Well water pressure is low or gone

Weak or missing well pressure is usually a small, findable problem — a waterlogged tank, a clogged filter, or a tripped breaker — long before it means a new pump.

tuneWhat are you noticing?

Select anything that matches and the checklist below reorders to fit. Not sure? Skip it.

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In Canada, on a private well the first thing to check is the pressure tank. If the pump switches on and off every few seconds (short-cycling) and pressure feels weak, the tank has likely lost its air charge. Rap the tank low and high with your knuckles — a waterlogged tank sounds solid all the way up instead of hollow near the top. Ruling it out costs nothing.

Ranked from real-world failure data. The order updates as you select what you’re noticing above.

Likely causes, in the order to check them

Showing the typical order

Beginner-friendly Doable, with care Safety-critical Call a pro

visibilityHow to check the air charge

warning Cut the pump power before you drain the tankDraining and reading the tank means the pump must stay off — if it kicks on against an open valve while you're working, it can spray water or run dry. Switch the pump's breaker OFF and confirm it stays off before you touch the air valve. If the air valve leaks water rather than air, the bladder has failed and the tank needs replacing, not just recharging.

Switch the pump's breaker OFF, then open a tap at the lowest fixture in the house and let it run until it stops — this drains the tank's water pressure to zero.
Find the air valve (a Schrader valve like a tire's) on top of the tank. With the tank drained, press a tire gauge onto it and read the pressure.
A healthy bladder tank reads about 2 psi below the pump's cut-in pressure (commonly ~28 psi for a 30/50 switch). A reading near zero, or water squirting out of the air valve, confirms a waterlogged or failed tank.

buildtire pressure gauge schedule20 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the pump off and the tank drained, top the air charge back up with a bicycle or compressor pump to ~2 psi below the pump's cut-in pressure, then restore power. If air won't hold or water comes out the air valve, the bladder is shot and the tank must be replaced.

With the breaker OFF and the tank drained to zero (a low tap running dry), read the air valve pressure with a tire gauge.
Add air in short bursts with a bike pump or compressor, re-checking, until it sits ~2 psi below the pump's cut-in setting.
Close the tap, switch the breaker back ON, and let the pump refill and pressurize the tank.
Run water and watch the pump: if it now cycles slowly and holds pressure, the recharge worked. If it still short-cycles or the air valve weeps water, replace the tank.

schedule40 min savings$0–20

visibilityHow to check

report The pressure switch is a live 240-volt boxA well pressure switch carries the full 240 volts on both terminals, and it does not de-energize itself when the pump is off — only the breaker does that. Never open the switch cover without switching the pump's breaker OFF and verifying the box is dead. If working on a live 240-volt circuit isn't something you're set up to do safely, adjusting or swapping a pressure switch is a fast, inexpensive job for an electrician or well/pump pro.

First, watch the pressure gauge with power on: note the pressure where the pump cuts in and where it cuts out. Wrong or missing cut-in/cut-out points to the switch.
Switch the pump's breaker OFF and verify it's dead before removing the switch cover — the switch carries the full 240 volts.
With power off, look for burnt, pitted, or corroded contacts and check that the small sensing tube behind the switch isn't plugged with sediment. Either can stop the pump cutting in.

buildmultimeterbuildscrewdriver schedule25 min

handymanHow to fix it

report Live 240 volts — power off and verified before you open itThis swap means working inside a 240-volt box. Both switch terminals stay live until the breaker is off, so cut the pump's breaker, verify the box is dead with a tester, and only then open it. Do not restore power with the cover off. If any of that is outside your comfort zone, hand it to an electrician or well/pump pro — it's a quick, cheap job for them.

With the breaker off and verified dead, photograph the wiring, unthread the old pressure switch from its sensing tube, thread in a matching replacement (match the cut-in/cut-out rating, e.g. 30/50), reconnect line and pump leads, then restore power and confirm it cuts in and out at the right pressures.

Switch the pump's breaker OFF and confirm the switch box is dead with a voltage tester before touching any wire.
Photograph the existing connections, then release the line (incoming 240 V) and load (to-pump) wires and unthread the switch from its 1/4" sensing tube.
Thread on a matching switch — same cut-in/cut-out rating as the old one — sealing the tube threads, and reconnect line-to-line and load-to-load per the label.
Restore power and watch the gauge: the pump should cut in and out at the rated pressures. Adjust the switch springs only per the maker's instructions, and only with the power off.

schedule50 min savings$15–40

Well pressure switchMatch the cut-in/cut-out rating (e.g. 30/50 or 40/60 psi) and the thread size to your old switch

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: permit + inspection required · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: licensed professionals only
Like-for-like replacement of a pressure switch is generally owner-permitted, but the 240 V connection may be restricted — confirm the provincial rule.

handymanHow to fix it

Shut the pump off, relieve pressure at a tap, unscrew the filter housing, swap in a fresh cartridge, refill, and restore power.

Switch the pump's breaker OFF and open a tap to relieve the water pressure in the line.
Unscrew the filter housing (use the plastic wrench that came with it), lift out the old cartridge, and rinse the sump.
Drop in a fresh cartridge of the same size and micron rating, re-seat the O-ring, and hand-tighten the housing.
Restore power, run a tap to purge air, and check for leaks and restored pressure.

schedule20 min savings$5–25

Whole-house sediment filter cartridgeMatch the housing size (commonly 10" or 20") and the micron rating to your old cartridge

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

Pulling and replacing a well pump means heavy submersible or jet-pump work, 240-volt wiring, and matching the pump to the well's depth and yield. Just as important: never let a pump run dry chasing the problem — it can destroy the pump in minutes. Leave the breaker off and have a licensed well/pump specialist diagnose and replace it.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

sort

Why the list is in this order

We don’t sort by likelihood alone. We sort the way a good, honest tradesperson thinks: rule out the free, safe, common causes first. That’s why the cheap checks outrank the expensive repairs — and why anything dangerous gets a hard stop instead of a pep talk. The order exists to save you money, not to sell you anything.