Well & Septic HQThe library · page 3 of 4
Guides
Every guide answers one question a homeowner actually asked, from named primary sources, with the dollar figures dated and the DIY boundary drawn explicitly.
Sourced guide · wells
How do you shock a well with chlorine, safely?
The dose depends on water depth and casing diameter, not on the jug. Chlorine belongs between 50 and 500 ppm, and only a lab retest says whether it worked.
DIY with cautions
Sourced guide · septic
What belongs on a septic maintenance checklist?
Inspection every 3 years, pumping every 3 to 5, one water test a year, and the 4 lines to ask for in writing on the invoice. Print it, hang it, fill it in.
DIY-safe
Sourced guide · septic
What drives the cost of septic tank pumping?
Two cost guides put a septic pump-out at $291 to $700. What sets your number, what a pumper actually does for it, and how to tell whether your tank is due.
$291-$700verified August 2026Professional only
Sourced guide · water quality
How to read your well water test results
A lab number means nothing without its unit and its yardstick. Nitrate and arsenic each read two ways, and total coliform has no private-well limit at all.
DIY-safe
Sourced guide · water quality
What kind of iron is in your well water?
Iron is a secondary standard at 0.3 mg/L, not a health limit. What the water does in a glass decides which list you are on, and a lab number decides where.
DIY with cautions
Sourced guide · water quality
Do you need a water softener for your well?
Hardness has no primary or secondary standard at all. Size the unit from your own grains per gallon, and know the four things a softener does not remove.
DIY with cautions