3 Benefits Of Connecting Your Well To A Water Storage Tank
Connecting a well to a water storage tank is a way to ensure you always have an ample supply of water in your home, even if your well has a very low flow rate. Water storage tanks can either be located inside your home or buried underground below the frost line. Your well pump will deliver water from the well to the storage tank, and then a smaller pump on the storage tank will carry the reserved water to the plumbing in your home whenever you need it. In addition to providing you with a reliable water source, storage tanks also help protect your well pump and improve your water quality. Below, you'll learn more about three benefits of having a water storage tank connected to your home's well.
1. Provides You With a Reliable Water Source, Even if Your Well Is Nearly Dry
The main reason why homeowners connect water storage tanks to their wells is that it can make an aging, low-yield well usable again. A nearly dry well that's only capable of providing a gallon per minute of water can't keep up with the water needs of the average home unless it's connected to a storage tank — a gallon per minute isn't enough flow to shower or do laundry.
Even a low-yield well is capable of filling a large storage tank. The well pump will run continuously when you're not using the water in your home, such as when you're sleeping at night. That water will be kept in the storage tank until you're ready to use it, which provides your home with an ample supply of water regardless of your well's low flow rate.
2. Improves the Water Quality in Your Home
An additional benefit of connecting a water storage tank to your well is that it provides your home with cleaner water. Volatile organic compounds and volatile sulfur compounds are commonly found in well water, and they can significantly affect the taste and smell of your water. These compounds are unstable and easily escape into the air. When filling your storage tank, both of these compounds will escape into the air inside of your tank instead of being carried along with the water into your home's plumbing, which makes your water taste and smell better.
A water storage tank also helps remove sediment from the water. Silt and clay sediment in your well can be dredged up by the well pump, and it will end up in the water. When water spends time sitting in the storage tank, however, the sediment will settle to the bottom of the tank. Removing sediment from your water improves its appearance, and it also prevents sediment from being deposited in appliances like your dishwasher and your washing machine, which can damage them.
3. Helps Extend the Lifespan of Your Well Pump
Installing a water storage container also protects your well pump. Protecting your well pump is important because they're very expensive to replace. The motor inside of a well pump is most stressed when it first starts up, and well pumps inside low-yield wells often start and stop frequently as water trickles into them. By connecting your well pump to a timer and having it only start when the well is near full, you'll be able to prevent it from stopping and starting frequently. This helps to extend your well pump's lifespan while still allowing you to have a steady supply of water since you're drawing it from the storage tank rather than relying on your well pump alone to supply it.
Overall, the main benefit of installing a water storage tank is that it's able to make a low-yield well usable again. In addition to that, it also improves water quality and helps protect your well pump, and keeping your well pump protected will help save you money. If you'd like to connect a water storage tank to your well, call a well service in your area, have them inspect your well, and tell them about your average water usage. They'll be able to help you determine how large of a storage tank you'll need based on your water usage and your well's flow rate.
For more information on well services, contact a professional near you.