When the Power Returns but the Water Does Not
The big trees around Clifton are part of why people love living here. They are also why a thunderstorm can take the lights out along Clifton Road. When the power comes back, the lights come on, the fridge hums, and sometimes the faucets stay dry.
There is a common reason for that. Some pressure switches have a low-pressure cutoff with a lever on the outside. After an outage, the switch can drop out and will not restart on its own until someone resets it. Our guide on losing water after a power outage explains it. Please do not open the switch cover. Call 703-776-0996 and we will help you sort it out.
Before you call, look at the panel. If the well breaker tripped, turn it fully OFF and leave it. If it looks fine, the switch is a likely suspect. Either way, that is a good first thing to tell us.
The Long Walk to the Wellhead
On a large wooded lot, the well may sit a good distance from the house, with a buried line running between them under lawn and trees. That long run gives a leak room to hide. A pump that runs and runs, pressure that fades, and then no water at all can all come from a line or pitless adapter that let go.
The long run can also affect how the system behaves day to day. A pump pushing water a long way can work harder, and the tank has to be set right to keep it from cycling too often. We look at both on an emergency visit.
If it is daylight and safe to walk out there, look for these before you call:
- A wet or sunken spot along the path of the line
- Water pooling or a hissing sound near the wellhead
- A cap knocked loose or cracked by a fallen limb
Do not dig or lift the cap. Our page on water pooling near a well explains what wet ground can mean, and our water line repair service handles pitless adapters, new lines and trenching. A damaged cap can let surface water in, which is a job for our well casing repair service and its sanitary sealed caps.
Filters and UV Lights in the Water’s Path
Many Clifton homes treat their water. Sulfur filters, softeners, acid neutralizers and UV lights all sit between the well and the taps. That is good for the water, but it adds places where the flow can slow. A badly clogged sediment filter can make a working well feel like a failed one.
A UV light also needs power to do its job. If the power was out, or the UV unit shows a warning, tell us when you call. Untreated water can reach the taps while a UV light is off, so hold off on drinking it until things are sorted out. Our well water treatment in Clifton page covers the equipment we install, including GDS and Viqua UV lights, and our UV disinfection page explains how they handle E. coli and coliform.
What Happens After You Call
Clifton is in Fairfax County, just next door to our Prince William County service area. A no-water call goes ahead of routine work, wherever in Clifton it comes from.
On site, we check the breaker and switch, the pump, the tank and the line, in whatever order the clues point. Diagnosis is free, within reason. If the pump is worn out, we install Gould, Myers and Grundfos pumps, including constant pressure systems, with a 5-year warranty on pump installs. Oasis Well Service is a family business, three generations in, started by Ken Lindgren and now run by his son John. The work meets county code, and we are licensed and insured. Our emergency no-water service page covers the details, and the Clifton well pump repair page covers everyday pump problems.
Before we arrive, the safe steps are simple. Turn the well breaker OFF if it tripped. Check whether a toilet is running. Keep the faucets closed. Stay away from the switch and its wiring.
New to a Clifton Well?
Plenty of people buy here without ever having owned a well. It helps to know two things ahead of time. First, save our emergency number, 703-776-0996, somewhere you can find it in the dark. Second, learn where your well breaker and pressure tank are, so a 6am phone call starts with good answers.
It is also worth knowing roughly how old your pump is. Most well pumps last 10 to 15 years, and the water level, well depth, water quality and how much you use all push that number up or down. If the house came with an older pump, a well inspection can give you a read on the whole system before an emergency does.
After any emergency repair, test the water. A bacteria test after well work is widely recommended, and our water testing covers bacteria, pH, lead and nitrates. Neighbors can find emergency well service in Centreville and emergency well service in Woodbridge. For questions that are not urgent, call 703-791-3981.