I got taken advantage of by a well installer

[Astro14]

Same as auto repair - sure you can find anything cheaper online. No surprise there.

Does that cover what the cost of having the tank on hand was by the supply house the plumber got it from? Does that price cover the plumbers overhead? Warranty work if something fails, doesn't work correctly, etc?

Finding things on cheap online never covers what the actual cost of getting work done by a professional is.

Exactly.

The professional has to buy from a supply house to be able to offer a warranty. Not Amazon. That’s not a meaningful comparison.

Call the supply house, see what they charge. Then you have a worthwhile data point.

If you don’t like the price - DIY.

 

[Jack_Kieran]

...But if you think the plumber charged quite a lot, try guys who dig holes with nice equipment.

True dat.

Lowest-cost real solution for this OP would probably be a smaller above-ground plastic tank ~500 gal on DIY concrete slab base. But he'd still then need a pump & controls to supply existing pressure tank from the holding tank, and his total cost would be about what he's already paid for a much poorer solution.

Another approach would be to check with neighboring well production rates, and get advice from local well drillers if well could be deepened or improved, and at what cost.

 

[brandon9715]

Did it solve your problem? Just curious...

Yes it did. I live alone and only had a 20 gallon pressure tank. He added another 45 gallon so now I don’t lose pressure so fast. It was bad enough before that if I did laundry I would have a trickle of water for about 15 minutes after

 

[brandon9715]

True dat.

Lowest-cost real solution for this OP would probably be a smaller above-ground plastic tank ~500 gal on DIY concrete slab base. But he'd still then need a pump & controls to supply existing pressure tank from the holding tank, and his total cost would be about what he's already paid for a much poorer solution.

Another approach would be to check with neighboring well production rates, and get advice from local well drillers if well could be deepened or improved, and at what cost.

Can’t be deepened or improved without introducing a lot of salt. The deeper you go, the more GPM you get at the cost of a ton of salt. I’m at 149 feet and the water is good.

 

[brandon9715]

Exactly.

The professional has to buy from a supply house to be able to offer a warranty. Not Amazon. That’s not a meaningful comparison.

Call the supply house, see what they charge. Then you have a worthwhile data point.

If you don’t like the price - DIY.

Local supply shop says $650 for that model. Still half of what I was charged. Amazon was just used for ballpark.

 

[Rmay635703]

IMO, this is a byproduct of allowing a contractor to do work without an understanding or agreement. I usually do all work myself and if I don't I ask for a price before any work is done. If you can't give me a quote, I don't want you working on my stuff, thanks. once the work is done you are kind of pooched.

Just my $0.02

Nah, recommended guys, worse friends of friends, worse still friends for hire, absolute worst family who charge. In roughly that order.

I’m lucky enough to have semi reasonable vehicle repair guys but generally

Unless you make $200 per hour you need to…
1. Build your own house
2. Do your own plumbing and electrical
3. Do your own roof and general home repairs

Somewhere around $150/hr for vehicle maintenance or repair

If you don’t you don’t have any business paying someone else

South Park of coarse provides accurate examples

 

[NormanBuntz]

Yep, that's a ridiculous price for a Gould bladder tank. I bought a 32 gallon Well-X-Trol pressure tank from Supply House in 2017 to replace one that was 15 years old, and I paid $348. Today's price is $522. That's 50% higher in 7 years. (edited)

 

[John105]

Nah, recommended guys, worse friends of friends, worse still friends for hire, absolute worst family who charge. In roughly that order.

I’m lucky enough to have semi reasonable vehicle repair guys but generally

Unless you make $200 per hour you need to…
1. Build your own house
2. Do your own plumbing and electrical
3. Do your own roof and general home repairs

Somewhere around $150/hr for vehicle maintenance or repair

If you don’t you don’t have any business paying someone else

South Park of coarse provides accurate examples

Ever stop and think about what your hourly pay is per minute (rhetorical). It’s mind boggling. I told my buddy I’ll spend $1900 on a bike and not worry about it, but I’ll also worry about the bridge toll going up $1/day on my commute next month. I guess sensibility matters. Then one guy on the baseball team makes 27 mil, another 26, and a pitcher 40. I’m being like Peter Boyle giving advice to Robert Deniro. Deniro says that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and Peter Boyle says I’m not Bertrand Russell, I’m a cabbie…

 

[Rmay635703]

Ever stop and think about what your hourly pay is per minute (rhetorical). It’s mind boggling. I told my buddy I’ll spend $1900 on a bike and not worry about it, but I’ll also worry about the bridge toll going up $1/day on my commute next month. I guess sensibility matters. Then one guy on the baseball team makes 27 mil, another 26, and a pitcher 40. I’m being like Peter Boyle giving advice to Robert Deniro. Deniro says that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and Peter Boyle says I’m not Bertrand Russell, I’m a cabbie…

One of my relatives long since passed heard someone was making 25 cents an hour and thought no man is worth that much.

My father as a 13 year old was making $80 a week at a dangerous and frustrating mink ranch 80 hours a week. He was able to afford a very cheap mediocre underpowered car at 15 resulting in rage and jealousy along with a violent outburst towards him because he was earning too extravagantly despite working a gruesome job nobody else wanted long hours.

So it’s all relative, how many 15 year olds can save enough in a couple summers to pay for a brand new car these days?

 

[zzyzzx]

I wouldn't be so quick to say you were ripped off, as mentioned all trades are expensive and you save a lot DIY. Example, the capacitor went bad in my A/C and I went down to Ace and picked one up for $30. My brother's went out, he called an HVAC company and paid $650.

You mean the HVAC company didn't insist that your brother needed an entirely new unit???

 

[SHOZ]

I've put in 4 of those tanks over the years. Last one failed early due to install error. Don't think I paid over $150 for one. This is from Menards or Amazon and me installing.

 

[John105]

You mean the HVAC company didn't insist that your brother needed an entirely new unit???

All kidding aside $650 to be cool
Again is a sure thing. Suggesting a new unit is going to be unlikely and the customer will get a 2nd opinion

 

[brandon9715]

Update: talked to the installer and he is going to give me $300 back. While I appreciate the gesture, to me that is an admission of fault and that he overcharged. His attitude also shows he’s not a great guy.

 

[IndyIan]

Update: talked to the installer and he is going to give me $300 back. While I appreciate the gesture, to me that is an admission of fault and that he overcharged. His attitude also shows he’s not a great guy.

Usually in places with wells, people talk and there's only a couple dozen plumbers in an area...
Look into an accumulation tank, my buddy had to put one in on his new 3 gpm well, and it's working fine. They can do all the usual water usage in the mornings without a problem.

 

[D60]

My well produces literally 1/10th of OP. Yes, 0.3gpm

We've survived for almost 20 years with an 80gal pressure tank. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. And only works for a couple, and even then we have to be frugal about water use. Appliances that can be set to run in the middle of the night are great.

We're having a cistern installed now. $12k. Another $900 if he does the dirt work, but I'm renting a mini-ex and having a friend dig the hole. Beyond that it's plug 'n play for me ‐‐ I don't have time to get it up and running myself.

If I were a single guy the 80gal pressure tank would be just fine.

 

[Donald]

There are systems for low capacity wells where they have a huge non pressurized tank and a normal size pressurized tank. You pump slowly into the non pressurized tank and your house runs off the pressurized tank.

I had a low capacity wells in my NY house. Could not water the lawn or have a house full of guests. Paid a well company to crack the well. Replaced the well pump since it was 20+ years old. No more problems after the fracking.

 

[Rmay635703]

Sounds like my grandmothers artisian well at the farm.

At least you never have to worry about the pump going bad

 

[RhondaHonda]

I spent $600 on water last month. A well seems pretty cheap considering the electric would be a fraction of that to pump.

 

[vwmaniaman]

Daughter has a well in the home where my wife lived with a family of 5. I had a home with a family of 5. Her well had an in-ground pump and I had a jet pump in the basement with a pressure tank. My well was 32ft deep I know because I pulled the hoses when the foot valve went bad. Never had any pressure or flow problems but pressure was always 30-35 lbs. The in the well pump had a pressure tank too that went bad and the pump had to be replaced once. Had a pro pull and replace it and it was $1250 for the job. I didn't feel like that was too bad for 15 years of water bills. We have a home with city water and the bill is anywhere from $22-46/mo. Add that up over 15 years.

 

[kschachn]

Sounds like my grandmothers artisian well at the farm.

Is that a well that is both nice looking and doesn't need to be pumped?