Well pumps & pressure tanks
Well pump acting up?
Low pressure. Short cycling. A pump that runs and runs and never catches up. If you're on a private well, and most homes outside town limits around here are, your pump is your water. Gary services, repairs, and replaces well pumps, pressure tanks, and pressure switches across Charlotte County and the counties around it.
What's going wrong
Well problems show up as a handful of symptoms. Each one points to a short list of likely causes. Here's what Gary is thinking when you describe it.
No water at all
Tripped breaker, failed pressure switch, dead pump, or a well that's run dry.
Low pressure everywhere
Switch set too low, waterlogged tank, worn pump, or a clogged screen or filter.
Pressure surges and pulses
Almost always a pressure tank that's lost its air charge or has a failed bladder.
Pump short cycling
Failed tank bladder, or a pressure switch problem. Fix it before it kills the pump.
Pump won't shut off
A leak in the line, a stuck switch, or a pump too worn to reach cut-off pressure.
Jet pump won't prime
Bad foot valve, a suction-side air leak, or the water level has dropped below reach.
Air spitting from faucets
Low water level, a cracked drop pipe, or a failing check valve.
Sandy or cloudy water
Pump set too low, a worn screen, or a casing problem. Worth catching early.
Check these first
Two minutes of looking can save a trip, or tell Gary exactly what to bring. Don't open the pressure switch cover or touch wiring. Just look and listen.
- The breaker. The well pump has its own double-pole breaker. Flip it fully off, then back on. If it trips again right away, stop there and call.
- The pressure gauge on the tank. Reading zero with the pump silent points to the switch or pump. Bouncing up and down while water runs points to the tank.
- The pressure switch. The small gray box near the tank. If it's buzzing, clicking rapidly, or smells hot, tell Gary.
- The tank. Tap it top to bottom. Hollow up top and solid at the bottom is normal. Solid all the way up means it's waterlogged.
- Then call or text (804) 432-4000 with what you found. It helps to know whether you have a submersible or a jet pump, and roughly how deep the well is.
Submersible vs. jet, and the parts in between
Submersible
Sits down in the well casing and pushes water up. Quiet, and handles deep wells. This is what most newer wells around here run. Replacing one means pulling the drop pipe and wire out of the casing.
Jet pump
Sits above ground, in a well house or near the tank, and pulls water up. Common on shallower wells and older homes. Needs to hold prime; lose it and the pump runs dry.
Tank & switch
The pressure tank holds a cushion of air so the pump doesn't start every time you open a tap. When the bladder fails, the pump short cycles and burns out. The pressure switch tells the pump when to start and stop. Contacts pit, springs drift, and they wear out.
Replacing a tank or a switch is a lot cheaper than replacing a pump you cooked. That's why Gary checks them first.
Why a plumber who knows wells matters
Plenty of plumbers work mostly in town, on town water. They can fix a faucet fine. But a well system is a different animal: pump, drop pipe, pitless adapter, check valve, pressure tank, switch, and everything between. If the person diagnosing it doesn't do wells regularly, you can end up paying for a new pump when the problem was a switch.
Gary lives in Phenix and works on well systems across Charlotte, Campbell, Prince Edward, and Lunenburg counties. Charlotte Court House is about ten minutes out, Brookneal about fifteen, Meherrin about twenty-five, and Victoria about thirty. See all service areas.
Questions we get
No water is an emergency.
Check the breaker, then call or text Gary. Tell him what the gauge is doing and he'll come out ready.
Or email glwrighttouch@gmail.com