Support
Well Sounder: Water Level
Getting a clean reading
"No taps were heard"
Lay the phone flat on the well cap, screen up, and tap the casing near the top firmly with a rubber or dead-blow mallet, about once a second. The ring counts each tap. Use the iPhone's own microphone (not AirPods).
"No clear echo came back"
- Make sure nothing is running: no taps, washer or irrigation. A pump refilling the pressure tank is loud.
- Tap more steadily.
- Try Sweep mode, with the phone at the vent.
- A loose, rattling cap can hide shallow echoes; press it down or put the phone on its centre.
What do High, Medium and Low confidence mean?
High: the water echo stood out clearly, its double echo (water → cap → water) was there, and the taps agreed with each other. Medium: one of those was weaker. Low: treat the number as a rough guess and measure again. The result screen says what to change.
"Strong echoes came from deeper down"
The water may be deeper than the recording reached. Each echo has to come back before your next tap. Tap more slowly, about one tap every 2 seconds, and measure again.
Why does it ask for the temperature?
The speed of sound depends on the temperature of the air in the well. Below the frost line that air sits close to the groundwater temperature, which follows your area's average yearly temperature, so the app can estimate it from your location. A guess that's 8 °C (14 °F) off moves the depth by about 1.5%.
Understanding the numbers
Top of casing vs below ground
The phone measures from where it sits: the top of the casing. Enter how far the casing sticks up once, and the app also shows depth below ground.
Can it tell me how deep my well is?
Not the total depth. Sound reflects off the water and can't go on through it. The total depth is on your well log; enter it to see how much water is standing in the casing. See finding your well's total depth.
My well is dug, or has a large concrete casing
Well Sounder is built for drilled wells with 2–8 inch casing. Wider casings scatter the sound, so they aren't supported yet.
Recovery test and report
The recovery test (Pro) takes a reading every 1–3 minutes after heavy use and charts how fast the water climbs back. The yield it shows is a homeowner estimate from the water stored in the casing; a professional pump test measures the aquifer itself. The well report (Pro) is a one-page PDF you can share.
Subscription
What's free?
Your first soundings on one well, in full, and the demo well, always.
What does Pro add?
Unlimited soundings, every well, full history, the recovery test and the well report. $3.99 a month or $24.99 a year (7-day free trial on the annual plan).
How do I cancel or restore?
Cancel in iPhone Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Restore in Well Sounder → Settings → Restore purchases.
Contact
Email support@bulpara.com. If it's about a reading, include your casing size and material, roughly how deep you expected the water to be, and a screenshot of the echogram.