No Water From Your Well? Run the Triage
Work through this checklist in order — most no-water calls come down to power, and every check below is one a homeowner can do safely. Anything involving opening electrical boxes, 240-volt wiring, or pulling the pump is a call-a-pro step, and this tool tells you the moment you’ve reached one. This is a guide, not a diagnosis: it narrows the possibilities so you either fix the simple thing or call a pro with useful information.
One rule before you start: the only electrical step in this checklist is flipping the well breaker. Never open the pressure-switch cover, the control box, or your panel’s dead-front — well equipment runs on 240 volts.
If your system has a constant-pressure (VFD) drive — a control box with a digital display instead of a simple pressure switch — skip this tool and call a pro who knows VFD well systems. The troubleshooting is different.
Honest limits
- A guide, not a diagnosis. Every endpoint above says “points to” or “suggests” — on purpose. A real diagnosis needs eyes and a meter on the equipment, and this tool will never tell you “your pump is dead.”
- The breaker flip is the only electrical step. Opening the pressure-switch cover, the control box, or the panel’s dead-front is 240-volt work — pro only, always.
- What this tool doesn’t cover: variable-frequency (constant-pressure) systems; low-pressure-cutoff switch resets; jet pumps that need priming; a well that’s actually run dry (dropping water levels, deepening the well — well-contractor territory); and anything about water safety. If you see flooding around the wellhead or a cracked well cap, get the water tested — mechanical fixes and water safety are separate problems.
- If an outcome says call a pro, tell them which step you reached. “The tank taps normally but the switch chatters” saves a service tech real diagnostic time.
Want the full explanation behind every check? Read pump and pressure tank troubleshooting.
Where every claim in this checklist comes from
Every branch above traces to at least two published sources — university extension guides, manufacturer technical documents, and licensed well contractors’ troubleshooting procedures. Nothing from filter-vendor blogs, nothing invented.
| Claim | Sources |
|---|---|
| Typical switch cycle is a 20-psi spread (30/50, 40/60) | Contoocook Artesian Well: Troubleshooting Guide for No Water Pressure Situations |
| Reset a tripped well breaker once; if it trips again, stop and call a pro. Well equipment runs 220–240V | Blair Norris: Diagnosing Well Pump Problems 101 |
| Tank air charge should be ~2 psi below cut-in — 28 psi for 30/50, 38 psi for 40/60 — checked with power off and tank drained | McCullough Pump Repair: How to Check Your Well Pressure Tank; Blair Norris |
| Tap test: hollow ring = air cushion, solid thud = waterlogged; water from the air valve = ruptured bladder | Carroll Water: Pressure Tank is Waterlogged; Blair Norris |
| A well driller or competent plumber should determine the exact cause of water loss | Penn State Extension: Managing Your Well During Drought |
| Pressure-switch covers and control boxes are 240V — not homeowner work; VFD systems need a VFD-familiar pro | Nebraska Extension, via our pump and pressure tank troubleshooting guide |