Well Pump Repair in Huntingtown, MD

The Problem

A family in Huntingtown, MD (20639) woke up on a Saturday morning with no water. The pressure gauge on the pressure tank read zero. They called us expecting to need a new well pump — a repair that can cost $1,500–$3,000 depending on the depth of the well.

The pump had been installed 8 years prior and had been working without any issues. The loss of water was sudden with no prior warning signs.

The Diagnosis

Before assuming the pump had failed, we performed a systematic diagnostic. We checked the circuit breaker — it had not tripped. We checked the pressure switch — it was functioning and sending power to the pump.

We then checked the pressure tank. Tapping the tank revealed it was completely solid throughout — a waterlogged tank with no air charge. We confirmed this by checking the air valve: no air pressure at all.

A waterlogged pressure tank causes the pump to short-cycle — turning on and off rapidly for every small water draw. Over time, this excessive cycling can burn out the pump motor. In this case, the pump had apparently been short-cycling for some time, and the motor had finally failed from the stress.

The pump itself had failed, but the root cause was the waterlogged pressure tank that had been causing it to short-cycle.

The Solution

We replaced both the pressure tank and the well pump. Replacing only the pump without addressing the waterlogged tank would have caused the new pump to fail prematurely for the same reason.

We installed a properly sized 20-gallon pressure tank with a pre-charged bladder, set to the correct pre-charge pressure for the system. We also replaced the pressure switch with a new unit.

The new pump was pulled and installed the same day. Water was restored by early afternoon.

The Outcome

Water restored same day. The homeowner now has a properly functioning well system with a correctly sized pressure tank. We also identified that the well water had elevated iron — the homeowner subsequently had a water filtration system installed to protect the new pump.

Key Takeaways

• Always diagnose before replacing — the pump may not be the actual problem
• A waterlogged pressure tank causes pump short-cycling and premature pump failure
• Replacing the pump without replacing a failed pressure tank will cause the new pump to fail
• Well pump failure is often caused by a pressure tank problem, not the pump itself
• Water quality issues (iron, sediment) accelerate pump wear — treat the water