Repair vs. Replace
Can you fix a bad water pump without replacing it?
The honest answer is that it depends on where the fault sits. A surprising share of “dead well pump” calls turn out to be parts above ground that cost a couple of hundred dollars. The rest are motors and impellers several hundred feet down, and those are a different conversation.
Short answer
Sometimes, and it depends on what actually failed. If the trouble is in the control box, pressure switch, capacitor, wiring, check valve or pressure tank, those are repairs, and they cost far less than a new pump. Above-ground jet pumps can often be rebuilt with new seals, an impeller and bearings for less than replacement. Submersible pumps are a different story. Once the motor windings short or the impeller stack wears out, rebuilding a unit sitting 200 feet down rarely makes financial sense, because the labor to pull and reset it is the same either way. Have a technician test the motor first, and ask for amp readings and an insulation test.
Faults That Are Genuinely Repairable
- Pressure switch. Pitted or burned contacts, a stuck diaphragm, or a switch set wrong for the tank. Routine replacement.
- Control box. On three-wire submersibles, the start capacitor and relay live above ground and fail long before the motor does.
- Pressure tank. A ruptured bladder causes rapid cycling that will eventually kill the pump. Replacing the tank is a repair, and an urgent one.
- Check valve. A stuck or leaking valve lets pressure bleed off overnight and makes a healthy pump look faulty.
- Wiring and splices. Corroded connections at the wellhead or a damaged run from the panel are common and fixable.
- Jet pump internals. Above-ground jet pumps are designed to be serviced. New seals, impeller and bearings restore them for well under replacement cost.
Faults That Mean Replacement
Submersible pumps are sealed units built to run for a decade and then be replaced. There is no field rebuild for a shorted winding, and no economical one for a worn impeller stack, because the pump sits at the bottom of the well and the entire cost of the job is getting it up and back down.
Once the motor fails an insulation test, draws no current, or draws far over nameplate amps with a locked rotor, the decision is made. The same is true of a pump that has been running dry, since running dry destroys the bearings and the thrust surfaces whether or not the motor still spins.
If yours is in that category, our well pump replacement service handles the pull, the new pump, new pipe and wire, and the water test afterward.
How a Technician Decides
The decision is made with a meter, not a guess. Amp draw against the motor nameplate separates a healthy motor from a dragging one. An insulation resistance reading separates a dry winding from a wet one. Tank pre-charge against switch cut-in separates a tank problem from a pump problem. A water level sounder separates a worn pump from a well that has simply drawn down below the intake.
Ask for those four readings. A contractor who recommends replacement without them is guessing with your money. One who gives you the numbers has earned the recommendation either way.
Talk to a Licensed Pump Technician
Get a Straight Answer About Your Well Pump
Our licensed pump technicians test before they quote: amp draw, insulation resistance, tank pre-charge and water level, with the readings written down.
We serve private wells across Fort Collins, Loveland, Wellington, Laporte, Berthoud, Windsor, Greeley, Estes Park and Red Feather Lakes.
Visit our Well Pump Services page to review the full scope of work and request service.