If you own a home, farm or rural lot in Dade City, you’ve probably thought about putting in your own well at some point. Some people want to stop paying for city water. Others live too far out for city lines to reach them, and plenty of farmers just need more water for crops and animals than a meter can give them.
At AL’s Well Drilling & Pump Service, we’ve been drilling wells in Central Florida since 1980, and we get a lot of the same questions from Dade City customers. Here are the answers we give them.
Why People in Dade City Go With a Private Well
Dade City has a little of everything. You’ll find older homes in town, newer subdivisions, citrus groves, horse properties and small family farms out toward the county roads. A lot of those properties either can’t connect to city water or would pay a lot to do it.
With a well, you don’t get a monthly water bill. You pay for the electricity to run the pump and some routine upkeep, and that’s about it. For a farm or nursery that uses a lot of water, the savings add up fast.
What’s Under the Ground in Pasco County
Dade City sits on top of the Floridan Aquifer, which is one of the best sources of groundwater in the country. So water is there. The question is how deep you need to go to get enough of it, and how good it is when you get there.
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Water Table Depth
Some wells in Florida hit usable water at 30 to 60 feet. Others need to go a lot deeper. It depends on where your property is, how high it sits and how much water you plan to use.
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Limestone and Sandy Soil
Pasco County has a lot of limestone, and limestone can have cracks and pockets in it. The top layers are usually loose sand. Both of those mean the well has to be cased and sealed properly, or you’ll end up with sand in your water and a pump that wears out early. This is where it helps to hire someone who has drilled in the area for a long time.
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Minerals in the Water
You should also expect some minerals in the water. Iron, sulfur and hardness are common around here. They aren’t usually a health problem, but they can cause stains, odd smells and scale buildup in your pipes and water heater.
How the Drilling Process Goes
People are often surprised by how quick the actual drilling is. Most of the time goes into planning and getting the permit.
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Site Visit and Estimate
We start by coming out to your property. We’ll ask how many people live in the home, whether you plan to irrigate, and whether you have livestock. Then we look at where the well should go. After that, you get a written estimate that shows the depth we expect, the casing, the pump and the pressure tank. Nothing is hidden in there.
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Permitting
Florida requires a permit before any water well can be drilled. In Pasco County it goes through the Southwest Florida Water Management District. We take care of that paperwork for you.
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Drilling and Installation
Once the permit is approved, we drill the well, set the casing, seal it, and install the pump and pressure tank. Then we test the flow and pressure and walk you through how the system works. For most homes, the drilling and hookup take just a few days.
You can read more about how we handle residential, farm and commercial jobs on our well drilling services page.
Planning Your Well
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Picking a Spot
Where the well goes matters a lot. If you have a septic system, the well has to sit a certain distance away from the tank and drain field. Florida rules usually call for at least 75 feet. You’ll also want the well on higher ground, away from places where rainwater collects after a storm.
Our drill rig is a big truck, so it needs a reasonable way in. And think ahead a bit. If you might add a pool, a barn or a new driveway in a few years, keep the well out of that space.
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What It Costs
We get asked this more than anything else, and the honest answer is that it depends on your property. Be careful with anyone who gives you a price over the phone without coming out first.
The biggest factor is depth, because every extra foot means more drilling and more casing. The size of the well matters too. A well for a single home is smaller and cheaper than one built to water 20 acres. Deeper wells usually need a submersible pump, while shallow ones can often get by with a jet pump, and those cost different amounts. If your water test comes back with iron or sulfur, you may also want a filter added.
We give free estimates, so you’ll know the numbers before you decide anything.
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Getting Your Water Tested
Once your well is in, have the water tested. The Florida Department of Health recommends testing private wells for bacteria at least once a year. For a brand new well, we’d also check iron, sulfur, hardness, pH and nitrates. Nitrates matter more if you’re near farmland or pastures.
If your water smells like rotten eggs, leaves orange stains or looks cloudy, it can be fixed. A filter made for well water handles most of these problems without much trouble.
A Few Things to Ask Your Driller
Before you hire anyone, ask if they’re licensed and insured in Florida and if they’ll pull the permit for you. Ask how deep they expect the well to be and why. Ask what pump they’d recommend and whether the estimate is broken down line by line.
Also ask if they repair pumps and answer calls after hours. You’ll have this well for decades, and sooner or later something will need fixing. It’s a lot easier when the company that drilled it is still around to help.
Talk to Us About Your Dade City Well
We’re a family-owned company based in Webster, not far from Dade City, and we’ve been doing this since 1980. We work in Dade City, Zephyrhills, San Antonio, Wesley Chapel and the towns around them. We’re licensed and insured, estimates are free, and we answer emergency calls 24 hours a day.
Call us at (352) 568-3559 or book a call for professional well drilling in Dade City.