A Dry Faucet at a Woodbridge Home on a Well
Most homes in Woodbridge get their water from a utility. Yours does not. Somewhere in the yard there is a well cap, and in the basement, garage or crawlspace there is a pressure tank. When that system stops, no utility crew is coming. You need a well company, and at 6am you need one that picks up.
Our emergency line, 703-776-0996, is available 24/7, and no-water calls go to the front of the line. Our emergency no-water service covers the rural pockets of Woodbridge, from I-95 and Route 1 out toward the Occoquan River.
Not sure the house is on a well? Look for the pressure tank first. It is usually a tall tank with a gauge and a switch nearby. If you find one, this page is for you. If you pay a water bill to a utility, call them instead.
What to Tell Us When You Call
A good phone call can save real time. Before you dial, or while you are on the line, try to answer these:
- Did the water stop all at once, or fade over a few days?
- Is the well breaker tripped? If so, turn it fully OFF and leave it off.
- Did the power go out or flicker overnight?
- Can you hear the pump or the pressure switch doing anything at all?
- Is a toilet running, or is there water on the floor or in the yard?
- Roughly how old is the pump, if you know?
You do not need every answer. Tell us what you know. From there, we can often tell whether we are looking at a power issue, a leak or a worn pump before we arrive.
If you can, also find the well itself. Knowing where the cap is, and whether the ground around it is wet, can save time once we arrive.
Three Common Causes of a Sudden Loss
A switch that dropped out after an outage
A storm can knock the power out for a moment. Some pressure switches have a low-pressure cutoff, and after an outage they can drop out and will not restart until reset. Please leave the switch cover closed. Our guide on lost water after a power outage explains what is going on.
A pump at the end of its life
Expect 10 to 15 years from a typical pump, more or less depending on the water level, the depth, the water and your household’s use. When one finally quits, it may trip the breaker, run without building pressure, or go silent. We replace pumps with Gould, Myers or Grundfos models, and pump installs carry a 5-year warranty. See well pump repair for more, or our guide on how long a well pump lasts.
A leak that ran the pump too hard
A running toilet or a broken line can keep a pump going nonstop. Sooner or later, the pump overheats, trips the breaker, or wears out. Water pooling near the well can point to a leak at the pitless adapter. Our water line repair service handles pitless adapters and buried lines.
How Long Until We Get There
Woodbridge is part of our regular eastern run, and no-water calls get priority wherever they come from. Traffic on I-95 is part of life here, so the earlier you call, the better.
Our diagnosis is free, within reason. For calls that are not emergencies, we often like to talk the problem through by phone first, since that can narrow it down before a trip. Read what our free diagnosis covers.
It also pays to be ready. Clear a path to the pressure tank, keep pets inside, and make sure the wellhead is easy to reach. Those small things let us get to work as soon as we pull in.
We are Oasis Well Service, a family business started by Ken Lindgren and now run by his son John, with grandson Brandon on the crew. We are licensed, insured, and every job is done to county code.
Getting Through the Morning, and After
While you wait, set aside any bottled water for drinking and cooking. Leave the well breaker off if it tripped. Keep the faucets closed, so that if the system does restart, it can build pressure and you can hear it.
Once the water is back, test it. Private well owners are responsible for their own water quality, and a bacteria test after any well work is widely recommended. See well water testing in Woodbridge. For everyday pump trouble, see Woodbridge well pump repair.
After a repair, the water can come back cloudy or spit some air for a short while as the lines refill. If it lasts, let us know. Our post on cloudy well water covers common causes.
Woodbridge is part of our Prince William County service area. Neighbors farther west can find emergency well service in Gainesville, and folks to the north can see emergency well service in Clifton. Routine questions go to our office line, 703-791-3981.
If the house has a treatment system, note whether the filters were changed recently. A clogged filter can starve the taps and look exactly like a dead pump, and it is a quick thing to rule out on the phone.