Private Well Maintenance Checklist: Annual Tasks
Private Well Maintenance Checklist: Annual Tasks
By the WellWater HQ team
A private well’s annual maintenance comes down to three things: a certified lab water test, a visual inspection of the wellhead and casing, and a check of the pressure tank’s air charge. Add a professional well system inspection every 5 to 10 years, and event-triggered checks after flooding, repairs, or any change in taste, color, or smell.
Most well problems that turn into expensive repairs or contamination scares started as a small, visible issue that went unchecked for a year or more, a cracked cap, a settling grout seal, a slowly failing pressure tank. A short annual walk-around catches most of it before it becomes a repair bill.
What should you check on the well itself every year?
Walk the wellhead and look at the casing, cap, and surrounding ground. The casing should extend at least 12 inches above the surrounding grade, the standard baseline written into most state well codes including California, Ohio, North Carolina, and New York (Wisconsin DNR, Well Casing Height Fact Sheet DG-089, 2026), and the cap should sit tight and vented, with no cracks, rust holes, or gaps where insects or surface water could get in.
Check the ground around the wellhead for pooling water, which suggests poor drainage or a failed surface seal, and note any new construction, chemical storage, or land use changes nearby since your last check. A cracked casing, a loose cap, or standing water at the base are all reasons to call a licensed well contractor rather than fix it yourself.
How often should you test private well water?
Test annually for total coliform bacteria, nitrate, total dissolved solids, and pH through a state-certified laboratory, per EPA guidance for private well owners (EPA, Protect Your Home’s Water, 2026). Add a broader panel covering arsenic, heavy metals, and VOCs every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if your region carries known geologic risk for any of those.
Retest immediately after flooding, nearby land disturbance, any change in taste, color, or odor, or before bringing an infant home, since bottle-fed infants are the group most sensitive to nitrate contamination.
What are the correct separation distances from contamination sources?
The National Ground Water Association recommends at least 50 feet between a well and a septic tank, and at least 100 feet between a well and a septic drain field, as the minimum separation before site-specific soil and slope conditions come into play (EPA, Septic Systems and Drinking Water, 2026). Confirm those distances during your annual walk if you’re aware of any new septic work, livestock area, or fuel storage installed nearby since the well was drilled.
Sandier or more permeable soil moves contaminants faster underground, so a well in sandy soil near the minimum distance carries more risk than the same distance in dense clay.
Annual maintenance checklist
| Task | Frequency | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Certified lab water test (coliform, nitrate, TDS, pH) | Annually | You (collect sample) + certified lab |
| Broader panel (arsenic, metals, VOCs) | Every 3 to 5 years | Certified lab |
| Visual wellhead, casing, and cap inspection | Annually | You |
| Check for pooling water or settling at wellhead | Annually | You |
| Pressure tank air pre-charge check | Annually | You or a well contractor |
| Sediment or carbon prefilter change | Every 3 to 6 months, per manufacturer | You |
| Full well system inspection (pump, wiring, casing, seal) | Every 5 to 10 years | Licensed well contractor |
| Shock chlorination after any repair or new construction on the well | After the event | You or a well contractor |
When do you need a professional well inspection instead of a DIY check?
Bring in a licensed well contractor for anything below the surface: pump performance, wiring, downhole casing condition, and the well’s grout seal. A full system inspection every 5 to 10 years catches degradation you can’t see from ground level, and it’s the point where a contractor typically checks pump amperage draw, static and pumping water levels, and the condition of the casing below grade with a camera if needed.
Call one sooner, outside that schedule, if your water pressure has dropped noticeably, your water has turned cloudy or turbid after rain, or your annual test comes back with anything unexpected given your well’s history.
Log your test results in the WellWater HQ test result checker year over year to catch a slow trend before it becomes a failed test. The WellWater HQ well water handbook lays out the full seasonal maintenance calendar if you want the annual and multi-year tasks in one place.
FAQ
How often should a private well be inspected by a professional? A full system inspection by a licensed well contractor every 5 to 10 years, on top of the annual DIY visual check and water test, is the standard maintenance interval most state extension programs recommend.
What should I check on my well every year? A certified lab water test, a visual check of the casing and cap for cracks or corrosion, a look for standing water at the wellhead, and the pressure tank’s air charge. All four take under an hour.
How far should a well be from a septic tank? At least 50 feet from the septic tank itself and 100 feet from the drain field, per National Ground Water Association guidance, since a drain field disperses partially treated effluent laterally through soil and carries a bigger contamination risk than the tank itself. Sandy or highly permeable soil warrants extra distance beyond the minimum.
Do I need to test my well water even if it tastes fine? Yes. Bacteria, nitrate, and arsenic are all undetectable by taste or smell, which is the entire reason the EPA recommends an annual certified lab test regardless of how the water looks or tastes.
What’s the difference between annual maintenance and a full well inspection? Annual maintenance is what a homeowner can check from ground level: cap, casing, pooling water, tank pressure, and a water test. A full inspection, done every 5 to 10 years by a licensed contractor, covers the pump, wiring, and downhole casing condition that isn’t visible from the surface.
Bottom line: a one-hour annual walk-around plus a certified water test catches most well problems while they’re still cheap to fix. Add a professional inspection every 5 to 10 years for the parts you can’t see from ground level.