Shared well: I want to pay for my own pumped water.

Users who are viewing this thread

kwhitten

New Member
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Wisconsin
Shared well: I want to pay for my own pumped water.
Help!
I share a well with another land owner. I need to find a way to monitor my water use. I need to find a way to just pay for the water I use. I have my own electric meter for my property. The well is on her land and a waterline comes out of her house over to my property. Any ideas???
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,599
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
All you need is a flow meter. But a new well and pump can cost $5,000, and just replacing a pump can cost $1,000. It doesn't matter if you use 10,000 gallons per day or just 10 gallons per day, the well and pump still cost the same. The fair thing to do would be to meter both houses. Then if you only use 25% of the total water pumped, you should only pay for 25% of the electricity. But sometimes using the smaller amounts of water can wear out the pump faster than using large amounts of water, because smaller amounts cause the pump to cycle more. And because you use less water, doesn't mean it is any less important to you than someone who uses more. So I think cost of the well and repairs to the pump should be split 50/50, no mater who uses the most water.
 

kwhitten

New Member
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Wisconsin
Thank you for responding:)
What is a flow meter? Also, is there any way I can figure out haw much electric I use from the flow meter? The other landowner gets all well usage on his electric bill, because, the well in on his property. I just want to be able to pay my portion of his bill.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,599
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
Thank you for responding:)
What is a flow meter? Also, is there any way I can figure out haw much electric I use from the flow meter? The other landowner gets all well usage on his electric bill, because, the well in on his property. I just want to be able to pay my portion of his bill.

This is one of my favs.
http://catalog.gpi.net/item/a1-seri...es-commercial-grade-meter-3/pn-10077?&seo=110

We can get fairly close to the electric cost per gallon by if we know the horsepower, depth of well, and the amount you pay per Kw.
 

Cacher_Chick

Test, Don't Guess!
Messages
5,458
Reaction score
213
Points
63
Location
Land of Cheese
In WI a shared well agreement is usually written into the purchase agreement for the property. If it is not, the well owner can disconnect you at their will.

If the well needs repair or replacement, you will be liable for 50% of the cost.
IMO, the average electric cost to run a well pump for a 1 bath home in the Midwest is less than $10 a month.
 

WellWaterProducts

In the trades
Messages
126
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Northwood NH
If you buy the water at $1/250 gallons, that should cover the electrical cost and wear & tear/depreciation on the system. The bottom line is that there is no 100% perfect method. The most important thing is that both parties feel that it's fair.
 

kwhitten

New Member
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Wisconsin
In WI a shared well agreement is usually written into the purchase agreement for the property. If it is not, the well owner can disconnect you at their will.

If the well needs repair or replacement, you will be liable for 50% of the cost.
IMO, the average electric cost to run a well pump for a 1 bath home in the Midwest is less than $10 a month.

It is written in the perches agreement of their lot which houses the well. And yes, I know I am responsible for 50% of the well. Thank you
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,602
Reaction score
1,041
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
The problem with just installing two water meters in the lines, just determines the percentage of use by each family. They would also need an electric meter to determine HOW MUCH total electricity the pump is using, AND the cost of that power to divide it up equitably
 

kwhitten

New Member
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Wisconsin

LLigetfa

DIYer, not in the trades
Messages
7,497
Reaction score
575
Points
113
Location
NW Ontario, Canada
I think cost of the well and repairs to the pump should be split 50/50, no mater who uses the most water.
Instead of measuring just your water flow which doesn't directly relate to the overall cost, perhaps measure the water flow separately for both parties and agree on how to split the cost calculated on a base plus percentage formula.
 

Valveman

Cary Austin
Staff member
Messages
14,599
Reaction score
1,296
Points
113
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Website
cyclestopvalves.com
I have several of those, and they actually work pretty good down to 1 GPM. But you are right, any really low flows won't spin the meter. They make meters with leak detector needles. Might look at a Badger 3/4" meter.
 

LLigetfa

DIYer, not in the trades
Messages
7,497
Reaction score
575
Points
113
Location
NW Ontario, Canada
I'm going to bet that one dollar's worth of electricity will pump 500 to 1000 gallons.
While electricity rates can vary a lot, I have an anecdote of how a friend's bill more than doubled because of a water leak.

He had retired his old "mud" well after getting a new "rock" well put in. When they put in the rock well, they trenched over to the existing water line which they cut and installed a 90 degree galvanized elbow. Over the years, the elbow developed a small hole and water taking the path of least resistance, flowed into the open end of the pipe that ran to the old well. My friend noticed that the old well was overflowing but thought nothing of it, focussing instead on his electric meter, thinking that there was something wrong with it. This went on for months while he argued with the electric company and had his meter replaced twice. How he could not have noticed that his pump was running 24/7 is a mystery. He only finally discovered it when the hole in the elbow got so large that his house pressure suffered. DOH!

The moral of the story is that if there is flat rate pricing, some people may use all the water they can simply to get more for their money. I can imagine what that could do for an electric bill.

Even if the bill is split 50/50, some people will tend to consume more since the other party is paying half of their consumption.
 

Ballvalve

General Engineering Contractor
Messages
3,581
Reaction score
45
Points
48
Location
northfork, california
Why re-invent the wheel? Here is a great well share agreement that you can modify to suit the properties.

http://www.watersystemscouncil.org/VAiWebDocs/WSCDocs/4451105Shared_Well_Agreement_FINAL.pdf

I usually pro-rate the repairs based on useage, with a fixed minimum from the lower use party - so even if NO use, they pay a fair share. 2 water meters is the best way, and with "smart spy meters", if you turn off the other breakers, the meter will tell you the exact electric draw for a certain amount of gallons pumped.
 
Last edited:
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks