Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/617280
"A lot of residential customers think we're trying to sell them an unnecessary service," Neubecker says. "But it's the old adage of pay me now or pay me later. If you don't take care of it, the well becomes so encrusted you've gotten to the point where it can't be restored to its original capacity or somewhere near its original capacity. The well is shot and the only course of action there is replacement." Preventive maintenance is as simple as pouring a small percentage—about 1% to 3%—of properly designed chemical into the well on a regular basis. "The benefits of this are you don't have to pull the pump, and there's less chemical needed since buildup is thin and rel- atively soft," McGinnis says. "There's also less downtime compared to a full rehab, and it can be scheduled during slow times." Less downtime may help commercial and municipal cus- tomers understand its value. For example, an agricultural client with irrigation wells won't want a catastrophic failure during the growing season when they rely on the water for their crops. In Watson's experience, customers who undergo a well rehabilitation are often more likely to be open to regular maintenance. One customer—a dairy farmer—has two brand-new wells at various stages of bacterial clogging after just three years. "I can show him the video, and he can actually see the buildup," Watson says. "He understands that moving forward with some level of scheduled service would help make sure it doesn't get to that level at such an early stage. It avoids a more invasive process." The best time to show the value of regular maintenance to residential customers is often when a new well is drilled, Neubecker suggests. "Often the pump hasn't been out in 20 years and when you go to pull it, it's stuck in the well or the riser pipe has rotted in two," he says. "They get a big bill and that turns on a light in their head. Once they realize the benefit, they're pretty much sold on it." Now, these customers will call Raymer Co. every five years or so to have them pull the pump, inspect the well, and clean them long before they see a drop in production. "Theoretically, if we perform regular maintenance on our water wells, they should last for many dozens of years," McGinnis says. "Wells that are maintained properly should last almost forever." WWJ Twitter @WaterWellJournl WWJ January 2016 21 Jennifer Strawn was the associate editor of Water Well Journal from 2004 to 2007. She is currently in the internal communications department at Nationwide in Columbus, Ohio. She can be reached at strawnj2 @gmail.com.