TOPIC COLLECTION
Wells & water
Well depth, water level and sustainable yield describe different things. You need all three before selecting equipment.
A practical starting point
LEARN THE SYSTEM
More guides in this topic
How much rainwater can your roof collect?
Estimate catchment yield, understand storage limits and keep rainwater separate from drinking water.
Choose a water pipe size without guessing
Connect fixture demand, internal diameter, velocity, pressure loss and pump performance.
Understand pressure, head and flow in a private water system
Measure static and dynamic pressure, include elevation and read the pump at its operating point.
Plan household water for a power or supply outage
Separate drinking water from service water, identify electrical dependencies and test a realistic operating plan.
Diagnose pressure-tank drawdown and rapid pump cycling
Use actual pressures, usable drawdown and observed run times to separate tank, switch, demand and pump problems.
Use storage to bridge a low-yield well and peak household demand
Separate sustainable source flow, stored volume and delivery pressure before sizing a cistern or break tank.
Four quick checks for a home water system
Turn pipe dimensions, tank levels, pressure settings and pump run time into four useful commissioning numbers.
Find and quantify a hidden household water leak
Use the water meter, simple isolation tests and a timed measurement to turn unexplained consumption into a repairable fault.
Reduce hot-water wait and distribution waste
Measure the water stored between heater and outlet, explain the real wait time and compare compact piping, local heating and controlled recirculation.
Read a well pumping test before sizing the pump
Keep flow, water level, elapsed time, recovery and intake position together so one attractive number does not hide a weak test.
USE THE NUMBERS
Calculators in this topic
Rainwater collection & overflow
Estimate one rainfall event and the amount a tank can receive.
Household water demand
Estimate daily use and an explicit buffer-storage volume.
Well drawdown & specific capacity
Interpret water levels from a recorded pumping test.
Pump head & electrical power
Combine lift, delivery pressure and friction in a first-pass pump calculation.
Water velocity in a pipe
Convert flow and internal pipe diameter into water velocity.
Water volume in a round tank
Estimate the water held in a vertical cylindrical tank from its internal dimensions.
Water pressure to head
Convert water pressure into metres of head and psi using a stated density.
Hot and cold water mixing
Estimate hot and cold volumes needed to reach a target mixed-water temperature.
Water stored above a well-pump reserve level
Estimate the cylindrical water column and volume above a protected pump-intake level.
Observed well water-level recovery
Convert a measured rise in a cylindrical well into equivalent volume and an average recovery observation.
Rainwater storage balance for a dry period
Compare usable tank water with expected demand and dependable inflow over a chosen period.
Bladder pressure-tank drawdown estimate
Estimate the water delivered between pump cut-out and cut-in pressures from a precharged bladder tank.
Well-pump cycle-rate screening
Estimate one pressure-tank draw-and-refill cycle under a steady water demand below pump capacity.
Well supply and peak-demand buffer
Compare a measured source flow and usable stored water with one defined period of peak household demand.
Water volume inside a pipe
Calculate how many litres a straight pipe run holds from its internal diameter and length.
Tank fill time with simultaneous demand
Estimate how long a tank takes to reach capacity when water is entering and may also be used.
Pressure-tank nominal size from required drawdown
Estimate the nominal bladder-tank volume needed to provide a chosen usable drawdown between switch pressures.
Water lost through a leak
Turn an observed leak flow and daily duration into water volume and an estimated bill impact.
Hot-water wait time and wasted water
Estimate how long cooled water must run before hot water arrives, plus the daily and annual water sent to the drain.
Well specific-capacity and pumping-level screen
Turn one stabilized pumping observation into specific capacity and a cautious linear screen for another flow.
Rainwater first-flush volume
Estimate the initial roof runoff to divert before sending rainwater toward storage.
Gravity-tank water pressure at an outlet
Estimate the pressure available from the lowest tank water level after elevation and entered flow losses.
Water use from two meter readings
Calculate recorded water use, litres per day and litres per person from two readings of the same meter, rather than an assumed household demand.