Well water question for any plumbers

“Hoping” there’s a simple fix for this…

I have a seasonal cabin up north that we just opened up this weekend and unfortunately we had a anti-sweat valve pex connection break (must have had some water left over from when we blew the pipes out last fall) so I had a plumber come out and he fixed the issue. Fast forward 4 hours later and after filling a bath for the kids ALL water stopped (zero hot or cold out of ANY faucets, not even air). I waited a few minutes and turned the Well breaker off/on and 30-60 seconds later the water came back on (not sure if this was due to the breaker cycling or not)

Fast forward another 24 hours and it did it again except this time it wouldn’t come back on…. I crawled under the cabin and the holding tank was pretty much empty but everything from my untrained eyes looked fine…

Well was newly drilled 7 years ago and the pump and 22 pound pressure holding take were all newly installed at the same time. We never have had any pressure issues or brown/silty water…

I plan on calling an area plumber tomorrow, but curious if any IDO plumbers might know what it could likely be? Electrical? Pressure valve? Holding tank? Well?

Any help much appreciated!

Sounds like an electrical problem. First thing I would do is check the pressure switch to make sure it has power and is closed. Then I would test the capacitor.

Couple other points I forgot to include is that the second time it happened was during the 2nd of consecutive showers taken, so both times it happened were after significant water use events (bath tub fill and showers)

Lastly we have alot of Asian beetles in our area and they love to huddle around electrical outlets and nooks and crannies to stay warm, its possible they could have got inside the pressure switch or other component and caused something?

Not sure if that helps with anything but wanted to provide as much info as possible…

Check the air pressure in your tank (with the tank completely drained). You want it to be about 2 psi lower than your cut in setting.

If that checks out and your pressure switch is acting normal, it sounds like your screen could be getting plugged or your well isn’t very deep into the water table.

The well at our new house “runs dry” if we use a bunch of water in a short time.

Found that out this winter when the kids filled the jacuzzi tub and Mom was running the washing machine and dishwasher at the same time. I immediately checked the breaker and shut it off.

I asked the previous owner about it, and she said it’s done that since new (23 years ago).

I am not a plumber, but have some experience. As was already suggested, I would start with the pressure switch. The contacts on the switch can get dirty and not allow proper contact which will prevent the pump from getting power. Cleaning the contacts is pretty easy with just some emery cloth. Just make sure the power is off before trying anything. I like to verify with a voltage tester to be 100 percent sure.

I appreciate the responses!

The pressure tank won’t have anything to do with not having water but just cause the well to short cycle….I will be ordering a new pressure tank tomorrow, mine just died 1 year out of warranty. I agree with the switch, I have a light wired into the pump that turns on when the pump is getting power which is helpful since you can’t always hear if the well pump is running. You can do the same thing with a tester, see if you are getting power going to the pump?

Call the well company. Who else would be more familiar with your system than them?

Bet your water table has dropped and you are running out causing the pump to overheat and trip.

talked to my well guy, he’s 99% sure its a Pressure Switch issue, i’ll post what the final resolution is…

If the pump is not running then it is electrical which in the case of a well first thing is the pressure switch. As onestout mentioned clean the contacts and dollar to doughnuts your pump will work.

Update/Resolution – took the Pressure Switch cover off and it was filled with ladybugs… a few got stuck/fried between the switch plates, little ba$tard$!

I plan on covering the switch with a mesh butterfly net to keep them out moving forward…

Thanks to all that helped!

Glad it was something simple and inexpensive. My uncle is a plumber/excavator and I used to help him out from time to time so I know enough to have a general idea, then I bought our current house. Drain field failed, couple septic tank pumps, float switch recently failed, 2 pressure tanks, 1 just out of warranty, and the 52 year old well pump, which failed in January during the big snows of last year. The previous owner had the well cap in the middle of a fence, at least I had moved the fence knowing I would need access to the pump some day. I’m getting good at knowing what the cause of the problems are.

That was my 2nd guess, Asian Beatles. Always messing with the plumbing.

Mike W wrote:

That was my 2nd guess, Asian Beatles. Always messing with the plumbing.

Growing up our pressure switch was hanging on a wire run between the base of the windmill, we would have issues with it every winter until we finally dug it in and moved it inside in to the basement.

NowthenJoe wrote:

“Just make sure the power is off before trying anything. I like to verify with a voltage tester to be 100 percent sure.”

We had an electrician get bit a couple of months ago.
One of two sump pumps was tagged out at the breaker and he verified it deenergized with a meter. However, when the float contacts closed, the pump energized. Turns out the pumps had been rewired some time in the past and leads were re-landed in the wrong spots which made the labeling wrong. The error wasn’t a problem until the float switch activated. Make sure you understand what it is you’re testing.