Advancing the Home Inspection ProfessionMy Account Apply for Membership My Account Apply for Membership North American Association of Home Inspectors 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware 19958 AHI Private Water Well System Ancillary Evaluation (WellSOP) Section 1: Purpose, Scope & General Limitations 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this document is to establish a uniform national baseline for executing a standard, non-invasive ancillary evaluation of a private water well system. This standard guides the inspector in evaluating operational benchmarks and safety vectors to provide consumers with a technically superior real estate reporting metric. 1.2 Core Scope of Work An inspection performed under this standard is a generalist functional overview. The scope is limited to: Visual assessment of the exterior wellhead, sanitary cap integrity, and immediate landscape drainage vectors. Physical and operational evaluation of the accessible interior pressure delivery assembly and pump electrical lifecycle controls. Execution of a managed, timed functional flow test to monitor system supply consistency. Sanitary collection and chain-of-custody handling of raw water samples destined for certified laboratory analysis. 1.3 General Limitations and Exclusions The inspector is NOT required to: Determine the long-term sustainable recovery rate or geological yield capacities of the underlying aquifer. Enter subterranean spaces, remove heavy structural pitless plates, or perform invasive down-hole camera diagnostics. Dismantle or diagnose subterranean well casings, drop pipes, check valves, or submerged submersible pump motors. Activate electrical switches, breakers, or water main valves that are found turned off or locked out at the time of the evaluation. Decontaminate or shock a well system found to contain microbiological impurities. 1.4 Alignment Statement Operational Framework and Regulatory Alignment: This Standard Operating Procedure is specifically engineered to function as a performance-based, generalist property evaluation. It is explicitly aligned with the foundational real estate inspection model practiced by the North American Association of Home Inspectors (AHI). This evaluation is non-regulatory and does not constitute a municipal health code enforcement audit, a water-well driller's yield certification, or an environmental engineering assessment. Where local jurisdictions, municipal health authorities, or state/provincial environmental protection agencies mandate distinct private well water sampling protocols, testing parameters, or specific local certification licenses, those localized legal statutory requirements shall take direct operational precedence over this document. AHI members are instructed to utilize this SOP as a foundational baseline, adapting its execution to maintain seamless alignment with all localized regulatory frameworks. Section 2: Definitions & Glossary of Terms The following technical terms and functional expressions apply directly throughout this Standard Operating Procedure: Aseptic Collection: A sterile sampling methodology designed to capture a water volume without introducing accidental secondary environmental or physical contamination from the inspector's hands, tools, or target plumbing fixtures. Bladder Tank (Diaphragm Tank): A pressurized water storage vessel containing a flexible internal rubber or physical barrier separating captive pre-charged air from the system s processed well water, designed to regulate plumbing line pressure and cushion pump operational cycles. Cut-In / Cut-Out Pressure: The pre-set low and high structural operating bounds regulated by the system's pressure switch. "Cut-In" is the exact PSI threshold where the pump activates; "Cut-Out" is the maximum PSI threshold where the pump deactivates. Functional Flow Proxy: A standardized, timed test protocol executed from a designated fixture to observe the delivery stability and continuous mechanical performance of the residential well system under standard domestic load conditions. Proximity Threat: Any localized, visible land-use or structural property attribute (e.g., absorption fields, chemical storage, livestock containment) positioned near enough to a wellhead to present a localized risk of chemical or biological aquifer infiltration. Sanitary Well Cap: A specialized, vermin-proof, rubber-gasketed, or mechanically sealed cover secured tightly over the top of an exposed well casing. It includes a downturned, screened air vent to equalize internal pressure while blocking the ingress of pests, insects, and surface water. Wellhead Casing: The heavy-duty steel or plastic PVC structural protective pipe column driven deep vertically into the subterranean borehole to preserve the structural walls of the well and prevent surface soils from collapsing inward. Section 3: Exterior Visual & Sanitary Evaluation Protocol 3.1 Wellhead Casing & Clearances The inspector shall observe, measure, and report on: The physical height of the uppermost structural edge of the well casing relative to the surrounding finished terrain, noting if it falls below an optimal baseline height of 12 inches above final grade. Evidence of physical casing defects, structural cracking, deep environmental corrosion pitting, or unapproved hand-dug/brick pit termination schemes. 3.2 Sanitary Integrity & Cap Security The inspector shall evaluate and report on: The presence, fit, and model configuration of the installed well cap assembly. Deficiencies including loose or missing retention bolts, cracked gaskets, unsealed electrical conduit entries, or a missing insect-screening mesh over the atmospheric vent loop. 3.3 Drainage & Surrounding Grade Slope The inspector shall observe and report on: The landscape slope geometry immediately adjacent to the casing pipe, noting any localized grading configurations that route surface runoff, storm pooling, or structural roof drainage directly toward the annular path of the wellhead. 3.4 Visible Local Contaminant Proximity Vectors The inspector shall observe and document the presence of apparent environmental hazards located within the immediate yard visibility, including: Visible wastewater infrastructure components (septic tank covers, cleanouts, absorption field perimeters). Residential chemical treatment centers, fuel or oil storage configurations, mechanical workshops, or enclosed domestic animal pens. Section 4: Interior Mechanical & Delivery Assembly Evaluation 4.1 Pressure Storage Vessel Integrity The inspector shall evaluate and report on: The physical exterior condition of the visible water pressure tank shell, noting heavy rust scaling, structural blistering, structural seam distress, or active weeping leaks. Audible abnormalities or heavy condensation indicating structural waterlogging or an internal bladder rupture. Section 5: System Operational Testing & Delivery Lifecycle 5.1 Lifecycle Pressure Tracking The inspector shall execute, record, and report on: The precise mechanical baseline metrics shown on the plumbing system pressure gauge during an active operational sequence, detailing the exact system Cut-In Pressure and Cut-Out Pressure benchmarks. Erratic gauge behavior, persistent switch clicking, or rapid cycling, which points to a malfunctioning control switch, a clogged sensor tube, or lost air pre-charge volume. 5.2 Managed Functional Flow Protocol The inspector shall run a continuous flow test to establish a system delivery performance proxy: Water shall be discharged continuously from a single unconditioned exterior hose bib or high-volume drainage node for a minimum test runtime of 30 minutes. The inspector shall monitor and report on the operational uniformity of the discharge stream, noting severe pressure drops, distinct line surging, physical sputtering (indicating air pockets), or changes in water turbidity, color, or odor. Section 6: Environmental Water Quality Sampling & Lab Protocol 6.1 Sampling Tap Selection The inspector shall collect raw water samples from an unconditioned plumbing branch node situated structurally ahead of water softeners, chemical injection assemblies, iron filters, or reverse osmosis treatment units. The pressure tank boiler drain valve is the primary target node when accessible. 6.2 System Flush Sequence Prior to collecting analytical samples, the target fixture valve shall be opened completely to flush stagnant water volume out of the local plumbing runs for 5 to 10 minutes, ensuring the collected volume reflects water sourced directly from the active well supply. 6.3 Aseptic Collection Mechanics The inspector shall execute water sample collection using sterile, laboratory-provided bottles. The inspector shall avoid touching the internal walls of the bottle neck, the interior of the cap liner, or placing the open rim directly against the metallic mouth of the plumbing fixture valve during collection. 6.4 Analytical Target Suite & Chain-of-Custody Samples must be preserved under strict laboratory temperature profiles and safely hand-delivered or shipped to a state-certified analytical testing facility within established legal hold-time windows. The default AHI environmental evaluation suite shall test for: Microbiological: Presence/Absence of Total Coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Chemical and Nutritional Hazards: Quantitative Nitrates and Nitrites. Toxic Heavy Metals: Total Lead. Aesthetic & Technical Properties: Standard pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). ©North American Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. (AHI). Permission to copy, reference, or commercially cite this standard in real estate inspection reports or contractual agreements is granted exclusively to active AHI members in good standing.

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