Good questions Ryan, and let me preface I have not got into this yet. Many buyers have had me inspect homes with wells, and they ask I check the system which I do just by performing a current check, the quick and dirty 5-gallon bucket test to do a crude flow calculation, checking distance to the septic field if present, etc. I keep thinking I should be doing more with wells, and of course charging for it. I was going through the Nachi well course and saw the videos where the guy doing the tests says he must get a waiver from the seller. In the video, about halfway through (link: InterNACHI® - International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) he states he runs the well for 2 - 3 hours. At first, I thought that was nuts, but then thinking further take a family of four - Dinner, load the dishwasher, showers start, etc., the well pump may run for that 2 - 3 hours. If the pump is going to crash and burn, it does not seem to me his testing would really be that far off from normal family life. He even states in the video, his job is to break it - not that I fully agree with that, but it does make quite a bit of sense.
3 hours at only 5 gpm is 900 gallons. What family uses 900 gallons a day for household use?
At my house we use 1500 gal /month.
It’s possible, but not very likely in my opinion. 2-3 hours is a long time for the water to be constantly running (I presume at full flow rate, or whatever the spigot allows).
How does one reconcile the fact that a single person may be living in the home currently and the pump is used for less than 100 gallons a day, with the fact that you need to test it assuming a family of 4? Should the current homeowner have to replace the pump because you put more strain on it than it could handle?
I’m not advocating either way here, just trying to figure out how this would play out. I am in a rural area so I see a lot of wells and may consider this service in the future.
You must not have any teenage daughters Bert. I wish my usage was that low 
Ain’t that the truth, lol. If not the two showers a day, then the endless laundry.
Water is used for other things like gardening, watering a lawn, washing cars…That’s why most of us do a two hour test to cover most normal usage.
As far as a release for the seller to sign, why not a release for everything we do? Home inspectors operate and “test” all kinds of expensive things that could (and occasionally do) break during our inspection. One of the keys to all we do is to operate things as they are intended to be used or do industry or manufacturer’s recommended tests. Following that simple rule doesn’t make an unhappy seller happy, but can save your butt.
I do not do well testing. Most of my work is in a metro area. I did find this little gizmo.
“Well Flow Meter - InterNACHI®” Well Flow Meter - InterNACHI®
So is there something out there that states a properly performing well pump/pressure tank should be able to run water for 2-3 hours continuously? Something that you can show the seller after the pump burns up?
Because if I came home after a hard day’s work and found out the home inspector burned up my pump by running a spigot for 3 hours, I would want some solid justification for doing so. And if the inspector said they watched a video on the InterNACHI website that said to do it this way, I don’t think that would suffice.
Maryland only requires a well yield of 1 gallon per minute. A 5 gallon bucket and a watch is all you need. There are other things a well service company checks and as said above it is usually best just to have the well company do the whole thing. It limits your liability and it puts the new owner in touch with a service company for their well.
I would be pissed also if an inspector burned out my pump - especially when I need a good shower. I’m just trying to find that balance, what should/shouldn’t be done. No, I don’t hold gospel to everything I watch in a video, but again where is that line between normal and out of bounds. If we went by everything posted in these videos, our inspections would be week-long each and ridiculously intensive. This is more of a knowledge-seeking discussion for me to understand the perspective of what others may or may not do. Everyone has great points, and I also consider the lawn watering, car washing, etc. that our buyer may do and burn that pump in a week after we completed our inspection. Most buyers, do not understand the depth of a “visual only” inspection, nor do they actually read the agreements or SOP. Yes, shame on them but also shame on us if we are not doing all the things we should. Thanks for all the great replies. Perhaps I’ll stick to my current check and bucket test
I’m really surprised MD accepts 1 GPM. That’s a very low flow rate. We typically look for 5 or better GPM, and even at that water pressure in the home tends to be low at some showers and faucets based on many other factors.
I’m with you on that. That’s why I’m asking the questions. This is an important issue in my mind if one is “stress testing” a component during a home inspection. Typically we are limited to testing components using “normal operating procedure.” Meaning, testing the component in the manner a normal occupant would use it.