Well water questions for south Georgia homes & farms.

Check the well pump’s breaker in your electrical panel. If it’s tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off and call (229) 886-2733: something in the pump, the wiring or the controls has failed.

Don’t open the pressure switch, the pump control box or the wiring at the wellhead. They’re live at 240 volts even when the pump isn’t running. Also check that the house isn’t simply out of power, and look at the pressure gauge by the tank: a reading at or near zero tells us the pump isn’t delivering.

Low pressure on a well usually comes from one of four things: a clogged sediment filter, a pressure tank that has lost its air charge, a pressure switch set too low or wearing out, or a pump that’s weakening. A clogged filter is the most common and the easiest fix.

If changing the filter doesn’t help, call us. We test the pump’s output, the tank’s pre-charge and the switch, so you replace only what’s actually worn.

That’s short cycling, and the usual cause is a pressure tank that has lost its air charge or has a ruptured bladder. Every start is hard on a pump, so short cycling wears it out far sooner than it should.

Other causes include a leak somewhere in the system or a faulty pressure switch. It’s a service call, not something to ignore: replacing a tank costs much less than replacing the pump it kills.

A pump that never shuts off isn’t reaching its cut-off pressure. That can mean a leak in the line, a worn pump, a dropped water level, or a failed pressure switch. Turn the pump off at its breaker to protect it, and call.

A pump running nonstop can overheat and burn up, and if the well is pumping dry it can be damaged in minutes. The sooner it’s looked at, the more likely the fix is small.

Sputtering faucets usually mean air is getting into the system: a drop-pipe leak inside the well, a water level that has fallen near the pump, or a problem with the pump itself. It can also happen briefly after any repair.

If it keeps happening, call us. Pumping air can damage a pump, and a falling water level in dry weather is worth knowing about before summer gets worse.

A good submersible pump commonly lasts somewhere around 8 to 15 years, and sometimes longer. What shortens its life most is short cycling from a bad pressure tank, sand in the water, lightning, and running the well dry.

Protect the pump by keeping the pressure tank healthy and getting short cycling or sputtering checked early.

A submersible pump sits down inside the well, below the water, and pushes water up to the house. A jet pump sits above ground, in a pump house or on a pad, and pulls water up. Most drilled household wells around south Georgia use submersibles; jet pumps are common on shallow wells and small setups.

We work on both, including the small pumps people use for gardens, barns and food plots.

The pressure tank stores water under pressure so the pump doesn’t have to start every time you open a tap. A failing tank shows up as short cycling, pressure that swings up and down, or a tank that sounds full of water when you knock on the top.

Most modern tanks have an air bladder that can rupture. Old galvanized tanks rust out. Either way, a replacement sized to your pump and household fixes it.

No. The pressure switch is wired at 240 volts and is live whenever the breaker is on. Adjusting it, or the tank pre-charge that has to match it, is work for a well technician.

If your pressure isn’t where you want it, tell us. We can set the switch and the tank together so they work with the pump rather than against it.

The main factors are the type and size of pump, how deep it’s set in the well, whether the wire, drop pipe and fittings also need replacing, and whether the tank and pressure switch are worn too. A deep submersible costs more to pull and set than a shallow one.

We’ll explain what we found and what it will take before the work starts.

That smell is hydrogen sulfide gas. In wells, it’s usually produced by harmless bacteria living in low-oxygen groundwater. According to UGA Extension, most people can smell it at about 0.5 parts per million, and above 1 part per million it smells like rotten eggs and corrodes plumbing.

Treatment depends on how strong it is: aeration, oxidizing filters and other systems can remove it. A sudden new smell can also mean surface water is getting into the well, so test for bacteria if it starts suddenly.

Probably not. When only the hot water smells, the usual cause is the magnesium anode rod in the water heater reacting with sulfate in the water to make hydrogen sulfide. UGA Extension notes that softened water can make it worse.

A plumber can swap the anode for a different type. If the cold water smells too, the source is the well water itself.

Orange and brown stains come from iron in the water; black stains usually mean manganese. UGA Extension estimates 15 to 20 percent of Georgia private wells have high iron and manganese, and suggests treatment when iron is above 0.3 milligrams per liter or manganese above 0.05.

The fix is an iron filter or iron separator sized to your water test. Our lead service technician installs and programs these systems. Slimy orange buildup in toilet tanks can also mean iron bacteria, which may need well disinfection along with filtration.

Sand usually means the well is pulling sediment through a gap in the casing or screen, the pump is set too low, or the pump is oversized and drawing too hard. It wears out pumps, valves and fixtures.

A sediment filter can catch it at the house, but the better fix is finding where it’s coming from. Call us and we’ll look at the well and the pump setup.

Test a household well at least once a year for coliform bacteria, and any time the color, taste or smell changes, after flooding, or after work on the well. Test for iron, manganese, nitrate and pH when you buy a home or plan a filter.

In Georgia, your county UGA Extension office can send samples to the University of Georgia’s lab, and your county health department can advise on bacteria testing.

No. A softener removes hardness minerals and can handle small amounts of iron, but heavier iron, manganese or sulfur needs an oxidizing filter or iron separator. Putting a softener on high-iron water often fouls it.

Knowing what’s in the water comes first. With a test in hand, we can tell you which system makes sense.

There isn’t one depth. Most household wells here are drilled through the sand and clay at the surface and finished in the top of the Upper Floridan limestone. Georgia’s geologic survey describes that sand-and-clay cover as anything from under 50 feet to several hundred feet thick, and it can change by tens of feet over a short distance.

Your neighbor’s well is a hint, not an answer. The driller’s log on your own property sets the depth and the casing.

The Floridan aquifer is a thick system of water-bearing limestone that lies under most of Georgia’s Coastal Plain and all of Florida. In south Georgia it’s the main source for city wells, farm irrigation and household wells alike.

Across most of our area it’s capped by clay layers that help protect it, which is why a properly cased and sealed well into the limestone delivers dependable water.

Cost depends mostly on depth, the casing needed, the pump and pressure tank, the distance from the well to the house, and any wiring and trenching. The ground itself is the big unknown, which is why the log matters.

Call for a quote. We’ll talk through your property and what the well needs to supply: a house, a farm, livestock or irrigation.

Usually, yes, locally. Private household wells are permitted and inspected through the county health department’s environmental health office, and requirements and fees vary by county. Wells are also built to the standards of Georgia’s Water Well Standards Act.

Large farm withdrawals have a separate state permit (see the irrigation question). We’ll confirm what your county requires before drilling.

Away from contamination and uphill of it if possible: a safe distance from the septic tank and drain field, livestock areas, chemical storage and property lines, on ground that doesn’t flood, and with room for a rig to get in.

Required setback distances come from state well standards and county rules. Plan the well and the septic system together before site work starts.

If the farm will withdraw more than 100,000 gallons per day, yes: Georgia EPD requires a farm-use water withdrawal permit, and permitted withdrawals must be metered. Parts of the Flint River basin have had extra limits on new farm permits.

Smaller wells for a house, barn, garden or food plot don’t need that EPD permit, though the county may still require a well permit.

It depends on the season and the schedule. Superior’s drilling calendar books up months in advance, so call as early as you can, ideally before you start building.

Service work is different: repairs and pump replacements run on their own schedule, so a broken pump doesn’t wait behind the drilling list.

Don’t drink it until it has been tested. Floodwater can carry sewage, bacteria and chemicals into a well. Use bottled water, and follow your county health department’s guidance.

Keep clear of the wellhead and pump wiring while there’s standing water. After the water goes down, the well should be checked, disinfected and tested again before you use it.

Shock chlorination is a one-time disinfection of the well and plumbing with a strong chlorine solution, followed by flushing and a lab test. It’s used after flooding, after work on the well or pump, when a test shows coliform bacteria, and sometimes for iron or sulfur bacteria.

Done wrong, it can damage equipment or leave the water unsafe, so we recommend having it done and always confirming with a bacteria test afterward. Repeated positive tests usually point to a well defect that needs fixing.

Yes, if the generator is big enough to start the pump and it’s connected safely. Well pumps usually need a 240-volt circuit and a high starting surge.

The connection must go through a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician. Never backfeed a house through a dryer outlet or tie a cord into pump wiring: it can kill utility line workers and you.

Stop drinking it until it has been tested. A sudden change after heavy rain often means surface water is getting into the well through a loose cap, a cracked casing or a low wellhead.

Use bottled water, have the water tested for bacteria, and call us to check the wellhead. Fixing the seal is what keeps it from happening again.

Yes. A nearby strike can burn out a submersible pump, a pressure switch or a control box. South Georgia’s summer storms make this one of the most common reasons a pump quits suddenly.

If the water stops after a storm, check the pump breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off and call.

Hard freezes are rare here, but they happen. The parts at risk are above ground: exposed pipe at the wellhead, the pressure switch tube, the tank and any pump house plumbing.

Insulate exposed piping and keep a pump house closed up when a freeze is forecast. If a pipe does freeze, turn the pump off at its breaker until it thaws.

In Georgia, water well contractors are licensed, and pump installers certified, by the Water Well Standards Advisory Council. Georgia EPD acts as the Council’s agent, issuing the licenses and keeping the public list of licensed contractors.

Well drilling is not licensed by the State Construction Industry Licensing Board, which covers trades like plumbing and electrical. For a driller, check the EPD list.

Look the company up on Georgia EPD’s list of licensed water well contractors, posted on the EPD Water Well Standards page. Superior Well Drilling LLC appears on that list under license #699.

Georgia licenses run in two-year periods, and licensed contractors post a bond and complete continuing education to renew.

Ask whether they hold a Georgia water well contractor license, who will pull the county permit, how they case and seal the well, what pump and tank they plan to install, and what’s included in the price.

For a repair, ask what they found and why the part failed, so the same problem doesn’t come back.

Yes. Superior’s own banner says: “Discounts available for Veterans and Christian based organizations.” The company is veteran owned and operated.

Ask about the discount when you call (229) 886-2733.

Yes. In their words: “WE ARE STILL FULL FORCE WITH OUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT so don’t hesitate to call for repair and pump replacements.”

Repairs, pump and tank replacements and filtration work run on the service schedule, separate from the drilling rig.

Superior Well Drilling works out of Omega, Georgia, covering Colquitt County and the surrounding counties, including Moultrie, Norman Park, Tifton, Adel, Sylvester and the towns between.

If you’re near the edge of that area, call (229) 886-2733 and we’ll tell you straight whether we can reach you.