Two Things Matter, and a Cursory Inspection Skips Both
Sustained yield
Not a flow reading taken for two minutes — a draw held long enough to see whether the well keeps up. Plenty of wells look perfectly fine briefly and fall over after forty minutes, and that is precisely the well you do not want to discover in August with a house full of people.
A proper yield test is the single most valuable part of a transaction inspection, and it is the part most often omitted. If someone quotes you a well inspection, ask specifically how long they draw for.
Water quality
New Hampshire's granite bedrock carries documented concerns that give no warning whatsoever. Arsenic, radon in water and uranium all occur naturally in this state's groundwater, and none of them affects taste, smell or appearance in any way. Water can look and taste perfect and still warrant treatment.
The rest of a standard panel — bacteria, nitrate, iron, manganese, hardness, pH, chloride — tells you about both safety and what the water will do to your plumbing and fixtures over time.
The combination is what matters. Genuinely present in NH bedrock, and completely undetectable without a laboratory test. That is the whole argument, and it applies to a well that has served a family happily for thirty years just as much as to a new one.
The Rest of the System
- Wellhead and sanitary cap condition — a damaged cap is a contamination route
- Casing where accessible, and evidence of the grout seal
- Pressure tank condition and cycling behaviour
- Pressure switch settings and operation
- Pump performance under sustained draw
- Abandoned wells on site — unsealed ones are a real liability
That last one matters more than people expect on older properties. An unsealed abandoned well is a direct route for surface contamination into the aquifer, and the liability transfers with the property. It is common on houses that were once on a dug well and later had a drilled well put in, which describes a great many older Lakes Region homes.
The Transaction Case
If you are buying: a general home inspection does not cover the well in any meaningful way, and most inspection agreements say so explicitly. A dedicated well inspection with a sustained yield test and a water sample runs $300–$600, against findings that can run to a new well or a multi-thousand-dollar treatment system. It is among the cheapest due diligence available in a house purchase, and it is regularly skipped.
If you are selling: getting it done before you list rather than after an offer gives you the same three advantages it does on any inspection. You find problems on your own timetable, you can price or fix them deliberately, and a clean report removes a negotiating lever from the buyer entirely.
| Service | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Real-estate well inspection | $300–$600 | Sustained yield test, water sample, system inspection, written report |
| Water testing only, basic panel | $75–$150 | Bacteria, nitrate, and common chemistry |
| Water testing, full NH panel | $150–$350 | Adds arsenic, radon, uranium and metals |
| Yield test only | Quoted | Sustained draw with recovery measurement |
Inspection & Testing Questions
How often should I test my well water?
Bacteria and nitrate annually is the usual advice, and a fuller panel including arsenic, radon and uranium every few years or whenever something changes — a new well, work on the system, a flood nearby, or a noticeable change in taste or appearance. Nobody else is testing it, so the interval is entirely your call.
Why test for arsenic and radon if the water tastes fine?
Because neither affects taste, smell or appearance at all, and both occur naturally in New Hampshire's granite. That combination — genuinely present and completely undetectable without a test — is exactly why testing exists. Uranium is in the same category. A well that has served a family for thirty years with no complaints tells you nothing about any of the three.
Does a home inspection cover the well?
Not meaningfully. It typically notes that a well exists and that water comes out. No sustained yield test, no water quality analysis. Most home inspection agreements explicitly exclude well yield and water quality, which is worth reading before you rely on one.
What if the test comes back with something?
Most findings are treatable, and treatment is a separate trade from ours — we will tell you what the result means and point you toward the people who fix it rather than selling you a system. Arsenic, radon in water, iron and hardness all have established treatment routes. The useful thing is knowing.
Can you inspect within a short contingency period?
Usually yes — 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 booking early in the window rather than at the end of it is worth doing.