What is a normal water well in Western North Carolina

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Over the past decade+, I’ve either personally had drilled, had clients that drilled, or been involved in transactions where a new well had to be drilled here in Murphy, NC. The one thing I’ve learned; there is no such thing as a normal well in Western North Carolina. Each one is different with several main components: depth, yield, and quality.

Fiberglass Well Cover
This fiberglass “fake rock” is a common well cover. It’s generally foam insulated to protect the well in Winter.

Depth: Perhaps it’ll help to understand where water comes from underground. There are aquifers, or creeks, and veins of water hundreds of feet underground that you want to collect and bring to your faucets. While many areas like Florida and Eastern North Carolina can hit water in 10-50 feet, the mountains of Western North Carolina is often 100-400 feet and can even be deeper. In rare instances, you can have a well drilled that never finds water or has a low yield; more on that in a moment. Some old-timers believe that “witching” a well will help you maximize your odds of finding the best spot to drill your well so you never have a dry hole. The deeper your well, the more “reserve” you have; meaning, your well acts as a storage tank and the deeper it is, the more storage space you have.

Yield: Depth is only part of the equation; how much water your well can produce is another major component. Yield is how many gallons per minute your underground aquifers and veins of water pour into your well. This one is easy – the more the merrier. I’ve seen yield of under 1/2 gallon per minute (GPM) to artesian wells that put out so much water the instruments to measure yield pegged out and we only knew that it was 100+ GPM. Those are rare and 1-10 GPM is far more common. If your well produces a lower yield than the well company recommends for household usage, there are some great options to maximize it like a buried storage tank or fracking, which expands the crevices to try to get more water flow.

This shows a common well arrangement under the cover.
This picture shows a lot under the cover! The well itself is to the right in the thicker pipe. The big blue tank is a pressure tank. This also has a rare feature – a hand pump on top of the well in the event of power or pump failure, you can still get water. Click to see a larger picture.

Quality: Western North Carolina is known for amazing water. In fact, many folks who live in Florida and other areas will tank water from here and bring it to their home because the water is so much better. pH is rarely a problem and any water quality issues we see usually are from rotten egg smell (sulfur) or red water (iron). The good thing about these water quality issues is they can almost always be resolved by a water filtration system. If it is needed, your well company can recommend the right system. They range from an inexpensive sediment filter (I think every home should have one. They protect your faucets and fixtures from sediment) to a tank-style system that costs around $1,650-3,200 depending on certain factors. Filtration technology has come a LONG way in the past decade and many of the systems require very little maintenance to produce the best water your taste buds have experienced.

Just a few personal experiences I’ve had:

  • The well I use daily produces 8 GPM and feeds two homes, a barn, and waters our animals with no issues. Other than a $100 sediment filter, we have nothing on it and it produces the most amazing water ever.
  • At our old house, the well was low yield with 3/4 GPM… and supplied about 10 houses. Fortunately, about 1/2 or better were part time occupants so it rarely had all 10 homes trying to get water. We CONSTANTLY had problems with water… until we installed a 1,500 gallon reservoir tank. That solved every problem we had because the storage tank supplied all the water to the houses and the well replenished it. It made the perfect buffer and we never had a supply issue again.
  • Well Tag on a Drilled Well
    This is a typical well tag that is supposed to be on a well casing. It shows all kinds of useful information to include Yield (bottom left) and depth (center right).

    A developer drilled a well getting an astonishing 100+ GPM that had very high iron. The homeowners on the well had issues with laundry turning red due to the high iron content. They installed a $2,000 well filtration system that cleans itself so it requires extremely low maintenance. The system completely resolved the iron problems and the water is now extraordinary. 

If you’ve wondered the basics on how wells work in Western North Carolina, I hope this helps! Looking for real estate? We would be honored to help. Give us a call at 1-866-687-7496 or contact us from our website and we’ll be there to assist.

Need a good well driller? Check out our Gotta Guy list with reputable local well drillers, contractors, and more.

We have private, shared, and community wells here. Learn the difference here.

John Poltrock 

How Much does a septic system cost in Murphy NC?

Posted by I Love Murphy on

If you’re looking to buy or have already bought land in Murphy, NC, then a big question for you should be, “How much does it cost to install a septic system in Murphy NC?” Although this is a loaded question because the price can vary on many factors, here’s a good idea as to what you can expect.

Some factors that can change the cost of your septic:

  • Soil Type: this is a very detailed question, but think of it as is it rocky or just dirt?
  • Terrain Grade or Steepness: Flat land or is it really steep? Steep land can cost more to install a system on.
  • What type of system is your land permitted for by the Cherokee County Health Department?
  • Required Materials and System to be Used

Whenever you buy a parcel of real estate in Murphy NC, we highly recommend you buy it contingent to getting a septic permit. Once you have that permit, then you have authorization to install the septic system the County specifies. Here’s what you can expect from various system types.

  • Conventional Gravity Fed Septic System: Generally costs between $3,000 to $4,500. This system is usually the simplest, most cost effective method. It’s generally what most people think of when you have a septic installed. Regular maintenance is little and putting something like Rid-X down your commode once a month is all the regular maintenance you’ll need.

  • Conventional Septic System with a Pump

    : Generally it costs between $6,500 and $8,000. They work very well and in fact, it was the type of system we had on our very first home. It works the same as a conventional gravity system with only one main difference. The waste water needs to go uphill in order to get to the drain field. Since it doesn’t run uphill on it’s own, another septic tank and pump system is required to get it there. The additional cost is in the extra tank, pump system, piping, and extra labor to make the system work. Regular maintenance is the same as a conventional gravity system. The only thing that can go wrong with it is the pump ceases to work for various reasons. They have a mandatory alarm installed to alert you when this happens. Many pumps are warrantied for 3-5 years.

  • T&J Panel Septic System: Generally they cost $7,000 to $9,000. This system is relatively new and works like a gravity system in areas that have deep soil but few pockets of soil. Drain lines are not nearly as long. It works quite well and maintenance is similar to that of a conventional gravity system.
  • Direct Discharge: $18,000 or more depending on requirements. This system acts like a municipal system in that it treats the water and ultimately dumps it into a body of water. The water (creek, river, lake) must have good water volume. After the waste water is treated, it is practically clean enough to drink. Periodic inspections by a qualified inspector and sometimes the Cherokee County Health Department is required – commonly in 6 month to one year intervals to ensure they are working properly.
  • Drip Irrigation System: This is the most expensive system at an average cost of $20,000 to $24,000 to install and not just anyone can install them. In fact, as of this writing, there are only 5-6 systems running in Cherokee County, and they will become more common as time goes on. These systems are reserved for properties that have little soil suited for a septic. Soil pockets are usually not deep and drip systems are ideal for this situation. The lines lay on the soil or just below and “drip” waste water out on the drain area after it has been pretreated. Regular maintenance is required for these systems. Periodic inspections by a qualified inspector and sometimes the Cherokee County Health Department is required – commonly in 6 month to one year intervals to ensure they are working properly.

Now you have an idea of what to expect from various systems. It is important to bear in mind that every system is different and speaking to a qualified installer for the system you are looking at is the best idea. For a list of recommended contractors in Murphy NC, check out our Gotta Guy List. Who knew there could be so much involved in flushing a toilet!?

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist – The Poltrock Team – Murphy NC Real Estate – REMAX Mountain Properties – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us toll free today at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496