Wells, Septic Systems and Plumbing Repair in Clarington: Beyond the Bowmanville Water Mains

Wells: what fails and what to check

A private well system is the well, a submersible or jet pump, a pressure tank and switch, and often treatment for hardness or iron, both common in Clarington’s groundwater. No water at any tap usually means the pump, the pressure switch or the breaker; pulsing pressure means a waterlogged tank or a failing pump; sputtering in a dry summer means the well is drawing down faster than it recharges, common on the shallow dug wells in the older hamlets. Brown or smelly water usually means iron or a treatment system due for service.

Check the breaker and the pressure gauge before calling. A well pump company or a plumber who does wells can test the pump, the tank and the switch in one visit.

Septic: permits and licensed installers

Septic systems in Ontario are regulated under Part 8 of the Building Code, and the Municipality of Clarington issues the permits. Installing a new system, replacing a tank or field, or making most repairs needs a building permit and must be done by an installer licensed under the Building Code Act; routine pumping is done by licensed haulers. A handyman or a general plumber cannot legally rebuild a field, and an unpermitted repair becomes a problem at resale.

Symptoms of a failing system are slow drains throughout the house, gurgling, sewage smell in the yard and a wet or lush patch over the field. Pump the tank every three to five years, keep vehicles and trees off the field, and do not connect a sump pump or water softener backwash to the septic. Properties on the Oak Ridges Moraine may face additional rules on septic siting.

• Location of the well, the tank and the field
• Last water test results and date
• Last septic pumping date
• Pump and pressure tank age
• Permit records for the septic system and the well

Well construction, abandonment and testing

Ontario’s Wells Regulation requires that wells be constructed, altered and abandoned by a licensed well contractor, and a well that is no longer used must be properly abandoned rather than left open. Durham Region Health Department tests private well water for bacteria at no charge and publishes the sampling procedure and drop-off locations; test at least three times a year and after any work on the well or any flooding. A broader test every few years for nitrate, common near farmland, is worth doing.

Older hamlets have shallow dug wells that are more vulnerable to surface contamination than drilled wells; a well contractor can advise whether a drilled well is the better long-term answer.

Getting a fair quote

For a well repair, the quote should state whether the pump was tested, the pump and tank being replaced, the depth of the well if a new pump is going in, and the warranty. For septic, the quote should come from a licensed installer, state the Municipality’s permit, and describe the tank, the field and the disposal of the old system. Plumbers who only work on municipal systems in Bowmanville may not take rural calls; ask. Consumer Protection Ontario’s rules on written contracts apply, and WSIB coverage matters for anyone excavating on your land.