Well Handbook is a plain-English guide for people who live with a residential well: what to test, what a strange smell or a short-cycling pump usually means, what you can safely check yourself, and when it’s time to call a licensed pro.
Who writes it
Well Handbook is written by Ronnie Henderson, a homeowner who researches well water problems. Ronnie is not a licensed well contractor, plumber or water treatment professional, and the site never pretends otherwise. For anything safety-critical (electrical work on a pump, opening a well cap, disinfecting a well, or a positive bacteria test) we’ll tell you to bring in a licensed local pro or your health department.
How we research
- We start from primary sources: the EPA, the CDC, state health departments, university extension services, certified labs and manufacturers’ manuals. Key claims link to them.
- We tell you what to test before you buy anything. Most well water fixes depend on what’s actually in your water.
- We only say “we tested” or “we used” when that really happened. When a pick is based on specs, prices and published documents rather than hands-on use, we say so plainly.
- Photos are either licensed (mostly from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image) or provided to us for use on the site. They’re generic examples, not pictures of our setup.
- If a contractor or other expert reviews a page, we name them, give their credential and the date. If nobody reviewed it, we don’t claim they did.
Corrections
Well water advice changes as guidance is updated, and we can get things wrong. If you spot an error or something out of date, please tell us (see the Contact page for how). We fix confirmed mistakes promptly and note significant changes on the page.
How the site is funded
Well Handbook is free to read. We don’t use affiliate links or ads right now. If we join affiliate programs later, we may earn a commission when you buy through a link, at no extra cost to you, and it will never change what we recommend. Details are on our Affiliate Disclosure page.