This article describes the minimum acceptable well yield or water flow rate for a well to be functional. Next we describe how to increase the yield or flow rate of a water well using several approaches, and we define hydro-fracturing for well stimulation.

This article describes the minimum acceptable well yield or water flow rate for a well to be functional. Next we describe how to increase the yield or flow rate of a water well using several approaches, and we define hydro-fracturing for well stimulation.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2017 InspectApedia.com, All Rights Reserved.
Some wells can produce a flow rate of 20 gallons per minute (gpm) or more. But for a single family home, 5 gpm is good, and 3 gpm is livable. In some communities the health department or building department will require at least 3 gpm (or more) to approve a new well for new construction.
These are general flow rates, but a more accurate answer to the required well yield flow rate for a specific property depends on the anticipated water quantity need for a given home, number of occupants, types of water usage, and thus the anticipated daily water usage, factored against the well yield (and possibly well recovery rate).
A risk with a well that already has a low yield is that the yield is at risk of dropping still further seasonally or permanently (common), or possibly failing entirely (less common). Therefore in buying such a property it would be prudent to presume that you will face additional costs to provide more or better water quantity. You might want to consult with local well drillers to get an idea about their experience in success in drilling wells in your immediate neighborhood as well as the typical well depth, yield, and cost. See WATER USAGE TABLE for a table that will help calculate the water flow rate or daily water usage for a property.
In the worst case with a slow or low yield well people install additional water storage/holding tanks to collect water at the low rate available from a well and provide water and then deliver it at the needed rate.
If a well yield is too low, in addition to reducing unnecessary water usage (conservation), increasing the onsite storage quantity (holding tanks), making sure equipment is working properly (no leaks), and the option of drilling a new well and hoping for a better yield, there are various methods to increase well yield.
Just below we explain How to Improve Well Yield or Improve the Quantity of Water Available. Other Related articles:
WELL YIELD IMPROVEMENT - increasing well yield.
How to diagnose loss of water pressure or flow from a well (or municipal supply)
The sketch at page top, courtesy of Carson Dunlop, outlines what happens during a well drawdown or well flow test procedure. At WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR we outline the first steps to take if you have lost all water pressure. We discuss well flow rate and methods for testing the well yield in detail at WELL FLOW RATE
Readers should also see Water Tank Types and before assuming that a water problem is due to the well itself, see WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE an specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost.
Before drilling a new well to get more water, some plumbers or well installers will try these things:
Continue reading at WELL FLOW TEST for WATER QUANTITY or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or see our complete INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES. or select a topic from closely-related articles below, or see our complete INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES below.
Or see WELL FLOW RATE
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box below or CONTACT US by email if you cannot find the answer you need at InspectApedia.
If a well has not been used for 6 years it was a good well then we hooked up to it again and you can run water about 40 minutes then it quits. With the well setting for that long will this hurt the well, Will it not be as strong as before? - Diana 5/25/12
Diana your question seems to have two parts that I can't quite relate.
Running or not running water won't damage the well itself, though a well in use often finds over years that its yield or recovery rate may decline as minerals and crud clog the rock fissures through which water enters the well. Less use, slower clogging.
Running out of water after 40 minutes?? That is a bit unclear - 40 minutes at 1 gallon per minute, or 40 gallons, is an inadequate well. 40 minutes at 10 gpm is 400 gallons and is a lot of water.
We have a well that is about 100' - water starts about 20' below the well cap. We are forever running "dry" after running the water for about 20 minutes. e.g. I fill my kids kiddie pool with about 40 gallons of water (takes 15 minutes or so) and then run the dishwasher we will run out of water and draw nothing but air in the lines. We have to turn the pump off (it will keep running) then I turn it back on 30 minutes later and it will build pressure again. We have a deep well jet pump 1/2hp. Would increasing the hp of the pump to 3/4 allow us to draw more water? or do we just have a crappy well? All of our neighbours have lots and lots of water. - Ella 6/11/12
RE: w