Well Houses and Well Water Plumbing in Middle Tennessee
- Licensed and insured plumbing, HVAC and electrical techs
- Tennessee Limited Licensed Plumber 5279
If your home runs on a private well, the well house is where the pressure tank, the controls and the connections to your plumbing live. It's also the part of the system most exposed to a hard freeze.
We build new well houses and handle the plumbing between the well and your home: the pressure tank, the gauge and valves, the supply line to the house, and freeze protection. We don't drill wells. That takes a licensed well driller. Work on the pump down in the well is licensed separately in Tennessee too, and we'll tell you plainly when a problem is down there.
Signs you need well houses help
- You're building on land that needs a well, or a new well has just been drilled
- The old well house is rotting, leaning or letting the cold in
- Pipes or the pressure tank froze last winter
- Water pressure that surges and drops while a faucet runs
- The pump clicks on and off every few seconds while water runs
- A pressure tank that is rusting, leaking, or sounds full when you knock on the top
- A leak or a wet spot along the line between the well and the house
What we do
New well houses
A small insulated shelter over or beside the wellhead, sized so the tank and controls can be reached for service, with the plumbing laid out inside.
Pressure tanks
Replacing a waterlogged, leaking or rusted pressure tank, or adding a larger one, and setting the tank's air charge to match the system so the pump doesn't cycle on and off.
Gauge, valves and fittings
The pressure gauge, the fitting that joins the tank to the system (the tank tee), shutoff valves, the relief valve and a drain valve for service.
Supply line to the house
The buried water line from the well house to your home, deep enough to stay out of the frost, with a shutoff where it enters the house.
Freeze protection
Insulating the well house and any exposed pipe, and adding heat where it's needed, so a cold snap doesn't split a pipe or crack the tank.
New construction
Planning the well house and the supply line along with the rest of the plumbing rough-in on a new build, so the house is ready to connect when the well is.
Repair or replace?
A pressure tank that has lost its air charge can sometimes be recharged, and a leaking fitting or valve is a repair. Those are worth fixing, and we'll say so.
A tank with a failed bladder, a tank that has rusted through, or a well house that is rotting and can't be kept warm is usually worth replacing. If the problem turns out to be the pump or something else down in the well, we'll tell you, because that work is licensed separately in Tennessee.
What it costs, and how we price it
What drives the price
- A new well house, or work inside an existing one
- The size of the pressure tank, based on your household and the pump
- How far the supply line runs from the well to the house, and the ground along the way
- How much insulation and heat the well house needs
- Electrical work for the pump circuit, controls or heat, done by licensed and insured techs
- Permits, inspections, and any part of the job that needs a licensed well driller or pump installer
- The diagnostic visit
- Free. We come look, find the cause and explain it.
- Your price
- Firm price given before any work starts.
- How we price
- Priced per job. Each job is priced on its own.
- Why prices stay down
- Low overhead, and the work done right the first time with current methods, equipment and quality materials, so you are not paying for callbacks.
How a visit works
Call or text
Call or text (615) 426-9344 and tell us what's going on. A photo helps. We work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A free diagnostic visit
We come look, find the cause and explain it in plain words. The visit is free.
A firm price before any work starts
You get the price for the job before we begin, so you can decide with real numbers.
The work, done right the first time
Current methods, good equipment and quality materials. We keep overhead low and skip the callbacks, which keeps prices down.
Follow-up
If anything we worked on gives you trouble, call or text the same number.
What is a well house?
It's the small shelter over or beside your wellhead that holds the pressure tank, the pressure switch and the valves. Its job is to keep that equipment out of the weather, and above all out of the cold.
Some homes keep the pressure tank in a basement or crawl space instead, and the well house only covers the wellhead.
Do you drill wells or work on the pump in the well?
We don't drill wells. In Tennessee, drilling takes a well driller's license. Installing or repairing a well pump, or the pipe it hangs from in the well (the drop line), takes a separate state pump installer's license, and so does installing or servicing filters and treatment on a well.
What we handle is the plumbing from the wellhead to the house. The electrical work, including the pump circuit and the wiring to the controls, is done by licensed and insured techs.
Why does my well pump turn on and off so often?
Usually the pressure tank has lost its air charge, or its bladder has failed, so it can't store water under pressure. The pump then kicks on every time you open a tap, which wears it out fast.
Checking the tank's air charge and the settings it has to match is the first step, and that's work in the well house.
How do I keep my well house from freezing?
Keep it closed and insulated, with a heat source that turns on by thermostat when it gets cold. Check it before the first hard freeze. Look for gaps around the door and walls, make sure the heat works, and see that exposed pipe is insulated. If the tank or pipes froze before, that spot needs more protection, and we can look at it.
Common questions
Is the diagnostic visit really free?
Yes. We'll come look at your well house and the plumbing for free, tell you what we find and give you a firm price before any work starts.
Do you drill wells?
No. Drilling takes a licensed well driller. Once the well is drilled, we build the well house and handle the plumbing from the well to your home.
Can you replace my pressure tank?
Yes. We replace waterlogged, leaking and rusted pressure tanks, size the new tank to your household, and set its air charge to match the system.
How do I know my pressure tank is waterlogged?
Watch the pressure gauge while a faucet runs. If the pump clicks on and off every few seconds, or the pressure swings up and down quickly, the tank has likely lost its air. Knock on the top of the tank too: it should sound hollow, not full.
Who does the electrical work for a well system?
Licensed and insured techs. The pump circuit, the wiring to the pressure switch and any heat in the well house are electrical work, and one call covers the job.
Can you run a new water line from the well to the house?
Yes. We run the buried supply line from the well house to the home, deep enough to stay out of the frost, with a shutoff where it enters the house.
Should I test my well water?
Yes. No utility tests a private well, so it's up to the owner. The EPA recommends testing every year for bacteria and nitrates at a minimum, and a certified lab can do it.
Related
- Whole-Home Water Filtration
- Whole-Home Repiping
- Plumbing Repair
- Leak Detection and Repair
- Whole-Home Generators
Plumbing
How do you prevent frozen pipes in a Middle Tennessee winter?
Keep the heat on and steady, take hoses off outdoor faucets and insulate exposed pipes in the crawl space, attic and garage. In a hard freeze, open sink cabinets and let faucets fed by those pipes drip. Close crawl space vents too, unless there's a gas furnace or water heater down there. Know where your main water shutoff is.
Plumbing
Why is my water pressure low?
Low water pressure usually comes from a clogged faucet screen (the aerator) or showerhead, a valve that isn't fully open, a failing pressure-reducing valve, a hidden leak, or old pipes narrowed by rust. First check whether it's one faucet, only the hot water, or the whole house. Each points somewhere different.
Work that holds.
Call or text for well houses anywhere we serve in Middle Tennessee.