City dwellers often use the municipal water supply. But for those living outside the city limits, having your own well can prove to be quite beneficial. You get fresh, clean water anytime and you’ll have lower monthly utility bills too. But it’s not always a bed of roses – you also need to deal with maintenance and repairs when you have your own well water system.
If you own a deep well submersible pump or perhaps a jet pump, here are the most common indicators that something is wrong with your equipment:
- Poor water pressure
- No water flowing from your faucets
- You have to constantly run your pump
If any of these issues occur, you can call a plumber to look into the problem. Or you can try and fix the problem yourself. Here are the things you can do:
What to Do If Water Stops Flowing
Before calling a plumber, you can make a few simple checks to find out if the problem is minor enough for you to handle. There are three possible reasons why your water ceases to flow:
1.There’s low water supply in your well.
- Your pipes are clogged or broken.
- Equipment failure.
To determine what’s happening, the first thing you need to do is check your electrical panel. The circuit for your pressure tank and well pump should be switched on. If it’s not, then flip it on and see if that solves the problem.
If that doesn’t fix it, then your next step is to have a look at your pressure tank. Check the gauge if it’s showing a reading of over 20 psi. If it’s showing pressure, then you can conclude that the issue is in your house and not with the well or pump. If there’s no pressure, however, then it is a problem with your pressure tank, switch, well or well pump. You should contact your service provider so they can come over and fix the problem.
Troubleshooting Your Well Pump
While a malfunctioning water pump can lead to water issues in your home, there could also be problems with other components of your well water system. Here are some problems that can affect your pump or well that could be causing issues with your household’s water supply.
- Overworked water pump – Make sure your pressure tank and your well pump are sized to the amount of water your household uses so that the water pump doesn’t end up getting overworked.
- Water sediment – This can cause extreme wear to your well pump and damage its components and bearings over time.
- Power loss – If you lose power, you’ll only have as much water as what’s contained in your pressure tank. If there’s no power outage in your area, have a look at your main switch to check if it’s broken.
- Low water table – A drought can cause your well to dry up. This may just be a temporary problem, but if it persists, then you may need to pump deeper underground.