Troubleshooting
What to do if a submersible pump is not working?
No water and a silent pump is one of the few plumbing problems that stops a household completely. The good news is that a meaningful share of these calls end at the breaker panel or the pressure switch. The important part is working through it in the right order and stopping before the part that is illegal and dangerous.
Short answer
Work from the simple to the expensive. Check the breaker first, because a tripped double-pole breaker is common after a storm. Look at the pressure gauge. If it reads zero and the pump will not start, test the pressure switch contacts. If the gauge sits at cut-out pressure and you still have no water, the problem is downstream, such as a closed valve, a clogged filter or a failed pressure tank bladder. Never reset a breaker repeatedly, because repeated resets cook the motor. Do not attempt to pull the pump yourself. In Colorado this work requires a licensed pump contractor or master plumber, and a dropped drop-pipe string can ruin the well.
The Checklist, In Order
- Check the breaker. Well pumps run on a double-pole 240V breaker. A trip after a storm is common. Reset it once.
- Do not reset it again. If it trips a second time, there is a fault, and repeated resets drive locked-rotor current through the windings until the motor is destroyed.
- Read the pressure gauge. Zero with no pump sound points at the switch or the pump. Normal cut-out pressure with no water at the tap points downstream.
- Check the main shutoff and any bypass valves. More systems than you would expect are fixed here.
- Check the sediment filter. A clogged cartridge mimics pump failure exactly and takes five minutes to rule out.
- Listen at the wellhead. A faint hum with no water means the motor is energized but not moving water. A click from the pressure switch with nothing after it means power is not reaching the motor.
- Stop there and call a licensed contractor. Everything past this point involves live 240V terminals and heavy equipment.
What to Do While You Wait
Shut off the breaker to the pump so it cannot cycle against a fault. Turn off irrigation and any automatic fill valves so the system is not demanding water. If the pressure tank still holds a charge, you may have a few gallons left in it, so use them deliberately.
In freezing weather, keep the pump house heated if you have a safe way to do so. A well system that loses water in January can turn into frozen and split lines on top of a failed pump, which is a far larger repair. If the house is already without water in winter, treat it as an emergency and call our 24/7 emergency plumbing service at (970) 499-0516.
Why You Should Not Pull It Yourself
Colorado requires that water well pump installation and repair be performed by a state-licensed pump installation contractor or a licensed master plumber. That is not a formality. A submersible pump sits on several hundred feet of pipe and wire, and the assembly can weigh hundreds of pounds when full of water.
Losing that string into the casing can render a well unusable, and recovery costs more than a new pump. Our guide to Larimer County well permits and pump replacement rules covers the licensing and permit requirements in full.
How can you tell if a submersible well pump is bad?
A bad submersible usually shows one of three patterns. It draws no current at all, which means an open winding, a failed splice or a break in the drop cable. It draws far more than nameplate amps and trips the breaker, which means a locked rotor or a motor that is dragging. Or it runs continuously and never builds pressure, which points to worn impellers or a hole in the drop pipe. An insulation resistance test between the motor leads and the casing confirms a shorted winding. Before condemning the pump, rule out the pressure switch, control box, capacitor and a waterlogged tank, because all of them produce the same symptoms for far less money.
Those three patterns are why a diagnosis should always come with numbers. Ask for the amp reading, the nameplate rating it was compared against, and the insulation resistance value. If the pump is being condemned, those three figures are the evidence.
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.