The short answer
Low water pressure on a well in Northern Virginia comes from a short list of places: a clogged sediment filter or treatment unit, a pressure tank that lost its air, a pressure switch set low or failing, or a pump that’s worn out or can’t keep up with the well. The gauge on the pipe by your pressure tank sorts them in a minute. If one faucet is weak and the rest are fine, the problem is that faucet, not the well.
Read the gauge
Find the round gauge near the pressure tank. Open a tub faucet and watch it.
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| One faucet is weak, the rest are fine | A clogged aerator or a bad valve at that faucet. Our low water pressure guide covers it. |
| Low everywhere, but the gauge reads normal | Something between the tank and the taps: a clogged sediment filter, a softener or another treatment unit |
| The gauge never gets to cut-out, and the pump runs and runs | A worn pump, a well that can’t keep up, or a leak in the drop pipe down the well |
| The pump starts every few seconds and the pressure surges | The pressure tank lost its air. See well pressure tank problems. |
| The gauge falls with nothing running | A leak somewhere, or a check valve letting water fall back down the well |
| No pressure, and the pump is silent | Power, the pressure switch, or its low-pressure cutoff. See what to check when the water stops and the pressure switch guide. |
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Start with the filter
A lot of well homes have a sediment filter, and often a softener or other treatment, between the tank and the house. A clogged cartridge drops the pressure everywhere while the gauge at the tank looks fine. If yours is past due, change it and see. Whole-house filters and softeners explains what each one does.
Then the tank and the switch
If the pump clicks on every few seconds, look at the tank. If the pressure feels fine one moment and weak the next, watch the gauge through a full cycle: a 30/50 switch should start the pump at 30 and stop it at 50. A 30/50 setting can feel weak on an upstairs shower. Going to 40/60 helps only if the pump can reach 60, and that’s worth having a plumber check before anyone turns the nuts.
Then the pump and the well
If the pump runs a long time and the gauge never reaches cut-out, the pump is tired, the well isn’t giving enough water, or the drop pipe has a leak. This is where testing beats guessing. Our plumbers test the pump’s pressure and amp draw and check the wire before anyone says the word replace. Sometimes the answer is to pull the pump and look at it, which runs $1,300 to $2,000: pull, inspect and reinstall.
When the pump has to be replaced, our plumbers do it for $2,781 to $4,000. From about $46 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. That’s a new submersible pump on your existing drop pipe and wire: the old pump pulled, the new one set at the right depth, wired and tested for pressure and amp draw.
Every well price we charge is on our well pump price page, and the well pump estimator gives you a range from a few questions. Well work is part of the plumbing work we do across Northern Virginia: our well pump page has the rest.
Things that surprise people
- No permit for a pump swap. Under Virginia private well rules, replacing a well pump, or a cap or seal with an equivalent one, isn’t a well alteration, so it doesn’t need a VDH well permit. Building, deepening or altering the well does, and that’s a job for a well driller.
- Power out means water out. The pump runs on electricity, so when the power goes, so does the pump, and you have only what’s left in the pressure tank. What to do in a winter outage covers the rest of the house.
- Shock it after a repair. Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends shock chlorinating the well after any repair, then testing for bacteria again one to two weeks later.
Book it
A plumbing diagnosis visit is $49, or $250 after hours, and you get the price of the fix before we start. Call (703) 997-9757, day or night, or book online with the problem already filled in. Every current deal is on our offers page. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Why is my well water pressure suddenly low?
Sudden low pressure usually means a clogged sediment filter, a pressure tank that lost its air, or a pump that’s failing. Check the gauge by the tank: if it reads normal, look at the filter; if it never climbs to cut-out, it’s the pump or the well.
How do I increase water pressure on my well?
Change the sediment filter first. If the tank’s air charge is right and the pump can reach it, a plumber can raise the switch from 30/50 to 40/60. Set it higher than your pump can build and it runs nonstop.
Do I need a permit to replace a well pump in Virginia?
No. Under the state’s private well rules, replacing a pump with an equivalent one isn’t a well alteration, so no VDH well permit is needed. Drilling, deepening or altering the well itself does need one.
How do I know if my well pump is going bad?
It runs longer than it used to, the gauge never reaches cut-out, the pressure fades during a shower, or the breaker trips. A plumber can test the pressure and amp draw before anything gets pulled.
What should my well pressure gauge read?
It should swing between your switch’s two numbers, usually 30 to 50 or 40 to 60, every time the pump cycles.
