Well water pump diagnostic FAQs set #7.

If the well pump runs too often, is noisy, seems weak, runs intermittently with no apparent reason, or is otherwise misbehaving, these questions will help sort out what's wrong.

Q&A on Solving Problems with Water Pumps

These questions and answers were originally posted at WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home. That's a good place to see pump repair approaches organized by type of problem. You'll like the diagnostic and repair help given there.

On 2019-01-22 17:16:51.010667 by (mod) -

From your brief description I can but guess that there may be a failing pump motor bearing that is exacerbated from the long pump on cycle.

On 2019-01-22 03:54:58.659893 by Phillip

My pump runs for and hour but after it just stops pumping water out and motor will make uncommon high sound

On 2019-01-08 15:21:17.104323 by (mod) -

Yes Walter, an experienced pump installer can perform several electrical tests of the pump and pump wiring before pulling the pump from the well.

Examples of such pump electrical tests in-situ include

- voltage delivered to the pump

- circuit wire condition, leaks, bad insulation, short circuits, resistance abnormally high or low

- pump motor resistdance

- current draw when the pump is running

On 2019-01-08 08:50:55.225077 by Walter

The pump is not runninge are older . Years ago we had to pull the pump out . That was a job . We are older
Do not want to do that again. Is there any other way to test the pump.

On 2015-08-25 22:40:52.099499 by John

Got new bladder now running out of water every few minutes

On 2015-08-20 18:21:32.543332 by Angie

Pump motor runs no water earlier in week had milky water and tiny bubbles in it

On 2015-07-20 13:31:26.181432 by Anonymous

Sounds like a well running out of water or an ovreheating motor

On 2015-07-20 13:17:27.560777 by Sanjay

My electric motor does pull water after 10 minutes when other opens their motor or it pulls water only 10 minutes are left for supply to go

On 2015-07-11 22:54:25.602950 by Robert

I have a yard valve teed into the supply line running to the house. There is a check valve on the well side of supply line just before the pressure tank and pressure switch.
My problem is when I need water from my yard valve I must turn on water in the house to drop pressure low enough to turn on the well pump. I was told by a well repair company all was installed correctly. What can I do to correct the issue?

On 2015-07-10 20:07:50.341120 by (mod) -

Tim I added a link to WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE at the end of the article above

On 2015-07-10 19:57:36.193190 by Tim

How do u reprime a well pump

On 2015-07-10 19:26:59.480790 by (mod) -

Check and re prime the pump

On 2015-07-10 15:07:25.551620 by Anonymous

I had a pipe break on the feed line.I repaired that but still have no water have fifteen PDS.in pressure tank but not showing any by pressure switch switch has no reset lever need help

On 2015-06-21 19:04:55.649640 by (mod) -

Anon, what you describe sounds unsafe as there could be shock or electrocution hazards. I'd leave power off until the system has been checked by a licensed electrician.

On 2015-06-21 14:32:55.188300 by Anonymous

No water, crawl Flooded replaced fuse still no water

On 2015-06-20 17:00:57.067760 by Anonymous

Water pump runs but no wate

On 2015-06-14 20:22:23.735010 by (mod) -

Tim,
you are describing what sounds to me like a well that is running low on water or a pump is pumping rate exceeds the flow rate of the well. Another possibility is a damaged pump impeller or low pump voltage or leak and well piping. Do not force the pump to continue to run or you may damage it.

On 2015-06-14 00:35:49.755200 by tim

I have a jet pump with 2 line coming from the well. It will not build more the 30psi. And now if the pressure drops below 20psi it won't stay running to build pressure unless I hold the switch in the override position. I replaced the pressure switch and pressure valve so I am at a total lost as to what to do now.

On 2015-06-13 15:03:14.494190 by (mod) -

of course there are other causes for low water pressure delivered from a pump such as a leak in well piping and possibly low voltage.

On 2015-06-13 15:02:18.146670 by (mod) -

anonymous

when a water pump cannot deliver pressure above some low value such as your 18 psi, two common causes are low water flow or low water in the well, or a damaged pump or pump impeller.

On 2015-06-13 14:59:34.437530 by (mod) -

Prajwal,

if water flows through the building piping system when the pump is running but water does not enter the water but then I suspect that a then between pump and tank is closed or there is a similar blockage. If water runs in the If water when the pump is not running I imagine that is being delivered by an outlet from your water tank.

On 2015-06-13 03:33:27.729600 by Prajwal

My water pump is not pumping water to the tank. Water will flow in the pipes but water is not falling to the tank which is on the roof of a house. Please help me

On 2015-06-12 19:37:21.852720 by Anonymous

pump will pump up to18lbs and no more open value pressurerize lines it holds at 18runs won't cut off it will not pump up higher l replaced pressure switch and guage.

On 2015-06-07 03:36:02.974600 by Branden

Got a new pump and no more pressure also replaced switch.I have a nice flow from hose that I didn't have prior but no water to house I replumbed the house to hook water hose to still worse than before. Plz help

Question: why does my lake water pump no longer deliver water?

(May 13, 2015) Brenda said:

What would be the problem when the pump is not pulling water from the lake and there isn't any pressure?

Reply:

Probably your water system has one of these problems:

• Electrical power to the pump is off
• Failed pump motor
• failed pump control
• pump disconnected
• pump intake screen clogged
• piping leaky or disconnected enroute between water pick-up point and the water pressure tank

See WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE for a complete and easy-to-read catalog of possible explanations for loss of water pressure or well pump problems.

Recent water or well pump diagnosis & repair questions & answers

On 2018-05-07 by (mod) - I need to press the reset button to get my water pump to run

Mike that sounds like a failing motor but check first for a bad start/run capacitor

On 2018-05-05 by Mike

I have a pump suppling water domestic water . Recently it has been failing. You then need to press the reset button. It works for several times before failing again. Cheers

On 2018-04-29 by (mod) - no water pressure

See the diagnostic steps at NO WATER PRESSURE

Or see this WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE

On 2018-04-29 by RON

NO WATER PRESSURE

On 2018-04-19 17:55:35.296188 by thang ze chang

may i know the answer or solution about my 10hp motor burned with 4inch centrifugal pump to send river water to gas used generator.

On 2018-03-28 21:10:26.705821 by Vernon

My daughter has a water well in Washington near Hood River. It quit. A company tried to bring it up. Got stuck 5 feet from bottom. I don't know how deep, size of casing, or type of casing. Any suggestions? Company is supposedly looking for a camera.

On 2018-03-24 15:53:56.411990 by (mod) -

Blue

I would send a camera down the well to inspect the casing to be sure that soil is not entering the well through a hole or crack.

Also check the height of the foot valve or water-pick-up point from the bottom of the well. It may be too close.

On 2018-03-24 15:12:25.382651 by Blue

Sorry for the misspellings. Anyhow, our well is 365 feet deep. Any advice on what could be causing the muddy water. We have never run out of water...it's just muddy.

On 2018-03-24 15:10:51.161317 by Blue

We have consistently murky well water. When it rains we lose pressure becasue pur filter clogs with a large amount of mud.

On 2018-03-21 22:17:16.385713 by (mod) -

Let me know how it works out

On 2018-03-21 20:27:43.616638 by Graeme

Thanks very much for your prompt reply to my enquiry. I will follow your advice.
Best regards
Graeme

On 2018-03-21 19:07:18.187503 by (mod) -

Graeme

That sounds as if you are exhausting the reservoir of water in the ground around your driven point well.

Discuss increasing the yield of the well with your well company; you may need a different type of well or a well of greater depth.

On 2018-03-21 18:54:45.993852 by Graeme

When I turn my wellpoint pump on then I get strong water pressure for about 5 to 10 minutes, after which time the pressure drops and the water comes spluttering out. If I then turn the pump off and restart it after a short while (say 10 mins) the process repeats itself. NB: At no time do I NOT get water - it's the low pressure that's driving me insane. Please advise whether the pump has a problem which needs repairing and/or replacement. I do not think that the water table is too low as the pump delivers a continual flow of water, albeit at low pressure (after a few minutes).
I look forward to receiving your comments in the near future.
Kind regards

On 2018-03-15 15:44:04.896756 by (mod) -

JP

If the pump problem is a damaged impeller assembly it may be economical to replace that part of the unit.

If there is an electric motor repair shop near you, take the entire pump assembly in and ask for a diagnosis of the problem.

On 2018-03-15 11:48:43.450590 by Jyoti purohit,Nagpur

My well pump is jammed how i diagnose what has happened ? How i repaire it by proper person at reasonable cost ? Pls suggest m
E

On 2018-03-07 19:39:13.354592 by (mod) -

Not-really-Nelson

Most likely you wet the pump motor interior and connections. That in turn short circuits electrical components, windings, switches. Even when the pump is dry it may be damaged and unsafe and would probably have a shortened remaining life as its components that got wet will also corrode, jam, or short.

On 2018-03-07 05:32:29.586479 by nelson mandela

hello i fell with my waterpump in water...yesterday and now it wont start....what could be the issue.... coz yesterday it was running normally..

On 2018-02-24 23:39:55.394127 by (mod) -

Caroline,

I'd like to help but without a shred of information about your property the type of well the type of pump or anything else I'm afraid that anything I would offer would just be wild speculation

On 2018-02-24 23:32:36.585571 by (mod) -

I can't tell from your question whether the pump is turning off because it is being protected from damage by a switch that senses that your well is out of water, or whether it's cutting off because the motor is seizing from and overheating.

On 2018-02-24 09:50:45.705091 by Caroline

Hi my pump works for approx minute then shuts of shows failed on motor would it be resolvable if i turn everything of for a day or 2 or is it buggered

On 2018-02-24 09:38:00.430926 by Caroline

Hi just want to know why pump saying failed can any one help me plz

On 2018-01-30 17:33:45.223861 by (mod) -

Denise

Yes, unfortunately, electric motor failure after the motor has been flooded can sneak up on you. A motor that has been submerged by Harvey or any other source of flooding might dry out and run apparently with no problem for some time.

But any electric motor that has is not specifically designed to run "under water" and that is soaked or submerged is going to fail eventually. The moisture inside the motor leads to corrosion, break-down of insulators, damage to motor bearings, loss of lubricants, damage to electrical capacitors, and sooner or later, a motor failure.

At this point the motor and any other electrical components (like switches or pressure controls) that were wet should be replaced.

Watch out: in addition to a motor or control or switch failure after flooding, such components are unsafe, as some failures could result in a risk of electric shock, injury, or worse to someone touching the equipment.

On 2018-01-30 03:20:38.167402 by Denise Guthrie

My water wer went through Harvey under 5 feet of water. Has been running great since then till tonight. Loose all water pressure and stmt outside and the well smelled like brunt wiring. Shut off the breaker to it. Not sure what to do now.

On 2018-01-04 00:55:56.850695 by (mod) -

First you need to thaw any frozen lines.if that's not clear use our on site search box for THAW FROZEN PIPES

Then if the pump needs priming see the article below. That article also links to other pump priming mmethods.

https://inspectapedia.com/water/Prime_The_Pump_by_Hose.php

On 2018-01-04 00:26:37.463199 by Clark Norris - gmail.com

Need need help and priming I believe of my house pump it got cold and I think it's frozen and what you do is my first one haha

On 2018-01-02 15:13:31.349732 by (mod) -

Sorry I don't understand the question about top and bottom pipes

On 2018-01-02 12:18:18.399384 by JAGADESHTS

i have a 250 ft borewell in my home, since it dried up i went for 540 ft borewell new, since the depth is more people suggested to replace 2 hp submersible motor with 3 hp motor,but the 250 ft UPVC pipe is with15mm gauge,

but people suggest to go for 21mm UPVC pipe for new 54oft bore well, can i mox both the pipes in a new borewell, if so which pipe should be in the bottom and which one should be in the top.

On 2018-01-02 12:17:48.818000 by JAGADESHTS

request your reply please

On 2017-12-30 11:44:23.313494 by (mod) -

If exposed to freezing temperature, yes

On 2017-12-29 01:03:45.323203 by BoDean

do these water pumps freeze up in cold weather

On 2017-12-05 13:56:28.487120 by Kare

Thank you for your reply... I must add that we have had to often restart the «grey box» for as long as I remember.

Water remained okay since I posted here. Then yesterday I made laundry and there was a bath in the evening; this morning (the day after...) water had to be restarted, though it did restart. It seems to happen when there is large use of water...

(By the way that site and your advices are a real treasure. Thank you for keeping it up... )

On 2017-12-03 00:43:57.500034 by (mod) -

Karen,

With apologies, I don't know how to interpret this situation. It seems to me that if the pump never runs then you would have a problem with water as you put it going in or out because you would pretty soon have no water pressure.

On 2017-12-02 20:14:44.863756 by Karen

My waterpump won't start. It makes a buzzing sound and there is no response from the reset button and the pressure gauge does not move. There is no problem with waterflow going in or out.

On 2017-11-29 23:20:03.878906 by (mod) -

Kare

I can't diagnose this very reliably by e-text but from your note it sounds as if there was an electrical problem - not delivering power to a submersible pump in the well.

If when water pressure falls below the CUT-IN pressure on the pump pressure control switch (that little gray box) that should turn on the pump.

If the pump is in the well you won't hear it run but you should see the water pressure gauge (the little "clock" thingie) needle move up to a higher pressure.

If you stop running water then the gauge will continue to creep up and the pump to run until the pressure reaches the CUT OUT pressure, then the pump will stop.

Typically the CUT IN is at 20 or 30 psi (on the gauge) and the CUT OUT is at 40 or 50 psi.

If you run water and the pump doesn't turn on at all then the repair that was done for you is incomplete.

On 2017-11-29 02:34:13.636701 by Kare

Hi... Last week we had problems; there was no water anymore. The repair person came and changed the black wire going to the pump (in the well) because there was no power in it anymore. Then water came back. Today, I made laundry and later in the day started the dishwasher; when I had a bath in the evening, water stopped and would not start again. The little «clock» like thing would get only to «20» and go straight down when running water. After a while and after activating the little grey box, it is now to «35» The pressure in the tank seems to be good and accodring to the repair man the well has plenty of water. What should we check to understand what is happening?

On 2017-11-19 23:00:55.221659 by Ronke

Kindly help, when I switch on the generator to power the water pump, the power drops and it almost goes off

On 2017-11-10 15:53:02.926640 by Anonymous

How do you set the pressure tank?

On 2017-11-01 01:05:33.985006 by Andy

When water pump has no pressure what could be the reason ? Thanks for your time.

On 2017-10-10 16:13:33.741810 by (mod) -

Check the current draw of the pump: the pump may be damaged, have a damaged impeller, or there could be plumbing leaks in the piping system, or a clogged foot valve strainer.

On 2017-10-10 15:54:01.103075 by Mario

I have enough power gong into the pressure switch, but not getting pressure coming out of the well

...

Continue reading at WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE for table listing causes & cures for well pump or water pressure problems, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• PUMP PRIME, REPEATED LOSS of if you can't keep the pump primed
• WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR - home
  • MUNICIPAL WATER PRESSURE DIAGNOSIS - If your water supply is from a city or municipal water system
  • WATER PRESSURE PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS TABLE - succinct guide to pump & well problem causes & cures
  • WATER PRESSURE TABLE 1: PUMP WON'T RUN, WON'T STOP, or CYCLES
  • WATER PRESSURE TABLE 2: PUMP RUNS, WEAK or NO WATER PRESSURE
  • WATER PRESSURE TABLE 3: PUMP RUNS, NO WATER or INSUFFICIENT WATER
• WATER PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES - home
• WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
• WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE - home
• WATER TANK: USES, TROUBLESHOOTING - home
• WELL PIPING REPAIRS

...

Suggested citation for this web page

WATER PUMP REPAIR FAQs-7 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER SUPPLY, PUMPS TANKS WELLS

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