If you rely on a well for your home’s water, you know how essential it is for everything to run smoothly. But what happens when you turn on the tap and nothing comes out? Suddenly having no water from your well can be alarming.
This sudden stop in water flow usually points to a few common culprits: a faulty well water pump, a failing pressure tank, sediment buildup in the pump, or issues with hoses and valves.
Luckily, these problems can often be fixed with some basic troubleshooting, and you don’t even need to be an expert to get your water flowing again.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have the know-how to tackle these common well problems and get your water back on, ensuring your home remains comfortable and functional.
1. There's An Issue With The Water Pump
The water pump is the heart of your well system, pulling water from the ground and delivering it to your home. When your tap runs dry, checking the water pump is a logical first step.
There are several common issues that can arise with water pumps. Here, we’ll cover the most frequent ones and how to approach them:
- Overuse of the water pump
- Low pressure in the pressure tank
- Power surge or outage
Well Pump Overuse
No machine lasts forever, and your water pump is no exception.
In larger households, where many people use water simultaneously, the pump works overtime to meet the demand. This constant use can lower water pressure, strain the pump’s gears, and even cause hoses or pipes to rupture.
You’ll know your pump is overworked if you notice a significant drop in water pressure throughout your house or if water comes out in bursts or not at all.
Solution to Pump Overuse
If you live in a large home with more than 6 people, we recommend lowering your water intake a bit to give the pump a break.
You don’t need to come up with a strict schedule, but it might help to notify others when you need to use a lot of water. That way, they can wait their turn and not burden the water pump unless it’s important.
For larger homes, you may just need to upgrade to a bigger, more powerful pump model that can handle your household’s water demands.
Low Pressure in Pressure Tank
After the pump pulls the water up, it gets stored in a pressure tank. This tank has an air bladder inside that provides the force to push water through your pipes and into your home. But if the bladder has a leak and loses air pressure, the whole system conks out.
Check the pressure gauge on your tank – if the needle is pointing to zero, you’ve got an air leak somewhere.
Solution to Low Pressure
Inspect the pressure tank and air bladder for any cracks, holes, or tears that could cause an air leak. If the bladder looks torn up, you’ll likely need to replace it.
On some tanks, the bladder is easy to access and swap out, as it’s held together only by bolts. You just need to loosen the bolts with a wrench and remove them.
But if yours is a sealed, welded unit, it might be necessary to replace the whole tank. Don’t try opening it unless you’re a professional in the field.
Calling in a qualified technician to give it a look is a good idea, especially for pricier components like tanks. They can recommend whether repair or full replacement is best for your system.
Power Surge or Outage
Your well pump needs electricity to keep on pumping. A power outage or a voltage spike can definitely disrupt operations and knock it offline.
Most pumps have some protection against surges and shorts, but they aren’t indestructible. Sometimes, a nearby lightning strike or substation issue can still fry the electrical components.
Solution to a Power Surge or Outage
First, take a look at your circuit breaker box. If you have a whole-home surge protector, it may have just tripped a breaker as a precaution. Simply reset any flipped breakers and see if that gets your pump running again.
For pumps without that extra protection, a big voltage spike can potentially cause damage. If resetting the breakers didn’t work, you may need to try powering the pump off and back on to reset it.
If these easy fixes don’t do the trick, your pump may have taken one for the team during the power event. In that case, the sad reality is you’ll likely need to replace it entirely.
2. Faulty Valves and Hoses
Your water has quite the journey from the well to your kitchen sink. It travels through a whole network of pipes, valves, and hoses to get to you.
The pump needs to draw the water, the pressure tank needs to provide the push and pull that transports the water, and the water tank needs to take in all of the water and distribute it throughout the pipes. Things get even more complicated if you also add a water softener into the mix.
If there’s a leak anywhere along that path, it’s like a kink in the drinking straw – nothing can get through.
Water pooling around connections or tanks is an obvious sign of a leak. But, sometimes, they can be trickier to spot, like a slow drip behind a valve or under the house.
Solution to Faulty Valves and Hose
It’s usually easy to tell if a hose is leaking. To spot a leaky hose, start at the well and follow the interconnected parts leading to your home. If you see water pooling anywhere, you’ve got a damaged hose.
You can always use the old tried-and-tested method of duct-taping the hole to fix the issue, but it’s best to replace the hose entirely since they’re inexpensive. Use tape only as a temporary solution if you can’t get a new hose right away.
Valves are a little less obvious when it comes to noticing leaks. Run your fingers around the connections where valves and hoses meet. If your fingers come away wet, there’s a leak.
Another telltale sign is the pressure gauge of the pressure tank, the water tank, or the water softener. If the dial is in the red or at zero, something’s wrong, and you might need to replace the unit entirely.
Like hoses, you should replace faulty valves rather than try to repair them. Fortunately, valves are also affordable and easy to replace.
3. Sediment Clogging
Well water may be fresh and chemical-free, but it can also contain a bunch of dirt, sand, and mineral gunk. That’s why most well systems have a pre-filter installed – it acts like a bouncer, only letting clean water into the club.
Hard water minerals are the reason why water softeners are often considered essential gear for anyone with a well as the main water source, and the sediment is why pre-filters are so important as well.
Sediment filters (or pre-filters) are essentially sieves that catch larger pieces of dirt and sediment to prevent them from getting into your main water system.
However, those filters can become clogged after too many sediment particles try to sneak in. When that happens, the water flow is choked off completely.
Solution to Sediment Clogging
There are several different ways to diagnose and fix this issue.
Start by removing the pre-filter and giving it a good rinse. If it’s absolutely caked with grime, you may need to replace the filter cartridge entirely. Most need swapping every 3-6 months anyway as part of regular maintenance.
While you’ve got it out, also inspect the filter housing, pipes, and valves around it. Sediment can damage those components over time, too. If they’re cracked, corroded, or damaged, that could be another access point for those pesky particulates.
If you’re not totally confident inspecting or replacing the filter yourself, calling in an experienced plumber is a smart move. They’ve seen everything sediment can do to your water system and can get things properly unclogged.
The pre-filter is your first defense against sediment. Keep it reasonably maintained and gunk-free, and your well water will always come out clean and fresh.
Summary
Well water issues are common but often easy to resolve. Typically, the problem lies with the water pump, pressure tank, valves, hoses, or a clogged filter.
By following the steps we’ve outlined, you can identify and fix most of these issues on your own. Regular maintenance and monitoring of your system’s components will also help prevent problems.
However, if you suspect the issue is with the well itself or if the problem seems too complex to handle, it’s best to call a professional well-maintenance specialist. They have the tools and expertise needed for more challenging repairs.
Remember, taking prompt action and staying informed can help keep your water supply reliable and your family safe.
After attempting to get my well going again by hitting the reset button on the wellhead, long story short – my submersible well pump had one of two capacitors that crapped out. The other issue was the power from the pole to the weatherhead had issues (insufficient power). Thank goodness for handyman friends with voltage/multimeter thingamabobs, who identified both problems – I now have water again, and my other power issues have been resolved (by the power company). Thank you so much for your article!