High Desert well water questions, answered.

Check the breaker for the well pump. If it has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off and call (760) 780-2144.

Don’t open the pressure switch, pump control box or wellhead wiring: they are live at 240 volts. A breaker that trips twice usually means a shorted pump, a bad cable splice or a failing control, and all of those need a technician.

Falling pressure, sputtering faucets, low flow, grinding or clanking noises, a pump you have to reset, and finally no water at all.

If you have to keep pushing a reset or overload button, the pump is overheating. Call before it burns out: a service call costs far less than a pump pulled in an emergency.

That’s short cycling (rapid cycling), and the most common cause we find in the High Desert is a failed bladder pressure tank.

When the bladder fails, the tank fills with water instead of holding an air cushion, the system loses its calibration, and the pump starts every time a tap opens. Every start wears the motor. Replacing the tank is cheap compared to a new deep-well pump.

Air usually means the water level is drawing down near the pump intake, or a hole in the drop pipe is letting water drain back down the well.

Holes in galvanized pipe are the second most common failure we see. They cause low pressure and make the pump run longer until it burns out. Both problems are diagnosable from the surface before anything is pulled.

No. Low pressure can come from a waterlogged pressure tank, a clogged filter, a pressure switch set too low, a leak in the line, a hole in the drop pipe or a weak pump.

We check the cheap causes first. Amperage at the control box tells us a lot about the health of the pump without pulling it.

Many submersible pumps last 8 to 15 years, but the range is wide. Short cycling, sand, running the well dry and voltage problems all shorten pump life.

The best way to protect a pump is a healthy pressure tank, a properly set pressure switch and fixing leaks quickly.

Yes. Superior Well Drilling & Pump offers 24/7 emergency pump service across the High Desert. Call or text (760) 780-2144.

If the crew is on a drilling rig they won’t answer the phone for safety reasons, so a text with your address and the problem is the fastest way through.

A well certification is a report, usually required by the lender when a home on a private well is sold or refinanced, confirming the well produces enough water and that the water passes a bacteria test.

In San Bernardino County it typically includes a flow (productivity) test, a total coliform test, and a check of the pump, plumbing, electrical and well construction. Superior writes its reports in plain language and includes digital photos.

An inspection evaluates the well’s productivity, function and condition. A certification is the documented result a lender or escrow uses to confirm the home has a sufficient, safe water supply.

The two terms are often used interchangeably. What matters is that the report covers what your lender asks for, so send us the lender’s requirements if you have them.

Usually, yes. FHA and VA loans on homes with private wells generally require evidence of safe water, typically a bacteriological test, and often proof of adequate flow.

Requirements vary by lender and loan, and some also ask for nitrate tests or specific setbacks between the well and the septic system. Ask your loan officer for the list early, and we’ll test to it.

A flow test measures how many gallons per minute the well can sustain over a period of pumping, and how the water level responds.

It’s the test that catches a low-yield well, which is one of the biggest deal breakers in a sale, because a weak well usually gets worse over time, not better.

Yes. Superior bills well inspections and certifications through escrow, so the buyer or seller doesn’t pay upfront.

We work with agents and brokers throughout the High Desert and schedule around closing deadlines.

The common deal breakers we see are a low-yield well, a well on the wrong side of the lot line, hauled water in a dry well, vandalism, shared wells with no repair budget, salty or sulfurous lakebed water, and wells near leaking fuel tanks.

Hauled water deserves a special mention: a dry well can look like it works if a truck has filled the storage tank. A real flow test exposes it.

The on-site inspection is typically done in one visit. Lab results for the bacteria test take a few days, after which the report is written up.

If you’re on a tight closing date, tell us when you call. Fast turnaround for real estate deadlines is part of the job.

Groundwater in the Mojave picks up calcium and magnesium from the desert sediments and rock it moves through, so hard water and scale are common.

Hardness isn’t a health concern, but it builds scale in water heaters, fixtures and pressure tanks. A softener or conditioner is a separate decision from well repair.

Some High Desert wells have naturally occurring arsenic. It varies well by well, so the only way to know is a lab test.

The drinking water limit for arsenic in public systems is 10 µg/L (micrograms per liter), a sensible benchmark for a private well. Use a state-certified laboratory.

Test for it if you’re near Hinkley (the PG&E plume west of Barstow) or in areas of the western Mojave where naturally occurring hexavalent chromium has been found.

California adopted a 10 µg/L limit for hexavalent chromium in public drinking water in 2024. Ask the lab for hexavalent chromium specifically, not just total chromium.

Uranium occurs naturally in some granitic and desert aquifers in Southern California. California’s drinking water limit for public systems is 20 pCi/L.

If your well is in fractured granite (common in the mountains) or a neighbor has found elevated levels, add a uranium test to your water panel.

That smell is usually hydrogen sulfide, common in some lakebed areas of the High Desert, including the North Valley of Lucerne Valley.

Sometimes it comes from the water heater rather than the well; if it’s only on the hot side, the anode rod may be the culprit. If the smell or taste changes suddenly, don’t drink the water until it’s been tested.

Test for coliform bacteria at least once a year, and any time the water changes color, smell or taste, after repairs, or after flooding.

Test for nitrate, arsenic and other local concerns when you buy the property and every few years after that. Superior can add nitrate, nitrite and lead tests to any inspection.

Don’t drink it until it has been tested. Use bottled water, and follow the San Bernardino County health department’s guidance.

A sudden change can mean a broken casing, a hole in the pipe, surface water getting in, or contamination. Call us to check the well, and get a lab test before going back to drinking it.

The giveaway is a pump that cycles on and off rapidly, pressure that swings quickly between high and low, or a tank that feels heavy and full of water all the way up.

A waterlogged bladder tank is the most common failure we find. Don’t try to open or adjust the pressure switch yourself; it’s live at 240 volts.

Size depends on the pump’s flow rate and the pressure settings. A larger tank means fewer pump starts and longer pump life.

Twin tanks are a common upgrade when a single tank is undersized for the household. We size the tank to the pump, not just to the space on the pad.

Check the pressure tank pre-charge once a year, watch for short cycling, keep the wellhead sealed and capped, and test the water annually.

A properly maintained system will provide clean drinking water for many years without issue. A simple service call can prevent pump failure.

No. Older “pit set” wells, where the wellhead sits below ground in a pit, are a health and safety issue, especially in the rainy season when surface water can pool and run into the well.

Hand-dug wells carry similar risks of bacterial contamination, plus a fall hazard. Modern wells have a sealed casing above grade.

Yes. A broken casing or open wellhead lets insects, small animals and surface water into the well, which is a common cause of bacteria in the water.

Keep the well capped, keep children and pets away from any open well, and call to have the casing and cap repaired.

The pipes and pressure tank above ground can, especially in Big Bear, Pinon Hills and on cold desert nights. The well itself rarely freezes.

Insulate exposed pipe and the pressure tank, keep the pump house closed, and if water stops after a hard freeze, check the breaker and call rather than opening any electrical box.

In Lucerne Valley, wells near Highway 18 (south of the highway and west of the 4-way stop) average about 200 feet and rarely exceed 300. North Valley wells run 400 to 500 feet.

In Apple Valley, Deep Creek and areas near the Mojave River have the best water; east of town depths approach 600 feet for wells that make about 5 gpm. These are field observations; every lot is different.

Depth, geology (sand versus hard rock), casing diameter, the pump and electrical work needed, and permits are the big factors.

That’s why a cheap lot over deep, poor water can end up expensive. Superior offers a free on-site consultation and estimate.

Yes. San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services requires a permit to construct, rehabilitate or destroy any well.

The application is signed by the property owner and a County-registered C-57 well driller, and the County inspects the site before issuing the permit. New wells in some areas can need extra review.

The Mojave Basin Area was adjudicated by a court Judgment in 1996, with the Mojave Water Agency serving as Watermaster to manage groundwater use.

Users who pump 10 acre-feet a year or less are “Minimal Producers”, which covers a typical single home. The Mojave Water Agency administers a Minimal Producer program and fee for new users; check with them on current requirements before drilling.

Find out how deep the water is, how much nearby wells produce, and whether the water is drinkable before you buy.

Cheap land is not always better. Some areas sit over plentiful water at 200 feet; others need 500 to 600 feet for a few gallons a minute, or have water too salty to use. Call (760) 780-2144 for a free on-site consultation.

Often, yes, depending on the casing’s condition and diameter and the well’s history.

Superior’s rigs drill to 1,000 feet and diameters up to 18 inches, so we can advise on deepening versus a new well.

Look up the license on the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) website at cslb.ca.gov. Well drilling requires a C-57 Well Drilling license.

The CSLB record shows whether the license is active, its classifications and bond, and any disclosable complaints. Superior Well Drilling’s license is #837757, active, with B (General Building) and C-57 (Well Drilling) classifications.

Yes. Superior Well Drilling holds California CSLB license #837757 with B and C-57 classifications, first issued in 2004 and current, with a contractor’s bond on file.

The company is also on San Bernardino County’s list of registered well drillers, which is required to sign County well permits.

Sam Hart owns Superior Well Drilling & Pump, based in Lucerne Valley.

In the company’s own words: “Just a bunch of God-fearing American boys chasing a dream!” It is a family-owned business that has served the High Desert for over 20 years.

Lucerne Valley, Apple Valley, Barstow, Big Bear, Baldwin Lake, Newberry Springs, Helendale, Phelan, Pinon Hills, Hesperia, Oro Grande, Adelanto, El Mirage, Johnson Valley, Yucca Valley and Pioneertown.

If you’re nearby and not on the list, call or text and ask.

Yes. Estimates and on-site consultations are free, and you get a clear explanation and estimate before any work begins.

No hidden fees, and surprises are rare.