Be Sure to Include Wells on Your Pre-Season Maintenance Checklist

When completing the pre-season inspection of your irrigation system, experts say it’s important to look above and below the surface. 

“Of course, you’ll want to check the oil, tire pressure and sprinklers on the pivot, but it’s also important to inspect your well,” said Evan Carlson, product service technician at Lindsay Corporation. “Like any piece of equipment, annual maintenance is needed to keep your wells operating efficiently from year to year.”

To keep help ensure smooth operation and maximum production, experts recommend that you:

• Maintain accurate records – Keep annual records of well water levels, flow rate and specific capacity. Measure static water level at least once before and after the irrigation season. Record the flow rate and pumping water level at the beginning, middle and end of the season. If the specific capacity drops below 80 percent, take action to restore performance.

• Check for iron bacteria and mineral incrustation to avoid screen blockage that increases the drawdown and pumping energy requirements.

• Never allow the pumping level to drop below the top of the screen. Exposure to air will accelerate the buildup of mineral deposits and incrustation.

• Chlorinate the well at least once a year to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Additional information about well maintenance is included in an article written by Tom Scherer, an extension agricultural engineer at North Dakota State University -- https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/crops/care-and-maintenance-of-irrigation-wells.

For more information about routine system maintenance, consult your owner’s manual or contact your local Zimmatic dealer.