OT Shared wells

Delawaresurfman · Jul 29, 2016

The wife and I are looking to retire to Tennessee in about 5 years. Many of the homes have listed a shared well. Some properties are several acres each. Does anyone have an idea on how this shared well would work? Deeded cost for maintanence and repairs and such? I'd just assume drill our own well if possible. Any thoughts? I don't like the sounds of it!

T.R.K. · Jul 29, 2016

If its in a development, sounds like the delveloper was too cheap to drill a well for each house. What else did he cut corners on?
Unless some gov't specification on how close wells can be to each other.

The only other shared wells I know of personally was where the Old couple's kids hooked their house or trailer onto the line from an existing well.

Ken Macfarlane · Jul 29, 2016

Common around here. Can turn over to province / state and you get a water bill and they look after it.

Ron-MO · Jul 29, 2016

While I do not have any first hand experience with a shared well, I have found it is best to control as much of your utilities (well, septic, etc) as possible, then there are no issues or arguments. I moved from living in a small community where I was on city well, sewer, and even had to pay for trash pickup (whether or not I wanted to or not). I now have my own well, lagoon, dispose of my own trash, and the only utilities I have to worry about is electricity. I do use propane, but own my own tank so I can pretty much control who I purchase that from as well. About a year ago I dropped Dish Network and have not regretted that either. Others will have differing opinions, but I would want my own well and septic system if at all possible. Before I moved I was facing replacement of my sewer line, and found the main was in the middle of the street. To replace the entire line meant digging into the street, and my paying to repair at a cost of approx. $500 just to repair the street damage. The bad part was that historically the city took years to repair, and everyone drove over the potholes in the meantime until some crew had time to toss some cold mix on top even though someone had paid good dollars to repair. I got by till I sold, and for the life of me I cannot understand why I lived there for as long as I did and put up with the nonsense. I guess I like to control my own environment, and the least amount of outside (government) control the better.

showcrop · Jul 29, 2016

It is very common around here. Usually they are in a subdivision where the road is also owned by the association as opposed to town or county. In this situation the homeowners association have very detailed rules governing the use by and responsibilities of the home owners. I have been involved in our town government for a long time and have never heard of any problems due to the sharing.

flembo · Jul 29, 2016

I work with a fellow who lives in a small Village with a shared well. 16 homes share this well that is spring fed and located about a half mile up a hill in the woods with only a 4WD road up to it. He has been appointed to be the water manager by the other neighbors and had to go to school to hold the position. He has to test the water every so often and the State checks it and his records every yr. all 16 families share all the costs. Last winter we had little snow cover and many days of below 0 temps, the line froze and all 16 homes were without water for 4 wks. Just last week someone left there garden hose on all night and drained the well dave had to go around nocking on doors to find the the culprit at 6 am. Over the yrs. I remember problem after problem with that well but he is proud of what he calls the old way, and I have heard him brag about it many times. No way would I live that way.

Paul from MI · Jul 29, 2016

I serve on our county Dept. of Public Works board. We provide sewer service to over 1600 customers around several lakes. By MI law any shared well serving over 12 customers must be managed by a licensed technician. We provide this service to 2 subdivisions. One has been relatively trouble free. It is an older system that was put in properly and has been maintained. The other was put in by a contactor who cut every possible corner. We pass all costs on to the homeowners as part of their property taxes. This year that included two 6" wells. One because the originals didn't have enough capacity and one because an older well failed. Still the homeowners are happier with us taking care of things than they were with the original shyster.

Bob Bancroft · Jul 29, 2016

Several acre lot, but shared wells? I hope not. When I bought this farm, the drilled well at my barn had been piped to the two houses on the farm(neither of which I got). What a mess! We ran a wire from one place to the pump in my barn, as I wasn't going to pump water for them(I used it very little). Then the other person would leave their hose on and run it out.

Danny Prosser · Jul 29, 2016

I live in Tennessee on the west coast Memphis! Anyway I'm from the next county over from Shelby that is Fayette County. I only know of cases where someone had land and let a child or grandchild build or put a trailer house on it and they tied into everything. I'm sure there are other cases where someone may have a rental home attached to theirs or something butas a rule that would be very uncommon on this end of the state. I do know that my property out there has a local city water that runs out there and if I dig a well and then want to hook to city water it has to be pulled and plugged. And if you are already hooked to city water like my neighbor but wanted a well dug to water his horses and flowers and stuff they would not let him do it because it could cause a problem if he did something that would contaminate the city water supply. If you ask me the city water is already contaminated I'm going with my own well.

hd6gtom · Jul 29, 2016

I would never be put into that situation. many years ago I delivered lp gas, I heard nothing but complaints from people in that situation. Most had a separate electric meter running to the well pump, everyone shared in the electric cost to the well. One situation I remember was--Some people bought horses and watered them from the well. Everyones share of the electric bill went up, one person had a large garden and watered from the well again everyones electric bill went up.

Geo-TH,In · Jul 29, 2016

I think a shared well, a shared drive would like be paramount to finding your neighbor is sharing your wife or girlfriend. Not a good idea.

FBH44 · Jul 29, 2016

You haven't thought yet about all the septic tanks and lateral fields. Where are they, were they done to State standards and the sites tested and inspected after built? I've seen very expensive horror stories about non-standard septic fields composing a subdivision, with one person's leakage flowing downhill onto the next persons back yard. Truly a horror story.
Personally I'd never get into situation like that.

Lazy WP · Jul 29, 2016

Check with your lender before you commit. Our lender wouldn't go for a shared well.

jimg.allentown · Jul 29, 2016

Personally, I don't like the sound of it. All it takes is one abuser and everybody suffers. For me it is either my own well or city water. Not thrilled with city water, but at least I would only have to pay for my own usage.

Tom in Ga · Jul 29, 2016

My well serves two houses. It is across a paved road and serves my rental house there. Water,is piped under the road to feed my house. I keep the power bill for both places in my name. I give the tenant a copy of the power bill each month when it comes. When I have a tenant, he pays for the power to the pump. When empty I pick up the power bill there. Only disadvantage if any may be getting access if a breaker trips,inside the house and no one is home. Tenant now is the first that has not been family related in some way or another. Tommy

Old Scovy · Jul 29, 2016

I owned a house one time and the well was on some one else's property. My deed called for me to have 34" of water and a 8' right of way to it. That deed was made long before I came along. It was never a problem . Neighbor was easy to get along with and when I sold the house the water deal went with it. It was a very good well and I would bet that every body is still happy.

Old Scovy · Jul 29, 2016

It was not 34" it was 3/4 of an inch. Sorry.

aFORDable · Jul 29, 2016

Anything like that depends on the quality of people involved. We have three households on one of our wells and has been that way for years. No problems. It helps to have a clear understanding up front of responsibilities.

JD Seller · Jul 29, 2016

In many areas shared wells are common. If it is part of a subdivision association then there should be clearly defined rules and cost. The reason share wells are common in some areas is the cost of drilling to good water there. My sister lives in Tenn. on a shared well. That well serves one subdivision. The cost was over $75,000 ten years ago. for that well.

So for those saying drill your own well, you need to know the cost first. Around here ( North-East Iowa) A good well can cost between $5-25K depending on how deep you have to go for good water. Up around Balltown Iowa some of the wells there are over 500 feet deep because there is sulfur water closer to the surface. Those can cost $20K plus to drill.

David G · Jul 29, 2016

It is common in rural subdivisions around here.

You pay into an escrow fund for improvements and share in the electric costs. I would want to have a meter on each home, then divide the costs according to the usage.

Richard G. · Jul 29, 2016

My oldest brother who is a retired professor with 36 years of service and a PHD bought a retirement home with a well that supplies his house and two other houses. He is responsible for the water supply to the other houses. I really think he got took on that deal.
Richard in NW SC

01gentdc · Jul 29, 2016

around here in southern ind ,. a family could have a good well for 30 yrs , and then a neighbor will drill a well 500 ft away and compromise the 1stvwell to where it will run dry ,, or bring in sulpher , it really depends on the aquifer that is under you,, around here any well above 60-80ft is shallow and decent water that will pump dry quikly in drought yrs, but recover somewhat in a hour ,, beyond 80 ft to 250 ft you will hit sulphur most of the time ,,. but there are exceptions to that rule acros the county ,,. if you go 300 ft or more you will have WAY more good cold water that you could run a irrigation rig.. and of course their are exceptions to that too ,,. Hiring a good well witcher is the most important

hrRoss · Jul 30, 2016

bought a foreclosed house across highway, son ended up with it, but had a shared well with next house, ended up buying that house to avoid problems. just thinking, when son doesnt make the payment for that month, just turn off water! why didnt i think of that earlier?

sammydwm · Jul 30, 2016

When we bought our place the well which is on our land handled 2 other properties. I was supposed to be paid by both owners but never saw a dime in the 5 years or so the arrangement lasted.
There was an easement on the deed for the property to the north so I had to buy that property to end the issue.
There was no easement with the property to the south and when someone else bought it I made it clear that he was going to have to drill his own well.

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