Executive Summary
- To deliver it to the home’s plumbing, wells usually use a pressure tank to draw groundwater through a pump system. Ensuring a sufficient water well flow rate is essential because it directly impacts daily activities like showering.
- In most cases, a 6 to 12 gallons per minute (GPM) flow rate for a well is sufficient enough to support a small-to-average family with moderate water usage.
- Some factors that can impact if a well water flow rate suits your needs include home size, household water usage, water capacity, and well yield.
- Scheduling regular testing and maintenance with a qualified environmental professional can help you identify and address issues impacting your well’s overall performance.
Learning What is a Good Flow Rate for a Well and How to Check Yours
Knowing what a good flow rate is for a well is essential if you own or plan on owning a home with a well. Each property is different and has unique needs when it comes to well flow rate due to factors like house size and water usage.
The average GPM for a well usually falls between 6 to 12 gallons in the greater Portland area, which is usually enough to support water flow for daily activities like showering, laundry, and using the restroom for a small-to-medium family with average water usage.
To understand what is good GPM for a well, you have to consider factors like water capacity and well yield. Although this article can equip you with imperative knowledge and at-home testing techniques, contacting a qualified environmental professional is the best way to accurately test a property’s well water flow and determine how many gallons per minute a house needs based on its unique situation.
How Does a Water Well Work?
Many homes that are not attached to municipal water systems use wells to supply inhabitants with water by tapping into underground aquifers, which are natural water sources hidden beneath the surface of a property. Some key components that are imperative to the function of a water well include:
- Well casing – A tube that lines the well and prevents sediment and chemicals from entering, lowering the risk of lead-contaminated water.
- Pump – This mechanism draws water from the well to the home’s plumbing system for use.
- Pressure tank – Stores water and maintains pressure so that the water can be easily distributed throughout the home.
So, when a faucet or appliance is turned on, the pump should pull water from the well into the pressure tank. The pressure tank then distributes the water throughout the home, maintaining a steady flow for everyday activities like flushing toilets, cooking, and bathing. The system should replenish as needed, supplying the home with clean, fresh water all year round. Assessing the well’s capacity and flow rate can help gauge water availability for household use.
Water Capacity
The total volume of water a well can store and deliver at one given time is considered the well’s water capacity. This metric plays an essential role in ensuring a household has sufficient water, especially during peak usage times when multiple appliances and fixtures are being used at once.
Although it should replenish after pausing use, a well with inadequate water capacity may struggle to meet high demands, leading to temporary shortages. Therefore, it is crucial to consider factors such as static water levels, which determine how much water is naturally available, and well recharge rates, which illustrate how quickly the well refills, both of which significantly influence overall water capacity.
Flow Rate
The speed at which water is drawn from a well is called flow rate, which is typically measured in gallons per minute (GPM). This metric describes how efficiently water can be supplied to a home, ultimately impacting daily activities like showering, dishwashing, or laundry.
People with a well that has a flow rate that is too low notice weak water pressure or delays in refilling the pressure tank, which can potentially make it challenging to use multiple water sources simultaneously.
It is important to remember the difference between water capacity, which refers to the total storage available, and flow rate, which pertains to how quickly water is delivered from the well to accommodate household demands.
What Is a Good Flow Rate for a Well?
A flow rate of at least 6 GPM is usually enough to supply a small or average home with the water the family needs. Nevertheless, optimal rates will depend on household size and usage patterns. If you have an insufficient flow rate, your home may need a higher-capacity pump and or supplemental storage solutions, like a water reservoir, to compensate.
How Many Gallons Per Minute Does a House Need?
The average home requires 6 to 12 GPM to support daily activities such as showering, handwashing, doing laundry, and cooking. Although each situation is unique, the table below provides estimated GPMs needed for everyday household tasks.
| Activity | Estimated GPM Needed |
| Showering | 2 to 3 |
| Dishwashing | 1 to 2 |
| Laundry | 2 to 3 |
| Irrigation | 3 to 5 |
The GPM requirements compound if more than one water-using task is performed at the same time, making it essential to consider the number of occupants and water-using appliances when predicting your property’s GPM needs.
Factors to Consider in Assessing Flow Rate for Your Needs
Each family and home is unique, resulting in different well-related needs. Review the following considerations to determine whether a well can support your household water demands.
Household Water Usage
Peak water usage times, such as mornings and evenings, typically place the highest demand on a well’s flow rate. Multiple water-dependent activities, including showers, handwashing, and teeth brushing, usually co-occur during these periods. Homes with large families or frequent guests may experience even greater demand during these times, making a well’s ability to maintain consistent water delivery crucial for convenience and efficiency.
Water Capacity
As mentioned above, even with a reasonable flow rate, insufficient water capacity can lead to a quick runout of stored water during peak usage. If a well cannot store enough water to meet demand, households may experience pressure drops or temporary shortages. This issue can be especially problematic for homes with high daily water consumption. So, you should ensure your well’s static water level and recharge rate play can deliver a steady supply to meet your needs.
Well Yield
The rate at which a well naturally replenishes itself after water is drawn is also important to consider because a low-yield well may struggle to meet household needs, especially during extended periods of high usage. Homeowners with low-yield wells may need to implement alternative solutions, such as strategically scheduling water use to prevent shortages or installing a storage tank that collects water during off-peak hours.
Home Size
Larger homes with more bathrooms and water-using appliances typically require a higher GPM to ensure adequate water pressure and supply. Newer homes with modern plumbing systems may also have higher water demands due to features like multi-head showers, advanced irrigation systems, or energy-efficient washing machines that use more water per cycle. Knowing your home’s total water demand can guarantee a well can support your needs and help you avoid interruptions to your daily activities.
How to Calculate Flow Rate for a Water Well
Some people try to calculate their flow rate by themselves using the bucket test method. Some steps commonly used in this process include:
- Place a 5-gallon bucket under a faucet
- Turn the water on at full force
- Time how long it takes to fill the bucket completely
- Divide gallons by time in minutes to get GPM
- Repeat steps several times a day to get multiple results that you can average out
Even though this at-home test can provide initial insight into your flow rate, professional well water flow rate testing is the best way to ensure accuracy, as it accounts for factors like variations in well performance, pressure fluctuations, and long-term sustainability. Plus, experts have access to specialized tools such as flow meters and pump drawdown tests to measure water output more precisely.
During a professional-led well water flow test, a trained specialist can also assess factors like well depth, recharge rate, and potential obstructions that may affect flow rate over time. With insight from a qualified environmental company like Alpha Environmental, you can have peace of mind knowing that a well can consistently meet household water demands and help identify any issues before they lead to significant water shortages or system failures.
What Causes a Low Flow Rate?
Some examples of common reasons wells have an inadequate flow rate are:
- Pump issues, including worn-out pumps or improper sizing
- Well depletion and slow recharge rates
- Pipe blockages from mineral buildups
- Insufficient groundwater supply from drought-like conditions
- Faulty pressure tanks
- System leaks
How to Calculate Water Capacity
Since water flow and water capacity go hand-in-hand, it is essential to calculate the volume of water available in the well. Some steps that may be involved in the process include:
- Calculating the well depth – Find the total depth of the well by measuring from the ground surface to the bottom.
- Measuring the static water level – Measure the ground surface down to the top of the water column to identify the resting water level when the well is not being pumped.
- Finding the water column height – Subtract the static water level from the total well depth to determine how much of the well is filled with water.
- Identifying the well casing diameter – Find the well’s diameter, which is usually measured in inches, to ultimately determine how much water each foot of the well can hold.
- Using a water volume chart – After finding the well casing diameter, refer to standard water volume charts to estimate how many gallons of water are stored per foot of the water column.
- Calculating the total water capacity – Lastly, multiply the water column height by the gallons-per-foot value to determine the total storage capacity of the well.
Although the steps above can help you identify a well’s water capacity, other factors like recharge rates and underground conditions may affect water availability. Therefore, consulting a qualified specialist is the best way to get an accurate measurement and assessment.
Importance of Flow Rate Testing
Scheduling routine flow rate testing with a trusted professional can help you guarantee that your well provides an adequate and consistent water supply for your household’s needs. By monitoring the flow rate, you can identify early signs of poor performance, such as reduced water pressure or longer wait times for water to refill. Detecting these problems as soon as possible can help you avoid costly repairs or replacements down the line.
Rely on Alpha Environmental for Accurate Well Water Assessments
Understanding what a good flow rate is for a well is essential for guaranteeing your household’s water needs will be met. By reviewing the household’s water habits and the design and capabilities of the well, you can determine if it satisfies how many gallons per minute a house needs.
Although some may try at-home well flow rate testing strategies first, consulting a local environmental specialist with substantial experience and helpful tools like a flow meter and a pressure gauge is the best way to ensure accuracy. If you live in the greater Portland area, Alpha Environmental can assess your property and explain what a good GPM is for a well.
If your output is not meeting the average GPM for a well in your area, our team can provide expert-level guidance to help you make informed decisions on what to do next. Additionally, our talented team can perform lead testing to guarantee that well water is safe to drink.
Contact Alpha Environmental for expert-level assistance with all of your well-related needs.
