Well water and pump questions, answered directly

Coastal Range Water Inc. repairs and replaces well pumps across Lane, Linn, Benton and Douglas counties from a shop at 22071 Fisk Rd in Noti, about half an hour west of Eugene. The line is answered 24 hours a day: 541-935-7867.

The pump is moving something, but not water into the house. Usual causes are a failed check valve letting water drain back, a worn impeller, a pump sitting above a falling water table, or a broken drop pipe. Switch it off at the breaker — running dry destroys the motor.

Seven to fifteen years is typical. The low end is more common on wells with sand, high mineral content or constant short cycling. A correctly sized pump, set at the right depth and paired with a healthy pressure tank, usually lands at the upper end.

If the pump is under about ten years old and the motor tests healthy, repair usually makes sense. If it has already been pulled once, draws high amps, or the well has sand problems, replacement is usually cheaper over the next few years.

It depends on what failed. A pressure switch or a tank recharge is a small job; pulling and replacing a submersible pump at 200 feet is a different scale. We give the diagnosis price and the repair price before starting, and do not add charges afterwards.

Yes. Submersible pumps, jet pumps, convertible jet pumps, booster pumps and irrigation pumps are all part of the work, along with the pressure tanks and controls that go with them.

A sudden drop usually means a component failed rather than wore out: a pressure switch stuck open, a tank bladder that ruptured, a collapsed filter cartridge, or a failed check valve. A gradual decline over months points to a worn impeller, a clogging filter or a falling water table.

The pump short-cycles, the gauge swings rapidly, and water rather than air comes out of the valve on top of the tank. A tank that feels heavy when tapped is waterlogged. A lost air charge can be recharged; a ruptured bladder means a new tank.

Hydrogen sulphide, either from the water itself or from bacteria in the plumbing or water heater. If the smell is only in hot water, the heater is the source. If it is in both, the well is. The two need different treatment.

Iron. Dissolved iron passes through a standard sediment filter and stains when it oxidises on contact with air. It needs oxidation and filtration, not a finer cartridge. Manganese causes black staining and needs similar treatment.

Yes. Almost every common problem — sediment, iron, manganese, sulphur, hardness, taste and odour — can be treated with whole-house filtration. Arsenic and nitrate need specific media designed around a lab result.

They solve different problems. A filter removes particles and specific contaminants; a softener removes the calcium and magnesium that make water hard. Many homes need both, in the right order. If hardness is not the issue, a softener is unnecessary.

Bacteria and nitrate once a year. Arsenic every three to five years if it has never been detected. Test again whenever the water changes colour, taste or smell, after flooding, after well work, and before buying a property with a well.

At minimum: total coliform, E. coli, nitrate, arsenic, iron, manganese, hardness and pH. Add lead and copper if the plumbing is older or the water is corrosive.

It kills bacteria, but it concentrates nitrate and does nothing for arsenic or metals. Boiling is a short-term measure during a bacteria advisory, not a treatment solution.

Test strips give a rough hardness or pH reading. They are not reliable for bacteria, nitrate or arsenic. Those need a certified laboratory and proper sampling.

No. Assume a flooded well is contaminated until a lab test says otherwise. Stop drinking it, disinfect the well and plumbing, then retest before resuming.

Yes. Calls are taken day and night, including weekends and holidays. Call 541-935-7867, describe what the water is doing, and we will tell you what to shut off before we arrive.

Check whether the breaker tripped and whether the gauge reads zero. If the breaker trips again after one reset, leave it off. Close the valve to the house if water is escaping. Then call and describe what you see.

It depends where you are and what is already running. Noti to Eugene is about half an hour; the coast and the mountain communities take longer. We give an honest window when you call.

After-hours work is priced differently from weekday work, and we tell you the rate on the phone before we dispatch. No surprise invoice in the morning.

Lane, Linn, Benton and Douglas counties, generally within about 50 miles of Eugene — including Eugene, Springfield, Veneta, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Harrisburg, Florence, Creswell, Corvallis and Albany.