News & Specials - Page 2 of 3

January 7, 2014

Reverse Osmosis – Best Water Around

Most will agree there is nothing more important for good health than pure drinking water. Many feel a quality Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System is the best way to provide pure water. A good reverse osmosis system will remove 90 – 95% of contaminants from your water.

What makes a good system?

Reverse Osmosis Water Systems typically include a number of steps:

a sediment filter to trap particles, including rust and calcium carbonate
optionally, a second sediment filter with smaller pores
an activated carbon filter to trap organic chemicals and chlorine, which will attack and degrade thin film composite membrane reverse osmosis membranes
a reverse osmosis (RO) filter, which is a thin film composite membrane (TFM or TFC)
optionally, a second carbon filter to capture those chemicals not removed by the RO membrane

Whether you understand the process or have heard from friends and neighbors, Reverse Osmosis Drinking Systems provide the best water around. Call Champion Water @800 697-6485 for more information.

November 7, 2013

Letters From Our Happy Customers

10/6/13 Dear Cribley Drilling Company, Your company drilled three wells for a closed-loop geothermal system in our front yard last Monday September 30. Troy and Travis (plus a lot of impressive machinery) did this job for us, and I wanted to thank you and especially them for doing a great job. They worked extremely well together, and went to late hours to get the job done in one day. They also took care to do minimal damage to the yard, which was difficult due to tight restrictions of room to maneuver. We really appreciate the extra effort by these two guys, they are a definite credit to your company. -Steve Olson Ann Arbor

9/28/13 Cribley Drilling Company, I recently had some work done at my home by your company and wanted to commend the men who did the job. I don’t have the names of all of them, but both teams of two men were very impressive as being professional. In a business where more time is more money, these men got right to their task and worked quickly and efficiently together to get the job done. Each man knew what the other man needed without having to be told or asked to do anything. I am 86 years old. I had worked as a foreman for many years and I have never seen this kind of teamwork at my job or anywhere else. In a time when people tend not to take pride in a job well done, I would just like to say that these men did a job, did it well, and I am pleased to have made their acquaintance. Word of mouth is the best advertisement and I will be sharing this experience with others. Thank you. -Don Eiseman

Cribley Well Drilling and Champion Water Treatment, two great names one great company.

Call 800-697-6485 whenever you need us.

July 5, 2013

Hard Water or Soft Water? It Really is Your Choice!

Hard Water or Soft Water, It Really is Your Choice!

What are the symptoms of hard water anyway? Some of us Michiganders think the water isn’t really hard until we can drill a hole in it and start fishing. On a serious note; with the geological make-up of many parts of Michigan, hard water is the norm not the exception.

If you’re not sure about the quality of your water, have it tested. We’ll be glad to help you with the testing.

So we have hard water in Michigan. Sometimes our “city water” is still hard or contains contaminates we don’t want to consume. How do we soften our water?

The basic answer is, we replace (known as ion exchange) the harmful minerals, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. with a safer mineral. Usually this is sodium (softener salt) but sometimes potassium chloride (a bit more expensive) is better. This is where a good water softener comes in. And good (we feel Dura-Cube is the best) softener salt is important. If your iron content (turns your clothing red and is HARD on the plumbing and fixtures) is too high to be controlled by Dura-Cube Red, you may need an iron filter.

Of course the ultimate water softening and water purification system is the reverse osmosis system. Watch for a future BLOG dedicated to reverse osmosis.

Years ago one of the top engine oil companies ran a catchy marketing program. Their theme line was “you can pay me now (buy good motor oil) or you can pay me later (replace your motor). Well you can pay me now (a great water treatment system and great softener salt) or you can pay later (damage to clothing, plumbing fixtures, water softeners, and your health).

Hard water or soft water…the choice is really yours.

Cribley Well Drilling and Champion Water Treatment, two great names one great company.

Call 800 697-6485 whenever you need us.

March 13, 2013

March Specials – Champion Water Treatment

Cribley Well Drilling and Champion Water Treatment March, 2013 Special

Tired of dealing with hard water?

Worried about hard water corroding your pipes and fixtures?

Take advantage of our Champion Water Treatment March Special:

WATER SOFTENER OR REVERSE OSMOSIS CHECK-UP ONLY $88.00!

Regularly $105.00

Includes:

Hardness/Iron Test

Check Brine Draw

Check Settings

Fittings Condition/Leaks

Timer

Resin Cleaning

Drain Line

Clean Injector Screen

Salt Condition

Meter Set and Working

By Pass Condition

Call 800 697-6485 today for your appointment.

Like Us on Facebook – for pictures, posts, information, and coupons.

See our (homepage) for money saving tips.

We offer emergency service 24/7.

Call 800-697-6485

February 14, 2013

10 Steps To Successful Well Drilling

Request an estimate. We do 2 different types of estimates: on site and over the phone. If you are on a lake, in a tight area, or are requesting an irrigation well quote, then the site must be looked at. When we do an over the phone estimate we must have an address, based on that address we can look up wells on the internet to find out how deep wells are in the area. By looking at the different depths of wells near your address we can estimate a depth we think we will get water. We will base our estimate on that depth and email/fax/mail it to you.

Apply for the Permit. You’re county’s Environmental Health Department requires a permit to be pulled before we drill the well and water samples taken after we drill the well. If you want to do the permit and water samples yourself it will save you some money, or we can do them for you at an extra cost. Our price for pulling the permit and doing the water samples includes the cost of the permit fee and sampling bottles charged by the Environmental Health Department. It also covers our costs for fuel and our employee’s time to apply for the permit before we drill the well and take the water samples after the well is complete. Because each county charges a different fee for the permit our price varies from county to county. If you decide to do the permit and water samples yourself, go to your county Environmental Health Department to apply for the permit. You will need to complete a form, draw a site plan of the property, and pay the permit fee. The process varies by county. Washtenaw & Livingston County: Apply for permit and pick up water sample bottles: arsenic, bacteria, and nitrates. Oakland County: Apply for permit. Oakland County does all water sampling for the homeowner. Jackson & Lenawee County: Apply for permit and pick up water sample bottle: bacteria required only. When there is a no water condition you can get a permit right away, the sanitarian must look at the site first and then he/she will issue the permit. If there is water then your permit will take 1-2 weeks for the county to complete.

Send Cribley a copy of the permit if you pulled it yourself.The county can fax it to us upon request. If we applied for the permit they will automatically fax it to us.

Sign the estimate. If you would like to go ahead with the well sign the estimate and send it back to our office by mail, fax, or email.

Pay the deposit. You can pay the deposit over the phone by credit card, in person with cash or a check, or mail a check to our office. (Many people mail the signed estimate and check together to our office.)

Schedule the work. Once we have a signed estimate, deposit, and a copy of the permit we can schedule the work. Our director will call you to schedule the well drilling.

Well Drilling & Well Hookup. The well drilling usually takes ½ a day to 1 day to complete depending on the well’s depth. After the drilling portion is complete our director will call you to schedule the hook up. The hook up will usually take ½ a day to complete. The old well is left for use until the new well is hooked up. When the new well is hooked up the old well is abandoned.

Billing. After the well is complete the deposit is applied and we send the bill in the mail. You have 30 days to pay the bill. It can be paid cash, check, or credit card.

Water Sampling. When the well is hooked up the crew chlorinates the well. This is to clean/disinfect the well and get it ready for water sampling. After the chlorine has sat the recommended time you must run a couple outside hoses to purge the water from the well. Once the water is chlorine free you are good to take the water samples. If Cribley is to take water samples they will contact you to arrange it or take samples from an outside faucet.

Payment, Well Log, Warranty, and Water Sample Results. As soon as we receive payment we will send you a well log, warranty card, and your water sample results in the mail. We automatically send all well logs to the county for record keeping.

By Allison Clark-Dondzila

January 15, 2013

A Winter Savings Plan

Some of us never think about the possibility of nothing coming out when we turn on our water faucets but Cribley gets daily calls with people out of water and we are here to tell you that it can happen.

If you were to run into this situation you can call 734 426-4400 or 800 697-6485 for our 24 hour emergency service.

If you don’t like the thought of being without water, we offer a 10 Point Well Check-up for $105.00. In the summer (especially those summers with droughts) well drilling and repairs are in great demand and there are no specials or coupons. But, during the winter, you can have a 10 Point Well Check-up for only $88.00!

10 Point Well Check-up Includes:

Complete Electrical Check

Check Well Cap

Flow Test (GPM)

Check Pressure Switch

Fittings Condition

Check Gauge Operation

Pressure Tank Condition

Check Air in Tank

Check Filter

Check Water Taste and Smell

Our $88.00 special is good during January 15^th to February 15^th 2013 only. This offer cannot be combined with any other coupons or specials. Call 800 697-6485 today for your appointment.

November 27, 2012

Cribley Well Drilling Replaces Shallow and Steel Wells With PVC Wells

Today Cribley replaces Shallow and Steel Wells with PVC Wells

By Allison Clark-Dondzila

Cribley Drilling started out constructing wells in 1946. At that time well drillers across the country used steel to construct wells. Years down the road it was found that steel wells have an average lifetime of about 30 years. A steel well will break down over time creating a hole in the casing. Mud, minerals, and sand get into the well making the water supply impossible for household use.

It wasn’t until the mid to late 80’s that well drillers had approval from the State of Michigan to use PVC plastic to construct wells. PVC wells last much longer than steel wells. PVC casings will last 100 plus years.

Some homeowners have installed “point wells” or “shallow wells” in their homes, cottages, or cabins. These wells are hand driven and have an old style “jet pump” instead of a submersible pump, which is what we use today. A submersible pump is located inside the well head, it is submersed in water. These old style wells are usually located inside the home and the jet pump would be visible. They are known to fail because they are outdated and often must be replaced with a more reliable water source. Most shallow wells are ancient and have reached their lifetime. In some counties the environmental health department requires a replacement well for point or shallow wells before home sales or deed transfers.

Overall wells are much like a car: they need regular maintenance, part replacement, and if they have reached their lifetime they need to be replaced with a new one.

Don’t hesitate to call us for a free well estimate. Thanks to the internet we are able to research wells on your road/nearby area to help us choose a probable depth to find water. We would be happy to email, fax, or mail you an estimate for what a replacement well might cost. If you think a replacement well is needed at your home please call our office, we can have someone meet you on site and get started.

October 9, 2012

I have smell water. How can I get rid of it?

Written by Allison Clark-Dondzila

First, we need to know if you have installed a new hot water tank in the last year. If so this could be your problem. The anode rod inside the hot water heater reacts poorly with well water creating an odor. It may start in the hot water but it will cross over to the cold water also. Removal of the anode rod (which our softener technicians can do) is needed to eliminate the odor. Removal of the anode rod will void the warranty of your hot water heater but it WILL get rid of the smell. It is a personal choice on whether you want to do this or not: smelly water vs. voiding the warranty. It is your call. There may also be another rod material available; you can contact the company that installed the water heater to find out. If you have not replaced your water heater in the last year there are other solutions to get rid of the smell.

You have two options. There is a temporary fix or a permanent fix. Chlorinating the well will temporarily fix the problem. The odor could come back in a month to a year or more. To eliminate the smell entirely you need to install an iron filter. An iron filter will stop the iron before it has a chance to build up in your pipes and create an odor.

The odor is most likely caused by two types of iron that have built up (not only in your well casing and waterline but also inside your pipes): hydrogen sulfide and/or coliform bacteria. Hydrogen sulfide is a small black, oily particle. Coliform is a bacteria, a bacteria that grows rather quickly in humidity or heat. You may notice a smell more in the summer months or periods of hot weather than during the colder months. Both types of iron are removed permanently with an iron filter.

One of the most successful products that we carry here at Champion Water Treatment is The Rustbuster Iron Filter. Each year we get several calls of problems or issues with smelly water and yellow/orange stained showers –toilets, dishwashers, fixtures, etc. If you’re in an area with high iron content this is the solution to your iron problem. By adding an iron filter to your water treatment you can stop iron before it reaches the softener, before it has a chance to build up in your pipes, creating an unwanted odor and staining your fixtures. An iron filter will also extend the life of your softener! Imagine a maintenance free system that traps iron effortlessly. No more scrubbing, no more stains, and no more smell!

August 30, 2012

No Water Conditions & Drought brought a Busy Summer to Cribley Well Drilling

No Water Conditions & Drought brought a Busy Summer to Cribley Well Drilling!

Written by Allison Clark-Dondzila

2012 brought us an early spring and a hot, hot summer. There was plenty of heat, but not enough water.

This was the busiest summer for well service and repair that Cribley has seen in at least 30 years. The drought conditions brought us “NO Water” calls from Washtenaw, Livingston, Oakland and JacksonCounties. Keeping our 24/7 emergency crews working around the clock.

The shortage of water was most prevalent in the Saline area. These calls came from subdivisions where homeowners were without water due to the dropping water table. Water tables also dropped in parts of Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Milan.

Once water levels dropped it affected neighbors with wells on the same water table. Substantial irrigation and household water use, without rain, caused water levels to fall below well pumps causing “no water” conditions.

Cribley Drilling ran two service crews to keep up with the demand for well service. The crews got on site as quickly as possible getting homeowners back into water and often worked until midnight.

The drought of 2012 affected some homeowners more than others due to their heavy usage of water. With no rain, plants were dying and homeowners were using more and more water. In some cases we suggested that homeowners stop irrigating if they wanted water for household use.

There is a science to where each pump is set. Pumps are set below the draw down level. With no way to anticipate the unusual weather we experienced or the effect it would have on water tables crews were busy lowering pumps 20-30 feet at each home, putting the pumps back into the water table. Many pumps were damaged and needed replacing.

Of course irrigation wells were in great demand. With so little rain, Cribley had contractors, golf courses, homeowners, home associations, and farmers requesting estimates for irrigation wells to feed their landscapes, ponds, and crops. There was a waiting list just to estimate these jobs meanwhile Cribley installed commercial and residential irrigation wells left and right.

This has been one of the driest years on record (see the chart at top of page). It’s hard to believe July’s average precipitation was only 3.6 inches in Michigan. Recently we have gotten some relief but more rain is needed to return water tables to normal levels.

In Michigan we are surrounded by the Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. But, we still need rain to maintain our water levels.

It was a successful summer for Cribley; our experienced service teams would tell you they were just glad to be able to help.

A special thanks to Ken Burke and Ben Wheeler for running our main service crew and 24/7 emergency service. More thanks go out to Tod Stevens, Scott Baldus, Dennis Amburgey, and Jack Wynn for working after hours, Saturdays, and emergency service.

July 6, 2012

Does Your Water Have Arsenic?

Your Water and Arsenic: Is the deadly poison in your Water Supply?

Written by Allison Clark-Dondzila

Water is essential to our everyday lives but safe water is essential to our health. The word arsenic puts fear in our eyes and for good reason. For some people it may not even cross their minds that arsenic could be in their water supply. This brings up some questions: Have you tested your water? Do you have arsenic in your private well? Is there a way to remove arsenic from water? If you have not tested your water you may want to think about doing so. Why? Because over a long period of time the health effects from arsenic can cost you your life.

Arsenic occurs naturally in rock, sand or gravel. Arsenic consumption can be a danger to your health causing illnesses including bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. Arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as, heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems.Research shows that skin contact with arsenic is not a significant risk: showering, washing dishes, and laundering are fine. Only water used for cooking and drinking is a health concern.

In Washtenaw County new homes and home sales require an arsenic water sample be taken by a registered well driller or a time of sale inspector at the water supply. Arsenic results must be 10 parts per billion or less (.01 or less). We have a certified time of sale inspector on staff, as well as, registered well drillers to take an arsenic sample for you. These requirements were put into effect to protect the public from the health risks of arsenic but what about the homes already established that aren’t new builds and homes that haven’t been sold? These wells should be tested for arsenic too.

If you find arsenic in your water supply there are two options to remove it from your water: installation of a Whole House Arsenic Removal System or an under the sink Reverse Osmosis System. Depending on the level of arsenic you may be required to get the whole house unit but for lower levels the Reverse Osmosis will suffice. We carry both products and have staff available to install these systems.

Your health is important, test your water for arsenic. Arsenic sample bottles are available at the Washtenaw County Environmental Health Department located at 705 North Zeeb Rd. in Ann Arbor. Or from Cribley Well Drilling at 8300 Dexter-Chelsea Rd. Dexter, Mi. 48130. Arsenic tests cost $17.00.