the well. Avoid using mulch nearby or planting anything that can attract pests.

Schedule a well maintenance appointment. Have a licensed technician confirm that your well system is properly thawed and ready to use if it was shut off over the winter.

Summer Well Cleaning and Maintenance

Landscaping. Remove weeds and debris around the well. Take care not to damage your well head while mowing around your well. 

Schedule a pumping/drawdown test. Well flow is best measured during dry periods of the year. Taking these measurements when water levels are low helps ensure you are using your well sustainably. A decrease in water production can be a sign that your well needs cleaning or that the aquifer is nearly depleted. Some states may require routine testing. 

Returning to a summer home:

Leaving a summer home:

Winter Well Cleaning and Maintenance

Remove snow. Don’t let snow pile and melt around the well.

Monitor water quality. If you live near a roadway or parking lot that is regularly salted, keep an eye on your water quality after the snow melts.

Emergency power supply. Most wells need steady electrical power to run water to your home. Prepare for potential winter power outages by having a backup generator.

Prevent freezing. Water inside the well cannot freeze since it’s below the frost line, so only above-ground equipment and pipes are at risk. Make sure these parts stay insulated. During freezing weather, a continuous slow drip of warm water can help ensure pipes don't freeze.

Defrost pipes. It's important to thaw frozen pipes as soon as possible to prevent cracks. A frozen water supply pipe or above-ground well pump will cause a loss of water pressure. To find the freeze point, turn off the water supply to the house, follow the pipes from the faucet and look for frost-covered, cracked, or bulging pipes. Warm the pipe with a hairdryer, heat lamp, or heating pad.

Well Maintenance Over the Years

Once you get familiar with your seasonal routine, check off each of the following well maintenance tasks across the lifespan of your well.

 Every year: