water quality · guide · TN LLP #5045
Testing Private Well Water
What to test for, how often, and what the results actually mean.
Short answer
A private well is not tested by anyone but you. At minimum, test annually for bacteria and nitrates, and test for hardness, iron, and sulfur before buying any treatment equipment. Test again any time the taste, smell, or colour changes.
City water is tested continuously by the utility. A private well has no such arrangement — the responsibility sits entirely with the property owner, and a lot of well owners have never had a test done at all.
What to test for, and why
Bacteria and nitrates are the health items, and they are the reason for an annual test regardless of whether anything seems wrong. Neither has a taste or a smell.
Hardness, iron, sulfur, and sediment are the equipment items. They are what determines whether treatment is worth it and what kind, which is why testing has to come before buying anything.
When to test outside the annual check
After any change in taste, smell, or colour. After flooding, or after work on the well or pump. After a nearby land use changes. And when buying a property with a well, before closing rather than after.
Tennessee county health departments and independent labs both handle water testing. We will tell you what to ask for based on what you are seeing.
What we do with the results
Specify treatment to what is actually in the water. That is the entire point of testing first — it is the difference between a system that solves your problem and one that solves a problem you did not have.
We treat the water after it reaches the house. The well, the pump, and the pressure tank are separately licensed work in Tennessee, and we refer those out rather than stretch our scope.
What we would do
Test before you buy equipment, and test annually regardless. A treatment system specified without a test is a guess with a price tag on it.
Permits
Some plumbing work requires a permit and an inspection, and some does not. Whether one is required for your job is determined by the Authority Having Jurisdiction — the city or county building and codes office for your address — and it is at their discretion.
Usually requires a permit
- Water heater replacement and tankless conversion
- Whole-house repiping
- Water service line and sewer line replacement
- Gas line installation and repair
- Relocating a fixture to a new position
Usually does not
- Drain cleaning and clearing blockages
- Emergency and repair work
- Like-for-like fixture replacement
- Water heater repair
- Camera inspection and diagnostics
This is general guidance rather than a ruling, and it can differ from one town to the next. The Authority Having Jurisdiction makes the determination. Across the Bradley–McMinn corridor we pull the permit and book the inspection ourselves. Inside Hamilton County and Chattanooga the permit office does not accept an application from our license class, so permit-required jobs there are referred to a licensed partner who does the work and meets the inspector.
Common questions
Testing Private Well Water — questions
How often should I test?
Where do I get it tested?
Can you fix a bacteria problem?
Are you licensed?
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