We are getting ready to have a well drilled (have 2 different companies getting ready to provide quotes).

There are 3 wells nearby that were recently drilled. Average depth of 360-370 feet with gpm ranging from 25-30 gpm.

The pressure tank and equipment will go inside in my oversized garage/shop to keep it out of the elements.

The question I have (which I will also ask the well guys) is should I put in a storage tank? We will not be living here full time. Mostly weekend use with big gatherings over the holidays. I don't plan to irrigate. I know we don't need a large tank (would probably go with something in the neighborhood of 500-1000 gallons). My understanding is that it improves the water quality and it is nice to have with power outages as we are out in the country.

We are in Central Texas. Any other considerations/advice?

If you can afford it and have the space, why the hell not.

But I don't know anything about the quality of the water sitting in a plastic tank for human use/consumption. If it's sulphury I guess this would give it time to off-gas some of that smell.

I believe you are thinking correctly that it is not an absolute necessity but could be nice to have.

Relatively inexpensive compared to drilling a well.

FWIW I have a well at my ranch house in Blanco County and I do not have a storage tank. It has been just fine for me. I do have a water softener at the house. Same set up at my house in Williamson county and there have been no issues. I think if you get a good flow rate from the well then there is really no reason for a holding tank.

I had a large storage tank at the ranch in the hill country. I could tell no difference in water taste from it and the out of the well pressure tank.
The only reason we spent the money on the storage tank was because on that particular well ….it served our guest house and some water troughs .. it only made about 2 gal/minute and the submersible pump in that well would run out of water in about 30 minutes of continuous flow (like watering the grass or folks in the guest house taking long showers or filling up the bath tubs). So I had to install a " pump-tec" controller on it to protect the pump from burning up when it ran out of water. The pump tech had a time delay on it that would turn the pump back on and it would cycle like that till it had the storage tank full.
Then I had to install a centrifugal pump to suck out of the storage tank to a pressure tank then to the house and troughs.
So if you add a storage tank you will need a float device in it to tell your well pump when it's full….and you will need a pump to pump out of the storage tank to a pressure tank unless you just utilize gravity flow.
If you have plenty of GPM from your well to supply your needs you really don't need a storage tank imho.
For emergency water when the power is out you could just wire your pump to use a generator if need be for a lot less money and complications.
The only other advantage to the storage tank…..if you are very rural, is sometimes you can get a break on your homeowner insurance if you make them aware of the tank for fire fighting use. However they usually require a large capacity tank to qualify.
I took advantage of that at our place as the storage tank I installed was 10,000 gallons.
Hope this helps you in some way.

I don't see a reason for a tank on a producing well. In fact, when my standard pressure tank dies, I'm considering a cycle stop valve instead.

Full disclosure, we run a 8,000 gallon cistern, in ground, around 100 years old. Our well pumps to in then we pump from it to a pressure tank. The only advantage I see is if the power goes out or there is a well issue. I have 3-4 weeks of water with an Amish hand pump on it.

But I wouldn't do it if it wasn't already there.

I have a 2500 gallon tank on my well, but I use it for irrigating the yard. My house was set up on a sprinkler system with huge zones initially so when I moved to a water well I needed a booster pump to get enough pressure to run the zones.

Cool. Makes good sense!

Thanks for the responses.

I assumed with the a good flow rate we don't need one but just wanted some opinions/advice. As far as water quality they say a storage tank allows sediment to settle and will sometimes ease wear & tear on your pump by not having it run as much/long. I will see what the well guy's say when we meet with them this next week.

Do the tank. 500 gallon should be adequate.

What's the water quality? Do you have a water softener on the house?

This will be a new build so the house is not done yet. Supposedly the water quality in the area is "good" according to those we have talked to. I do plan on having a water softener.

Not really on the same question but a word of advice is keep ant poison around all your well pump controller and pressure switch and really around anything electrical that is outdoors around the house (septic aerator, A/C units, etc.) Ants really like to ball up in there and cause problems. It can happen a lot easier if you are not around to keep an eye on these things. I know this from experience.

Money better spent wiring to run well pump off a generator when the power goes out IMO.

A storgae tank allows for potable water to be brought on if needed. Well pump goes out, etc. you will need a represurization pimp as well. I use DAB constant pressure pumps that runnon 110v so a common generator will power it.

I would install a storage tank. You can get a concrete ring tank instead of plastic if you are worried about the water sitting in it. Having the tank reduces the on/off cycles on your well pump, which will help with longevity. As others have said, having a back up power supply to feed your pressure tank and a holding tank will allow you to have running water through power outages, well issues, etc.

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We will not be living here full time. Mostly weekend use with big gatherings over the holidays. I don't plan to irrigate.

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To me this seems like an ideal situation for rain water capture set up.

As said, if you have a tank, you need a pressure pump to supply stuff, but I will tell you one thing. When you need your well worked on, and the wellman can't get out for several days, you will positively break your arm patting yourself on the back for having the foresight to store some water just in case.

TikkaShooter said:

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We will not be living here full time. Mostly weekend use with big gatherings over the holidays. I don't plan to irrigate.

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To me this seems like an ideal situation for rain water capture set up.

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This does work fairly well for a weekend type place where you won't be watering a lawn. Obviously there has to be a treatment system set up for potable water. I have a rainwater collection in my barn with a 3000 gallon black poly tank to not let sun hit the water. I have a sediment filter and a pressure pump that just goes to a hose bib that I use to wash off machinery, clean deer and wash hands with. It works very well for that and there is always plenty of water in there. It is nice to have a well at the house though. I've thought about a small rainwater tank at the house as a back up but I haven't done that yet.

Filtration and treatment systems are pretty affordable. Less maintenance than a softener, imo.

A good capture surface (metal roof), and a spot for a cistern and I'd choose rain over ground water for a weekend place that doesn't need irrigation.

TikkaShooter said:

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Filtration and treatment systems are pretty affordable. Less maintenance than a softener, imo.

A good capture surface (metal roof), and a spot for a cistern and I'd choose rain over ground water for a weekend place that doesn't need irrigation.

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Unless you are somewhere that it just decides not to rain for a couple of months at times.

OP said central TX.

I'd have to know more info, like house size, number of bathrooms, expected use, and exact location for avg annual rainfall.

But my family uses rain year around in drought stricken hill country. 30,000g cistern and we've never run dry. And this is a primary residence.

It's def a math equation, and rain capture is a pretty darn affordable option if just needed for the house.

TikkaShooter said:

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OP said central TX.

I'd have to know more info, like house size, number of bathrooms, expected use, and exact location for avg annual rainfall.

But my family uses rain year around in drought stricken hill country. 30,000g cistern and we've never run dry. And this is a primary residence.

It's def a math equation, and rain capture is a pretty darn affordable option if just needed for the house.

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Size of capture area and size of storage definitely make a difference. Intensity of use will make a difference too. The great part, whether you feed it with rainfall or a well is that once you have the storage capability, you can always have water trucked in temporarily in a pinch.

Average rainfall for the area is 30". House will be 1500 sf with an attached garage/shop of 1200 sf with another 600-700 sf of covered porch. 2.5 bathrooms with 4 of us there 4-8 days a month and 10-12 people on holidays/hunting weekends. No irrigation but will probably fill a 110 gallon water trough 1-2 times a month.

I can only speak from my experience, but rainwater capture is awesome. Naturally soft water, no straw in the ground, and for your area of the state - plenty of rain to keep a medium sized cistern charged for your use case.

Probably cheaper to go rain water. But a well is considered a "permanent" water source, and can make resale easier.