KEVIN EPP, owner and operator of Epp Well Solutions, said his company developed the first intuitive well water capturing system. The system will automatically capture and store well water for over a period of 24 hours a day, getting all the water available in a well.
WITH THE UNUSUALLY dry and hot weather this summer, Kevin Epp said he has been hearing from quite a few people with wells that are having water shortage problems who normally have plenty of water.
AFTER A FEW YEARS of research and development, Kevin Epp developed a high-tech system that can tell how much water is available at any given time in a well and can harvest water automatically 24 hours a day. The water is then placed in a holding tank where there is a booster pump to maintain the house pressure to meet peak water usage demands.
BATTLE GROUND – Several years ago, Battle Ground resident Kevin Epp said his in-laws had a well producing 0.25 gallons per minute, and every time they had friends or family over using the facilities, the well would run dry.
Epp’s in-laws personally had to be very careful on how they used water in their home, and they did not even have the option to do any outdoor watering. So, Epp said they started working on developing a system to fix the well problem for them. With a 20-year background in outdoor sprinkler installation, Epp said he had seen the need for some sort of system to help increase the water available in the area.
“There would be times that a homeowner could not have the desired sprinkler system for lack of adequate water,” Epp said. “When working on designing my in-laws system, we noticed that the options for well water retrieval systems where sub par and archaic, not matching up with today’s technology, so we set out to change that.”
After a few years of research and development, Epp developed a high-tech system that can tell how much water is available at any given time in a well and can harvest water automatically 24 hours a day. The water is then placed in a holding tank where there is a booster pump to maintain the house pressure to meet peak water usage demands.
“We have developed the first intuitive well water capturing system,” Epp said. “This means that our system will automatically capture and store well water for over a period of 24 hours a day, getting all the water available in a well. This can dramatically increase the water available to the homeowner or end user. My in-laws no longer run out of water during those peak usage times, and they are able to water an outdoor garden. They are still on a very low-producing well and do not have unlimited water, but our system has greatly improved their living conditions, as well as property values.”
Epp said they started to develop their business, Epp Well Solutions, back in 2012, and formed their actual corporation in 2013. He said they are new on the scene and are “excited to solve well water shortage issues in Clark County and the Pacific Northwest.”
Epp Well Solutions mostly works with low-producing wells, which is typically wells that producing five gallons per minute or less. However, Epp said any time the peak water usage is higher than the well output, this creates a water shortage. So, someone with a well producing more, even much more than five gallons per minute, may decide to have Epp’s system installed.
“This scenario can be seen for someone who, let’s say, has sufficient water to their home, but wishes to water lawn, garden, animals and so on,” Epp said. “Bigger production needs such as farms, commercial or safety systems like fire protection can be a concern alleviated by an Epp Well Solution as well. Really, the list is endless.”
With the unusually dry and hot weather this summer, Epp said he has been hearing of people daily that are having water shortage problems who normally have plenty of water. He said water usage is also up due to the high temperatures and the lack of rain.
Shared wells are one of the things that Epp said they see the biggest issues with in the area. With shared wells, the demand is doubled on the well and when it runs out of water, two or more families might be affected. Epp said these systems can be challenging as they differ on how they are set up, but he enjoys problem solving and thinking up new ways to find a workable solution.
Epp described their systems as unique, as they have the ability to make easy changes to the program that pulls the water from the well, which allows a system that can be tailored to the individual well. The system will also tell the homeowner how many gallons are available in the holding tank, as well as the daily usage, average daily usage and average monthly usage. It will tell what the house pressure is and what the pumps are doing all at a simple glance to the display.
“Our system is designed to shut off before the well has completely run dry,” Epp said. “This will help ensure the health of the well and pump. Other less advanced systems do not have the technology to do this, and will pump the well until dry, this is very hard on the well and pump. This can degrade the well, sometimes making less water available over time, and at times destroy the well pump if it is being placed on too much stress.”
Currently, Epp said Epp Well Solutions is serving the Clark County area and the greater Vancouver/Portland areas. Prior to starting this well business, Epp owned and operated a landscape business in Clark County for the past 20 years. Epp has lived in Battle Ground since he was a small child and graduated from Battle Ground High School in 1994. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children – Ethan, 17, Tucker, 13, Lily, 12, and Ava, 5.
Epp Well Solutions provides free consultations. For more information, visit their website, www.eppwellsolutions.com, or call (360) 852-0019.
