In two previous articles we looked at possible contamination in your well water and at finding water.
This article will deal with how to use and maintain your well. Most wells in the Palmer and Wasilla areas are deeper than fifty feet. I have people tell me every year that a well shallower than fifty feet or forty feet is an illegal well, but I can’t find any regulation that confirms that assertion. Our well in our last home in Cottonwood Shores off of Bogard Road was only 39 feet. I tested the water in that well a couple times and found it to be excellent.
If your well is anything but a very shallow well, you will need a submersible pump. A submersible pump is in the bottom of your well and pumps the water up a pipe to your home. The pipe should come out of the well casing at ten feet below the surface and continue to be 10 feet below the surface until it reaches your home. When well lines freeze up it is usually because they were not buried deep enough.