If you’re interested in getting a water well for your home, you’re not alone – many people are beginning to use this affordable, independent, health-conscious, and reliable option.
A water well is a hole drilled into the ground to gain access to water in an aquifer. A pipe and a pump transport water from the ground, filtering debris, dirt, and unwanted particles that could clog the pipe and make their way into your water source.
When looking into having a well drilled on your property, you first need to know what type of well would best suit your needs. A bored or shallow well is generally used for depths of less than 100 feet, and uses an unconfined water source. Consolidated rock wells use natural rock formation and have a depth of around 250 feet. Unconsolidated or sand wells use a formation of sand, gravel, or clay material.
Now that you know the “well basics,” you may be asking yourself – what are the benefits of having a well on my property? Can I use heat pumps with a well or a service like Ground Source? We’ll tell you the low-down on wells and heat pumps.
Benefits of Owning Your Own Well
Free Water!
One of the main benefits of having your well is free water. No more monthly bills, municipal fees, and hidden charges – getting water for your home won’t cost a penny. In some places, you can even obtain state or federal tax credit for this eco-friendly endeavor.
Reliability
A well can be drilled anywhere the equipment can fit, meaning that your well can be close to your home, unlike city water. A shorter distance for the water to travel means you don’t have to rely on the city’s infrastructure to provide water to your home. With well water, you don’t have to worry about service interruptions that affect the rest of your neighborhood!
Health benefits
Well water is naturally filtered, providing extraordinary health benefits of water that doesn’t contain additives like chlorine or fluoride.
Water heat pumps vs. ground source heat pumps
After you have the well installed on your property, you may be wondering what type of heat pump works best with your new contraption. Heat pumps provide efficient indoor heating and cooling levels – at a fraction of the price of other options. A geothermal heat pump is either a ground source or water source heat pump – let’s check out the differences.
What is a geothermal heat pump?
A geothermal heat pump extracts heat from where it is not needed and redirects it to where it is needed, providing cooling in hot weather and warming in cold weather. Heat is released using a refrigerant that is circulated through various pipes.
Ground source heat pumps
Ground source heat pumps use the soil outside of your house to capture and release heat. Usually placed around 6 feet below the soil, temperatures stay between 45 and 60 degrees the entire year, providing a reliable and ongoing source where heat can be easily added or removed depending on demand.
The heat is pulled out of indoor spaces and transferred to the water from your well, circulating through the pipes and in the underground loop. It is possible to use a ground source heat pump with water from your new well on your property.
Water source heat pumps
Similar to ground source heat pumps, a water source heat pump works very similarly, except the loop pipes are submerged in water where it will not freeze or get too hot during the summer months.
Which is better?
When comparing ground source heat pumps to water source heat pumps, there are pros and cons to both. Although water source pumps are easier to install, they are not as practical as ground source pumps if you do not have a well, pond, or body of water.
Conclusion
If you want well on your property due to the health benefits, cost-friendly nature, and reliability, you also have to look into a water source heat pump or ground source pump. Using a ground source pump with your new well drilled on your property could be the most effective and cost-friendly solution.
