3 Things to Know When Buying a House With Well Water

By Leigh Morgan

March 10, 2025

Imagine how much healthier your budget would be if you didn't have to pay a monthly water bill. Sound impossible? Not if you purchase a home with a well water system. A private well allows you to draw water from underground reserves, eliminating the need to connect to a city water system.

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Before you purchase a home with a well, however, you should understand how this type of system works. Find out what well water is, how well systems work and what you need to know about homes with well water.

What Is a Well Water System, and How Does It Work?

In simple terms, a well is a deep hole that allows you to draw water from underground aquifers. An aquifer is a layer of permeable rock that's been saturated with water. Permeable materials allow water and other substances to pass through them.

A private well system typically consists of a pump, a pipe and a screen. The pump pulls water out of the ground and pushes it to your home via the pipe. You need a screen to filter out sand and other particles. Filtering water before it enters the pipe helps prevent clogs.

Types of Wells

The type of well you need depends on where you live. In some places, you may need to dig hundreds of feet before you find an aquifer. Other areas have water fairly close to the ground's surface. You also need to think about the potential yield of the aquifers in your area. Some layers of rock contain much less water than others, so you need to choose a well accordingly.

Bored wells are ideal for areas with low aquifer yields, as they're quite shallow. This type of well is only 10 to 30 feet deep, but it has a large diameter, so it's capable of storing plenty of water. Driven wells are usually found in areas with thick deposits of gravel and sand. They're about 30 to 50 feet deep, making them great for areas that have a groundwater table near the ground's surface.

Drilled wells may extend more than 1,000 feet into the ground, making them perfect for homes where the aquifer contains plenty of water. This type of well is also extremely versatile, as you can install one in sand, rock, limestone, gravel or other materials.

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3 Things Buyers Should Know About Homes With Well Water

Now that you understand how a well system works, you need to know how using a well is likely to affect your home. Keep these facts in mind while you're shopping for your next home.

1. You'll Probably Need a Water Softener System

Private well water isn't treated before it enters your home, so it contains a variety of minerals. If the water from your well has a high content of dissolved magnesium and calcium, it's classified as "hard" water. Having hard water isn't the same as having contaminated water. However, it can still be a concern, as hard water often tastes funny and can damage your hair or irritate your skin.

For this reason, most homes with wells also need water softener systems. A water softener is an appliance designed to remove minerals from the water, improving its taste and reducing the risks of plumbing problems caused by mineral buildup. Once you install a water softener, the appliance replaces calcium and magnesium with sodium and potassium.

2. Well Water Can Leave Stains in Sinks, Showers and Tubs

Hard water contains high levels of calcium carbonate, which can damage fiberglass, ceramic and other materials used to construct sinks, showers and bathtubs. Over time, you may notice a chalky white residue around drain openings, making your kitchen and bathrooms look dated. Mineral deposits also prevent cleaning products from working as well as intended.

To remove these deposits, you can use a product made for descaling, which is the technical term for removing mineral buildup from kitchen and bath fixtures. With a descaling product and a little elbow grease, it's possible to keep unsightly mineral deposits at bay.

3. Well Water Requires Regular Testing

If you decide to buy a home with an underground well, you'll need to have the water tested once per year. Even if the well water is safe when you move in, it may become contaminated with bacteria, chemicals or other substances. For example, if a large truck leaks oil into the ground near your home, that oil might end up contaminating the water in your well.

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