First, a safety rule
A well pump runs on high-voltage power, and the pressure switch sits next to water and metal pipe. Do not take the cover off the pressure switch, do not touch wires, and do not stand in water while you look at anything electrical. If you smell burning or see scorch marks, switch the pump's breaker off and leave it off.
Everything below can be done from the floor of the house, the breaker panel and the gauge on the tank.
Step by step, in order
- Check the house first. Do the lights and outlets work? If the whole house is without power, the pump has no power either, and the fix may belong to the utility rather than the well.
- Find the breaker for the pump in the panel. If it has tripped to the middle or off position, switch it fully off, then back on, one time. If it trips again, stop and call a provider. A breaker that keeps tripping is protecting a motor or a wire that has a problem.
- Open a faucet and listen. A hum or a click from the pump house means the switch is trying. Silence usually means no power reaches the pump or the switch has failed.
- Read the pressure gauge on the tank with no water running. A gauge reading near zero with a silent pump supports a power or switch problem. A gauge that sits low while the pump runs for a long time points toward weak flow or a leak.
- Look for water where it should not be: a wet floor in the pump house, a hissing pipe, a running toilet. A big leak can drain the system faster than the pump can fill it.
- Notice what the water did before it stopped. Sputtering and air in the taps, cloudy water, or sand in the toilet tank are clues worth telling the provider.
What the tank can tell you
The pressure tank keeps water under pressure so the pump does not start with every tap. Penn State Extension describes a normal cycle of about 40 psi to shut the pump off and about 20 psi to start it again. A pump that clicks on and off every few seconds usually means the tank has lost its air cushion.
You can look at the tank, but checking its air charge is not a first-night job. Tank makers say to turn the power off and drain the tank completely before reading the air valve, and the correct setting depends on the switch. That is for a provider or for daylight and the maker's manual. See the pressure tank cost guide for why a tank problem is often cheaper than a pump problem.
Signs to stop and call
If the pump is running with nothing coming out, turn its breaker off. A pump that runs dry or against a closed system can overheat and fail, which turns a modest repair into a larger one. See the pump repair and replacement page for how providers diagnose it.
- The breaker trips again after one reset
- The pump runs without stopping and the pressure never builds
- You hear a loud hum, a buzz or a clank from the pump house
- Water is leaking and you cannot find the cause
- Air spits from every tap, or the water turns brown or cloudy and stays that way
- There is any wetness around wiring, the switch or the breaker box
If the well may be low on water
University of Minnesota Extension lists signs that a well is short of water: the pump sounds like it is sucking air, taps sputter, the water is cloudy, and sand shows up in the toilet tank. It says to look at the pressure tank, the pump and the electrical connection first. A well that goes dry from heavy use can recover on its own if you cut back for a few hours.
Extension also warns that if air has entered the well, the water should be tested for naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic before drinking. Our guide to well water testing in Montgomery County lists where to take a sample.
What to tell the provider
If the answer to the gauge question is a number and not a guess, it helps the provider decide what to bring. Whatever time they give you for a visit is theirs to set. Until then, keep a few gallons of drinking water in the house and use as little as you can.
- When the water stopped and what you were doing, such as a storm, a power flicker or heavy watering
- What the breaker and the gauge showed
- How old the pump and tank are, if you know, and roughly how deep the well is
- Whether the well also supplies a barn, trough or irrigation
- Your address and a number that you answer
Common questions
Can I reset the breaker as many times as I want?
No. Reset it once. If it trips again, something is wrong with the motor, the wire or the switch, and repeated resets can make the damage worse.
Is it the pump or the tank?
A silent pump with a gauge at zero leans toward power or the switch. A pump that cycles every few seconds leans toward the tank. A pump that hums but delivers nothing leans toward the pump. A provider can confirm with a gauge and a meter.
Is the water safe to drink after a failure?
If air got into the well or the water looked cloudy, test it before relying on it. Extension sources say air can release natural contaminants.