troubleshooting well pump

It’s that time of the year again in Maryland—the cold and snowy February known for wicked blizzards and snow storms. Snow days can be fun, but not when you are experiencing frequent power outages. In a home outside of city limits, this means no heat and no water while the power is out. And even if it comes back on quickly, you may still have trouble getting your water supply to work again. Here are a few tips from our Maryland well pump experts to help you troubleshoot your well pump after a power outage.

Check the Circuit Breaker

It helps when your electrical panel is labeled. Otherwise, it can be difficult to find which breaker is responsible for regulating power to your well pump. Thankfully, home water system equipment is often connected to a separate electrical panel located somewhere near your well pump (if it’s not submersible) or the pressure tank. Find this panel and check the circuit breakers. Cycle them off and then back on again. If you find that one of the breakers trips as soon as you turn it on, you may need to call an electrician to investigate the issue.

Check the Pressure Switch

A pressure switch is what tells your pump that the pressure is low and the pump should start pumping more water. When you keep using water during and after a power outage, the pressure switch may reset itself to an “off” setting because no more water can be supplied by the pump. Some pressure switches may need to be reset after a power outage. This is usually an easy task and all you need to do is turn the lever to “auto” and hold it until the pump turns on and the pressure gauge reads 30psi. If you’ve never seen a pressure switch before, look for a small gray box connected to a pipe that goes to your pressure tank. Not all pressure switches look the same and have levers to reset them—give our Maryland well pump repair crew a call if you can’t figure it out.

Check Your Pump Protection System

If you have a shallow or low-yielding well, you may have an additional control box installed to prevent your pump from emptying the well and getting clogged with sediment. If that’s the case, your protection system may have shut the pump down during the outage. It will typically come back on without your help, but it may not be immediate. Check your control box and pay attention to the lights that are on. If the red light is on, the system is resetting itself and you may have to wait a bit.

Hopefully, you can get the well pump to work after going through these three steps. If you have no luck, call us right away and take advantage of our 24/7 emergency service. Whatever you do, don’t attempt to disassemble the well pump or the pressure switch on your own. Remember that these appliances are powered by 200V of electricity and you may get shocked from the residual charge if you don’t take precautions.