Service 05
Well Pump Maintenance & Annual Checks
A scheduled look at the pressure tank, switch, controls and water quality before something fails on a Sunday.
The short answer
Well pump maintenance is a periodic inspection of the parts that fail first: the pressure tank charge, the pressure switch, the controller and wiring, the well head and pitless adapter, and the water itself. It does not prevent every failure, but it catches the slow ones — a tank losing its air charge, a switch pitted from cycling, a pump drawing more amps each year — while they are still inexpensive to fix.
What usually causes it
A pressure tank that is quietly waterlogged
A bladder tank loses its air charge slowly. Nothing looks wrong until the pump starts cycling every time a tap opens. Checking the pre-charge takes a minute and saves a motor.
A pump working harder than it should
Amp draw creeps up as a motor wears or an impeller pits. Comparing it year over year tells you where the pump is in its life before it fails outright.
Winter arrives with exposed plumbing
Well houses, exposed risers and uninsulated lines freeze in a Lane County cold snap. A autumn check of heat, insulation and drain-down is cheaper than a burst line in January.
Signs it is time to call
Any one of these is worth a phone call. Two or more together usually means something is already failing.
- Pump cycles more often than it used to
- Pressure gauge fluctuates more than it did
- Water tastes or smells different seasonally
- Well house has no heat or insulation
- System has not been inspected in over five years
- Buying a property with an existing well
What an annual check covers
We test the pressure tank pre-charge against the switch settings, inspect the pressure switch contacts for pitting, measure pump amp draw and compare it with the motor rating, check the controller and wiring for heat or corrosion, and look at the well head, pitless adapter and visible plumbing for leaks.
We also check the water for the problems that show up in this region — iron, manganese, hardness, sulphur, low pH and sediment — and tell you whether the treatment you have is still doing its job.
- Pressure tank pre-charge and bladder condition
- Pressure switch cut-in and cut-out settings
- Pump amp draw against nameplate rating
- Controller, capacitor and wiring condition
- Well head, cap and pitless adapter
- Sediment filter and treatment media condition
- Freeze protection and well house condition
How often
Once a year is right for most households. If the well has a history of sand, iron or low yield, twice a year is better. If you are buying a property, have the system checked before closing — a pump that is about to fail is an expensive surprise in the first month of ownership.
What maintenance does not do
A submersible pump cannot be serviced in place. There is no oil to change and no belt to adjust. Maintenance is inspection and tuning, not a tune-up in the automotive sense. If a pump is failing, the fix is a repair or a replacement, and we will say so rather than selling a maintenance plan that cannot solve it.
How the job runs
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01
Book a visit
Weekday appointments, usually with a two-hour arrival window.
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02
Test and inspect
Tank, switch, controls, amps, well head, visible plumbing and water quality.
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03
Report
What is healthy, what needs attention now, what can wait, with prices for anything recommended.
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04
Tune
Re-charge the tank, adjust the switch, replace a filter or a tired component on the spot where possible.
What you get
- Catches a waterlogged tank before it takes out the motor
- Year-over-year amp readings that show pump wear
- Winter freeze protection checked before the first hard frost
- No maintenance contract required — one visit at a time
How often should a well pump be serviced?
Once a year for a typical household. Twice a year if the well produces sand, has high iron, or has a history of low yield. The inspection is mostly measurement — tank charge, switch settings, amp draw — plus a look at the parts that corrode.
What does well pump maintenance cost?
It is a service call plus the time on site. We quote it when you book, and anything we recommend afterwards is priced separately so you can decide.
Can you check a well before I buy a house?
Yes. A pre-purchase well inspection covers the pump, tank, controls, visible plumbing and a water sample. It is the cheapest way to find out that the pump is at the end of its life before you own it.
Do I need to drain my system for winter?
Only if the well house or lines are unheated and cannot be kept above freezing. Most occupied homes are fine with a heat source and insulation. Vacant or seasonal properties should be drained down. We can walk through your setup and tell you which applies.
Will maintenance extend the life of my pump?
It helps, mostly by keeping the pressure tank healthy and the switch from chattering. Short cycling is the single biggest killer of submersible motors, and it is almost always a tank or switch problem that a yearly check would have caught.
Related services
Pressure tank repair
Testing pre-charge, replacing failed bladders and sizing a new tank so the pump stops short-cycling.
Read morePump diagnostics
Pressure, amperage, flow and drawdown testing to find the actual fault instead of replacing parts by guesswork.
Read moreWell water testing
Sampling and interpretation for bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, iron, manganese, hardness and pH.
Read moreWell pump maintenance across the service area
This service is available throughout Lane, Linn, Benton and Douglas counties. These pages cover the towns we are called to most.
Talk to a well tech
Not sure whether it is the pump, the tank or the well?
That is what the phone is for. Describe what the water is doing and we will tell you what it sounds like.
Request service
Book well pump maintenance
Send the details and we will call back with a time. If the water is off now, call 541-935-7867 instead.
Phone
Based in
22071 Fisk Rd
Noti, OR 97461
Emergency
No water, a burst line or a pump that will not stop: call any hour, including weekends.