If the home you’re buying has a private well, there are two questions to answer before closing: Is there enough water? and Is the water good? They’re separate questions with separate tests. A Well Certification answers the first, and Water Quality Testing answers the second. Most buyers benefit from both.
Well Certification: is there enough water?
A Well Certification confirms that the well and its equipment can reliably meet the household’s daily demand. The benchmark comes from county health department standards: the well must supply 100 gallons per bedroom, plus 100 gallons for the rest of the house, within a 2-hour window.
For a three-bedroom home, that’s 400 gallons in 2 hours, or an average of about 3.3 gallons per minute.
During the test we measure:
- Well yield: how much water the well delivers over time
- Tank drawdown: how much water the pressure tank delivers between pump cycles
- Pressure: whether the system holds steady pressure under demand
- Flow rate change: whether the flow holds up or drops off as the test runs
We also look at the system as a whole: the electrical supply to the pump, the pressure tank and plumbing, any treatment equipment, and, where records or access allow, the well depth, pump type, and casing.
How the test works
- We draw water at the source. Water is drawn from the drain port at the pressure tank. If there isn’t one, we draw upstream of any filters or treatment equipment, and bypass that equipment where the plumbing allows. This way we measure what the well produces, not what a clogged filter lets through.
- We run the draw for up to 2 hours. The test can end early with a pass if the well clearly exceeds the required yield, or with a fail if it clearly can’t meet it.
- We watch for drawdown. If the well starts to run dry, we pause or slow the draw to let it recover. The 2-hour clock keeps running during any pause, so a well that needs long rests may not reach the required volume.
How quickly a well recovers depends on the surrounding rock and soil and on how the well was constructed. A well that passes with room to spare gives you a comfortable margin; one that barely passes may struggle during droughts or with heavy household use.
Water Quality Testing: is the water good?
Private wells in Pennsylvania aren’t regulated, so no one tests them unless the owner does. Our Water Quality Testing gives you independent results from a certified lab:
- We collect samples in lab-approved containers, following standard sampling protocols.
- We deliver them to a PA-DEP certified laboratory.
- We send you the full lab report, along with plain-language guidance on what the results mean.
The standard Homeowner Complete package covers the measurements below. Each one links to a post that explains what the result means and what to do about it.
Measurement | What it tells you | Read more |
|---|---|---|
Total coliform | Whether bacteria are present | |
Nitrate-N, Nitrite-N | Contamination with health-based limits, most important for infants | |
pH | Whether the water is acidic and corrosive to plumbing | |
Iron, Manganese | Staining, taste, and buildup | |
Turbidity, Color, Odor | Cloudiness, tint, and smell | |
Hardness, TDS, Conductivity, Chloride | Dissolved minerals, scale, and salt |
Two other packages add lead testing: Chester County Complete with Lead, and the FHA/VA package required for FHA and VA loans. The FHA/VA package also tests for detergents (MBAS), a sign of septic wastewater, but it leaves out several of the measurements above, including manganese, hardness, and turbidity. None of the packages test for arsenic or radon in water. If you have older plumbing or acidic water, choose a package that includes lead.
Do you need water treatment?
It’s one of the first questions buyers ask, and the honest answer is: it depends on your test results. Some wells need nothing. Many need one or two targeted fixes. In our area, acidic water, iron, and manganese are common, and a positive coliform result usually traces back to the faucet rather than the well.
The mistake to avoid is buying equipment before you know what’s in your water. A treatment company’s in-home test may be incomplete, and its recommendations come from a business that sells equipment. That doesn’t make them wrong, but it’s a reason to start with an independent lab report and let the results decide.
A few practical rules:
- Treat what the results show, and nothing more. A softener won’t fix acidic water, and a sediment filter won’t remove dissolved iron or bacteria.
- Plan the whole system together. Treatment steps interact. An acid neutralizer adds hardness, for example, and oxidized iron can foul a softener.
- Ask how the results support each recommendation, and compare more than one quote.
- Retest after installation to confirm the equipment is doing its job.
If your well produces sediment, a simple filter is often a worthwhile first step. See our post on choosing a sediment filter for your well.
Schedule your well inspection
Chester County Home Inspections provides Well Certifications and Water Quality Testing throughout Chester County and the surrounding counties. Both can be scheduled alongside your home inspection. Call us at (484) 212-1600 or schedule online.
Findings Explained, Not Just Flagged.
Chester County Home Inspections, LLC