Well pump replacement

Water Well Repair Near Me is an independent referral service, not a well contractor, pump installer or plumber. When you send the form, your request goes to this site’s operator, who passes it to an independent local well pro who can contact you and prepare a quote for the work.

Repair first, replace when the pump is the fault

Many well problems look like a dead pump and are not. A tripped breaker, a failed pressure switch, a fault in the control box or a waterlogged pressure tank can each stop the water while the pump down the well is still sound. A careful pro tests those parts first, from the surface, before recommending that the pump come out. The well pump repair page walks through that process.

Replacement comes into the picture when testing points to the pump itself: a motor that will not run with good power reaching it, a pump that runs but no longer delivers water, or a pump that has been pulled and found worn or damaged. Some pumps can be repaired once out of the well; the pro can tell you whether yours is worth it.

Signs a pump may be at the end

• The pump has power but will not start, and the controls test good
• The pump runs but the pressure never builds, with no leak found
• The breaker trips each time the pump starts
• Sand or grit has started coming through, or the water has turned cloudy
• The pump runs far longer than it used to before it shuts off
• Repairs have been made at the surface and the trouble came back

None of these proves the pump has failed. Several can also come from a low water level in the well, a leak in the drop pipe or a fault in the wiring down the well. That is why the pro tests before pulling, and why a pump that has been pulled is examined along with its pipe and wire.

How long a well pump lasts

You will find many figures online for how many years a well pump lasts. We could not find one from a public source we can stand behind, so this site gives none. A pump’s life depends on the pump, the water it lifts, sand and grit, how often it starts and how hard it runs. What helps is a pressure tank and switch in good order, so the pump is not forced to start more than it should; the pressure tank page explains why.

What well pump replacement involves

The job depends on the kind of pump. A jet pump stands above ground, in the house, a basement or a pump house, so it is disconnected and replaced where it sits. A submersible pump hangs down the well on its drop pipe, so the job happens at the wellhead.

1. Power to the pump is shut off and locked out at the breaker.
2. The well cap is removed and the pump, drop pipe and wire are pulled up out of the casing.
3. The old pump, pipe, wire, splices and check valve are examined. What they show can explain why the pump failed.
4. A new pump is chosen for the well and the house, and set at the right depth on the pipe.
5. The wire is spliced, the pump is lowered back down and the cap or sanitary seal goes back on.
6. Power is restored, and the switch, tank and pressure are checked with the new pump running.

Pulling a submersible pump is heavy work. The pump, the pipe full of water and the wire can weigh a lot together, and the job is done with the equipment pump contractors carry for it. Nothing should be dropped down the well, and the casing should never be cut off below the ground: EPA lists that as something not to do.

Choosing the replacement pump

A new pump is not chosen by picking the biggest one. It is matched to the well and the household. The pro may ask, or look up, these things:

What goes into matching a pump to a well

What the pro considers	Why it matters
Depth of the well and where the water stands	The pump has to lift water from where it is to the house
How much water the well can give	A pump that draws more than the well yields can pull the water level down
How much water the household uses at once	Showers, laundry and irrigation running together
The pump’s power supply	The pump has to match the wiring and controls at the house
The size of the casing	The pump has to fit down the well
The pressure switch and tank	The new pump works with the controls and tank it will share

If the well records from the driller exist, find them. They may give the well’s depth and the casing size, which helps the pro plan the job before they arrive. If there are no records, the pro can measure what they need when the pump comes up.

What else gets looked at during the job

With the pump out of the well, it makes sense to check the parts that work with it. The pro may suggest replacing the pressure switch, the check valve, the drop pipe or the wire if they are worn, or recharging or replacing the pressure tank. Ask why each part is recommended and what the pro saw on yours.

What affects the price

This site prints no prices; well pump replacement varies too much from one well to another for a single figure to help. These are the things that change the job, and the pro’s quote should make clear which apply to you:

• Submersible or jet pump, and where it sits
• How deep the pump is set, and how much pipe and wire come up with it
• The pump chosen for the well and the house
• Parts replaced along with the pump: switch, check valve, pipe, wire, tank
• How easy it is to get to the wellhead
• Any permit or paperwork your state or county requires

Licensing for pump installation

Pump installation is licensed work in many states, and your contractor should hold the license your state requires. In Texas, TDLR states that a license is required to install a pump for a water well, and it regulates private water well drilling and pump installation. Ask the pro which license they hold, and check it with your state before the job.

Replacing a pump is not the same as changing the well itself. EPA advises hiring a certified well driller for any new well construction, any modification of the well, and for abandoning and closing an old well. If the pro thinks the well, not the pump, is the problem, see well drilling versus well repair.

After the new pump is in

Replacing a pump opens the well, and that is one of the times EPA says to test right away: test immediately if you replace or repair any part of the well system. CDC asks owners to test after replacing or repairing any part of the well and to use a state-certified laboratory. The well water testing page explains what to test for.

Then keep the paperwork. EPA asks owners to keep accurate records of well maintenance, such as disinfection, that may involve chemicals in the well. Write down the date, what pump went in, how deep it was set and what else was replaced. The next person to work on the well will thank you, and so will a buyer if the house is ever sold.

Questions to ask before the job

• What did your tests show, and why is the pump the fault?
• Can the old pump be repaired, and is it worth it?
• Which pump do you recommend for this well, and why that one?
• Which other parts should be replaced, and what did you see on them?
• Which license do you hold for pump installation in this state?
• Will the well be disinfected after the work, and when should I test the water?

Questions people ask