The Private Well

What is your well doing?

Pick what you're seeing. Get the checks in order, the ones the makers give owners, and see where they say to call a pro. Then the full page, with every rule dated. We sell nothing: no drillers, no pumps, no leads.

Pick what you're seeing

No water at any tap: check in order

  1. Read the gauge by the tankWrite the number down. Zero or near zero usually means no water is reaching the tank.Goulds IM251R01, p. 5
  2. Check the pump's breaker or fuseIf you reset a breaker and it trips again, leave it off: a repeat trip is a fault for an electrician.Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 15; Grundfos 3835175 (2006 edition), p. 12
  3. Breaker on? WaitA tripped thermal protector resets by itself once the motor cools. A Grundfos SQ that stopped on dry running starts again by itself after 5 minutes.Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 15; Grundfos 3835175, p. 10
  4. A lever on the side of the switchOn Square D's Form M4, find the reason first, then move the lever to Start and hold it until the pressure keeps the contacts closed. The cover stays on.Square D 65013-005-39 (September 2025), p. 1
  5. A constant-pressure driveCount the flashes of its fault light and write them down. Your drive's manual has its own code list.Franklin SubDrive Utility 226115120 Rev 003 (10/20), p. 32
  6. The makers' line: past here, a qualified electrician or licensed pump installer
  7. For a licensed pro: A breaker that trips again, the control box, any wiringGoulds ends almost every 'motor not running' cause with a qualified electrician (IM096 Rev 14, p. 15).
  8. For a licensed pro: Tests before the pump comes outLine voltage, current on every motor wire, insulation and winding resistance (Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 28).

Before you start

Some pump controls hold lethal voltage after the power is off: Franklin says allow 5 minutes before removing covers (AIM M1311, printed p. 3). Nothing here asks you to remove one.

Suddenly no water from your well Well pump not working

Pump won't shut off: check in order

  1. Watch the gauge, every tap closedDoes it climb to the cut-out on your switch's label, stall below it, or go past it?Goulds IM251R01, p. 5
  2. Look for water being used or lostA tap, toilet, hose or sprinkler running, water where it shouldn't be, or wet ground along the line to the house.Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 26; Goulds IM102 Rev 13, p. 12
  3. Still running with nothing open?Switch it off at the breaker and let the well recover.Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 26
  4. Above the cut-out and still runningKeep the breaker off. Franklin lists welded switch contacts as a cause.Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 26; Amtrol 9015-939 (04/18), p. 4
  5. The makers' line: past here, a licensed pump installer
  6. For a licensed pro: Switch contacts, check valve, drop pipe, worn pumpFranklin's fixes are written for technically qualified personnel (AIM M1311, printed p. 3 and 26).
  7. For a licensed pro: Any switch workSquare D: installed, operated and maintained only by qualified personnel (65013-005-39, p. 2).

A sign to watch

Amtrol says the relief valve is there to protect the tank if the switch fails to shut the pump off (9015-939, p. 4). A relief valve discharging while the pump runs can be a sign of this.

Every symptom, check by check

Clicks on and off: check in order

  1. Time one cycleOpen one tap. Note the gauge when the pump starts and when it stops, and count the seconds it runs. Franklin asks for at least one minute of running per start.Goulds IM251R01, p. 5; Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 4
  2. Compare the two numbersGoulds gives a differential of 20 psi, not over 25 psi, and says to call a qualified professional if the system doesn't hold it.Goulds IM251R01, p. 5
  3. Leave the tank's air aloneDon't add air or adjust the precharge after a loss of air, with visible corrosion, or when the cycle time has dropped: the tank could rupture.Amtrol 9015-939 (04/18), p. 2 and p. 4
  4. The makers' line: a tank that has lost its air goes to a qualified professional
  5. For a licensed pro: Tank precharge, check valve, switchThe installer drains the tank, reads its precharge and decides whether it can stay (Amtrol 9015-939, p. 2; Goulds IM251R01, p. 5).

Why it matters

Franklin limits starts per day on its motors: 300 a day up to 0.75 HP, 100 a day for single-phase motors of 1 to 5.5 HP (AIM M1311, printed p. 4).

Waterlogged pressure tank

Low pressure at every tap: check in order

  1. Read the gauge through one full cycleWrite down cut-in and cut-out. If they match the switch's setting and the pump stops on time, the system is doing what it was set to do.Goulds IM251R01, p. 5
  2. Never reaches cut-out?Treat it as a pump that keeps running: look for leaks and use, and switch the pump off to let the well recover if it runs on.Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 26
  3. A higher cut-in means a higher prechargePrecharge sits 2 psi below cut-in, 28 psi on a 30/50 switch. Adjusting it is for a qualified professional.Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 3; Goulds IM251R01, p. 5; Amtrol 9015-939, p. 2
  4. The makers' line: switch, voltage and pump work, a qualified professional
  5. For a licensed pro: A pump that can't reach its pressureLift, submergence and wear, checked against the pump's curve (Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 15).
  6. For a licensed pro: Changing the switch settingSquare D: qualified personnel only (65013-005-39, p. 2).

Use the tool

The precharge and switch settings calculator shows the makers' figures for each switch setting.

Every symptom, check by check

No water after a power cut: check in order

  1. Was anything under water? StopLeave the power off until the wiring has been checked by a qualified electrician, well contractor or pump contractor.EPA 816-F-05-021; CDC (29 May 2025)
  2. Check the pump's breakerOne that trips again stays off for an electrician.Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 15; Grundfos 3835175, p. 12
  3. Give it a few minutesRestarting a Franklin 2-wire motor within 5 seconds of power loss may trip its overload; a tripped thermal protector resets by itself once the motor cools.Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 11; Goulds IM096 Rev 14, p. 15
  4. A lever on the switchWith the fault fixed and the cover on, hold the lever at Start until the pressure keeps the contacts closed.Square D 65013-005-39, p. 1
  5. A drive or a Grundfos SQWrite down any fault-light code. Grundfos's SQ reset is to switch off the supply for 1 minute.Franklin 226115120 Rev 003, p. 31-32; Grundfos 3835175, p. 10
  6. The makers' line: past here, a qualified electrician or pump contractor
  7. For a licensed pro: Flooded equipment, a dead control box, surge damageFlooded equipment is checked before it runs (EPA 816-F-05-021); surge damage by the same tests as under no water (Franklin AIM M1311, printed p. 28).
  8. For a licensed pro: A generator connectionGoulds lists 'power source inadequate for load' (IM096 Rev 14, p. 15); how a generator is connected to the house is an electrician's job.

After a storm

Don't climb into a well pit: gases and vapors can build up there (CDC, page dated 29 May 2025).

Every symptom, check by check

The checks the makers give owners, in order, and where they hand the job to a qualified electrician or a licensed pump installer. Power off first for any step that touches the equipment.

Browse by topic

How we check.

Every step comes from the maker's own manual, by document number and page; every rule from the state code or the federal page, with the date we read it. We sell nothing and refer no one.

Read our method
Recently published

More guides