Can You Powerwash A House If You Have A Well?
In Virginia, we have many homes that use private wells for their water supply instead of county or city water. According to the Virginia Department of Health, some counties have over 80% of their water supplied by private wells. Wells can do a great job supplying a home with a day-to-day water source. The question is, would your well supply enough water to power wash your home?
Does Your Well Have Enough Pressure to Power Wash?
If attempting to pressure wash your home yourself, it is important to know how much pressure your well can produce. You would not want to be unable to use your daily water sources in the home because of low pressure. Although a professional pressure washing company's machine will pull water from the water tank on their truck or trailer, an at-home pressure washer from a local hardware store will actually pull extra water directly from the well. The water pulled by the at-home pressure washer will flow out at a faster rate than the water would normally flow out of a garden hose. This could be troublesome and it would be beneficial to think about your water's flow rate over the past years. Have you had low water pressure if two showers are running at the same time? Can you run the sink and the dishwasher at the same time? Does washing the car and running the washing machine produce a slower amount of water from your sink? These questions and analyzing your water trends will give you a general idea of your wells' water pressure.
Does a Pressure Washing Truck Use Well Water?
Pressure washing companies will almost always use the water provided at a client’s property as long as the water flow and supply are sufficient. The reason is that it is much more efficient to use the water at a property instead of transporting water on the roadways. Driving with a large amount of water is also dangerous as the water can potentially sway and shift a trailer or vehicle.
At Dr. Powerwash, 95% of the time we have no issues completing our washing services with wells. 5% of the time when we complete a washing project with wells, we notice the slowing down of the flow of water into our tank. If this happens we will turn off the water faucet and pause the project. We may pause it for an hour or two and then check the flow of water. In most situations, the water will flow at a normal rate and we will be able to finish the project. In some situations, the water will still have a slow flow that is not adequate. If this happens we will pause the project and come back another day to complete the project.
One important note that we like to mention is that we are never pulling extra water from the well because our pressure washers are not connected to the water outlet. Instead, the water outlet has a line running from it to fill up our water tank. Our pump is then pulling the water directly out of our water tank at the rate that is needed. So water flowing from the water outlet will never come out at a faster rate than it would if you were watering the lawn or garden.
What Precautions Can Be Taken When Power Washing With a Well?
If our company knows beforehand that you have a well, we can take some steps to offset a potentially bad situation. First, our professional pressure washing technicians can start with a mindset to be extremely efficient with our water usage. To further help prevent a low-flow water situation, we will bring additional water in our water tanks. We cannot haul too much water in our tanks because this makes the commute to the property dangerous, but we can bring a certain amount that helps compensate for what your well can produce. Lastly, we will increase the strength of our soap mix and use a softwashing approach for all of our services. Softwashing will use a lot less water than power washing because the mold and grime on the surfaces will be killed off and then loosened up by our soaps first. Then the dead mold and grime will come off easily when we rinse the surface.
What is the Top Priority When Pressure Washing a House with a Well?
The top priority for us at Dr. Powerwash is protecting your home. We understand that you want to get the work done quickly and efficiently. We want the same and always work in this manner, but we know that risking your well could potentially cost you a lot of money if it is damaged. We will always pause the project, communicate the situation to you, and act in the best interest of your home if we feel there is any risk at all. We have cleaned over a thousand homes using well water and you can relax knowing that your home will be washed in a safe, protective manner.