What a Home Inspection Actually Covers
A general home inspection will observe that a well exists, that a pump and pressure tank are present, and that water comes out of the taps. That is genuinely useful, and it is also roughly where it stops.
What it does not include — and most inspection agreements say so explicitly:
- A sustained yield test — whether the well keeps up under real demand
- Water quality analysis — arsenic, radon, uranium, bacteria, nitrate, metals
- The condition of the pump and how much life is left in it
- Whether the pressure tank has lost its charge and is destroying the pump
- The condition of the wellhead, cap and casing
- Whether there is an unsealed abandoned well on the property
Every one of those can be expensive, and several are safety matters rather than maintenance ones.
The fix is a separate well inspection. A sustained yield test with a water sample and a written report runs $300–$600. Against a well replacement, a treatment system, or discovering in August that the well cannot support your family, it is the cheapest meaningful due diligence available on a rural New Hampshire property.
Why Two Minutes of Running Water Proves Nothing
A pressure tank holds water. Open a tap and water comes out whether or not the well is producing anything at all — for the first minute or two, you are emptying the tank.
Beyond that, the well's behaviour under sustained demand is what matters, and it is entirely possible for a well to deliver comfortably for ten minutes and then begin to fall behind. That is not a hypothetical: it is the well that works fine for a couple viewing the house in May and fails for a family of five in August.
A proper test holds a draw long enough to see the pattern, and measures recovery afterwards. Ask any inspector specifically how long they draw for. It is the question that separates a real well inspection from a note in a report.
The Three That Give No Warning
New Hampshire's granite bedrock carries three naturally occurring contaminants that are worth testing for on any property purchase, because none of them affects taste, smell or appearance:
Arsenic
Naturally occurring in NH bedrock groundwater. Undetectable without a laboratory test. Treatable.
Radon in water
Releases into indoor air when water is used. Separate from — and additional to — radon in soil gas.
Uranium
Also naturally occurring in granite. Same story: present, undetectable, treatable.
Plus the standard panel — bacteria, nitrate, iron, manganese, hardness, pH — which tells you about both safety and what the water will do to plumbing and fixtures over the years you own the house.
A seller saying the water has always been fine is telling you it tastes normal. That is not information about any of the three above.
Six Questions for the Seller
How deep is the well, and when was it drilled?
Ask for the state completion report if there is one. No record generally means the well predates the reporting requirement, which is itself useful information about its age.
When were the pump and pressure tank last replaced?
If they came with the house and nobody knows, assume both are due. A pump at twenty-plus years is a near-term cost to factor in.
When was the water last tested, and for what?
Ask to see the results rather than accepting a summary. “It's good water” is not a test result.
Has it ever run short?
Particularly in late summer. On a seasonal property, ask specifically about August with a full house — that is the well's hardest week and the one that reveals the truth.
Is there an abandoned well on the property?
Common on older houses that once had a dug well. An unsealed one is a contamination route into the aquifer and the liability transfers to you.
Where exactly is the wellhead, and where does the line run?
Worth knowing before you dig anything, landscape anything, or need to find it in an emergency in February.
What Findings Cost to Resolve
| Finding | Cost to resolve | How serious |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure switch at end of life | $150–$400 | Minor |
| Pressure tank failed / short-cycling | $400–$1,200 | Fix promptly — it is damaging the pump |
| Pump near end of life | $700–$1,600 | Budget it as near-term |
| Damaged or missing well cap | Modest | Contamination route — fix it |
| Water treatment needed (arsenic, iron) | Varies by contaminant | Negotiable item — get a treatment quote |
| Marginal yield | Storage $1,500–$4,000; fracking $2,000–$4,500 | Understand it before closing |
| Unsealed abandoned well | Decommissioning cost | Liability that transfers with the property |
| Well failed / needs replacement | $10,000–$25,000 | Major — a genuine deal item |
A written inspection report is worth considerably more at the negotiating table than a verbal account. It is evidence rather than opinion, and a seller's confidence in a well that has served them well for years tends to shorten in the face of a measured yield figure.
Questions
Can you inspect within a short contingency period?
Usually — tell us the closing date when you get in touch and we will work to it. A sustained yield test takes time by definition, so book early in the window rather than at the end of it.
Is a well ever a reason to walk away?
Rarely on its own. Even a well replacement is a known, quotable number, and finding it during due diligence is precisely how it becomes a negotiating item rather than a surprise. Where it gets more serious is a genuinely poor-yielding well on a lot with no better drilling location, because that constrains the property permanently.
I'm selling. Should I test before listing?
Worth considering, yes. It gives you the chance to fix or price problems deliberately rather than under deadline pressure, and a clean report removes a lever from the buyer. Findings discovered during a contingency period reliably cost a seller more than the same findings cost to fix.
The house is seasonal. Does that change anything?
It makes the yield question more important, not less. A seasonal property is empty most of the year and full at exactly the time the water table is lowest. Ask specifically about August with the house occupied, and treat a vague answer as an answer.