Well Tips and Tricks

Quick Well Maintenance Tips You Can Do Yourself

A submersible pump has no true routine maintenance. But there are a handful of quick checks that can save you a service call, or at least help us fix things faster. These well maintenance tips are all safe for a homeowner. Anything beyond them is a job for us.

Check the Well Breaker

If the water stops, look at your electrical panel for the well breaker. If it tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, turn it off, leave it off and call. A breaker that keeps tripping is telling you something, and resetting it over and over can damage the pump. Our post on a pump that keeps tripping the breaker explains why.

Look for a Running Toilet

If the pump never seems to shut off, walk the house first. A running toilet, a dripping outdoor spigot or a stuck fill valve can keep a pump going. It sounds too simple, but it happens.

Watch the Pressure Gauge

Open a faucet and watch the gauge by your pressure tank. The needle should drop slowly, the pump should kick on, and the needle should climb back up. If it bounces up and down every few seconds, that is short cycling, and it usually means the tank has lost its air.

Check Your Tank Air the Safe Way

You can check the air in your pressure tank with a plain tire gauge. Only do it this way:

1. Turn the well breaker OFF.
2. Run cold water until it stops flowing.
3. Check the air valve on the tank with a tire gauge, like a car tire.
4. It should read about 2 psi under the switch’s low number, around 38 on a 40-60 setting.

If it reads low, call us. Please do not top it off yourself. Low air can mean a tired tank, and adding air can hide the real problem. Our guide to checking tank pressure has more, and pressure tank replacement covers the fix.

Protect the Wellhead and Your Water

• Keep the area around the well cap clear. No mulch piles, dirt, snow banks or parked vehicles on or against it.
• Look at the cap now and then. It should be sealed, tight and undamaged. A cracked cap is a well casing repair job.
• Keep fertilizers, chemicals and pet waste away from the well.
• Test for bacteria every year, and again after flooding. See water testing.

Plan Ahead: Records, Outages and Cold

Write Down Install Dates

Write the pump and tank install dates somewhere you will find them, like on the tank itself. A well pump lasts on average 10 to 15 years, so the date helps you plan. Read how long a well pump lasts.

Plan for Power Outages

No power means no water. Find out whether your generator actually powers the well circuit. A Bison hand pump gives you backup water with no power at all. Read our guide on losing water after an outage.

Keep the Pump Area From Freezing

If your tank sits in a well house or unheated space, it can freeze in a cold snap. Keep doors shut, seal drafts and consider safe, rated heat for that space.

Things NOT to Do Yourself

Some jobs are unsafe or can make things worse. Please leave these to us:

• Do not open the pressure switch cover. It carries line voltage.
• Do not touch wiring, contacts or the control box.
• Do not bypass a switch, breaker or any safety part.
• Do not try to pull the pump.
• Do not go into the well or take the cap off to look inside.

Know Who to Call

Save our emergency number, 703-776-0996, in your phone now. No-water calls go first, and diagnosis is free, within reason. For everything else, call 703-791-3981. Want to know how the parts fit together? Read how your well works or browse our well guides.

If a check turns up something you are not sure about, look at how your well works to see where each part fits, or read the answers to common well questions.