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Water Well System Planning: How to Estimate Your Household Needs

Four generations of experience installing, maintaining and
repairing wells throughout Utah and Wyoming.
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When planning a new water well system, your household needs are a critical consideration. After all, what good is a private well if it doesn’t provide an adequate supply of water to meet your family’s needs?

Water Well System Planning: How to Estimate Your Household Needs

If you work with an experienced local well driller – like the Z-Team contractors at Mike Zimmerman Well Service – you’ll have expert help in planning a water well system that meets your household demand. Here’s how we will approach estimating your home water use.

Average Household Consumption

Most U.S. residents use about 50 to 100 gallons of water every day. This includes the supply used for drinking and cooking in addition to what’s needed for toilets, showers, bathtubs and household appliances.

So, as a conservative estimate, the average family of four typically requires a water well system that can supply between 200 and 400 gallons per day.

Typical Requirements for Appliances and Fixtures

Now, let’s consider an important question: Does your household fall within the average consumption range? If your family takes a lot of showers or you’re always running the washing machine – or if you expect to expand your family in the coming years – you will likely need a larger water supply.

To calculate the daily consumption in your home, consider the following estimates:

  • Top-loading clothes washers use up to 51 gallons for each load
  • Front-loading clothes washers use roughly 27 gallons for each load
  • Dishwashers use 4.5 to 14 gallons per load, depending upon their efficiency
  • Kitchen sinks use 3 gallons per minute
  • Bathroom sinks use 2 gallons per minute
  • Standard toilets use 5 gallons per flush
  • Low-flush toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush
  • Outside hoses use 5 gallons per minute
  • Water softeners use up to 100 gallons per cycle

Understanding Peak Demand

When planning a water well, the total daily household consumption is important but planning for peak demand is even more crucial.

In many households, most of the water use occurs over a short period of time, often in the morning or evening. To make that possible, private water well systems are designed to supply all of the day’s needs within a two-hour period.

In addition to peak demand, well yield must also be considered. The yield for a private well is the maximum rate in gallons per minute (GPM) that can be pumped. For most single-family homes in Utah and Wyoming, a flow rate of 6 GPM is sufficient. If the well yield doesn’t meet a household’s needs, it may be necessary to add additional water storage.

Water well system planning is easy with the Z-Team at Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC. As licensed contractors, we have the skill, knowledge and experience to design a private well that supplies plenty of water for your household.

After more than 30 years of planning, drilling, repairing and maintaining private well systems throughout Utah and Wyoming, Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC has a well-earned reputation for expert workmanship, stellar customer care and competitive pricing. Contact our Salt Lake City office today to schedule a free consultation with the Z-Team professionals to discuss water well system planning.