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No Water From Your Well? What to Check and When to Call

If you opened a tap in Powhatan County, or in Goochland, Amelia, Cumberland or western Chesterfield, and nothing came out, start here. On a private well, dry faucets point to the power, the pump, the pressure switch, the tank, a broken pipe, or how much water is left in the well. This page lists the five checks that are safe to make yourself, what VDH warns against, the likely causes, how this fall's drought fits in, and what to tell a well pump contractor when you call.

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Kitchen faucet sputtering a weak, broken stream of water into a stainless steel sink, with a window onto the woods
A kitchen faucet sputtering a weak, broken stream into the sink.

Safety first

The Virginia Department of Health's advice to well owners is plain: "do not make your own adjustment to well pumps." Its emergency guidance cites "significant injury hazards, including electrical shock and loss of limbs," and Virginia Cooperative Extension's Erin Ling has given the same warning during this year's drought. NEHA's well-owner fact sheet adds that damaged electrical wires should never be touched under any circumstances. Keep the pressure switch cover on and leave every wire to the contractor.

Five checks you can safely make

  1. Is the power out? If the house has lost power, so has the pump. When it comes back, NEHA advises making sure the well pump is off at the breaker before you look around the well, and turning it back on only if nothing looks damaged.
  2. Has the well's breaker tripped? Find the breaker for the well pump in your panel. If it's tripped, flip it back on one time only. A second trip means stop and leave it off. And if the pump won't start, NEHA's advice is to turn the electricity off and call a well contractor.
  3. What does the pressure gauge read? Most systems have a gauge on or beside the pressure tank. Write the number down. A gauge near zero with dry taps tells you the system isn't building pressure, and NEHA notes that a system losing pressure may run the pump even when no water is being used.
  4. Is there a visible leak? Look over the tank, the exposed fittings and pipes, and the yard along the line from the well to the house for a wet patch. NEHA points out that low pressure can come from a burst pipe.
  5. Then call, and tell the contractor what you found.

Leave these alone

  • The pressure switch and its cover.
  • Any wiring, the control box, or a constant-pressure controller. A trade article in The Driller warns that these controllers can hold several hundred volts after shutdown.
  • The well cap and the pump itself.
  • A breaker that has tripped a second time.

Why the water stops

Drought takes the blame, but Penn State Extension's fact sheet on managing a well during drought says "the most frequent cause is a malfunctioning or worn-out submersible pump." The other causes it lists:

  • A malfunctioning electrical switch at the pressure tank.
  • A pressure tank that has worn out; the fact sheet notes tanks need replacing from time to time.
  • Iron bacteria or sediment clogging the well and severely restricting flow.
  • A water level that has sunk below where the pump hangs.

Then there's the electrical side. HomeAdvisor lists breaker repairs ($100 to $250), control box replacements and motor start capacitors among common well pump repairs. Sorting out which one it is takes a contractor at the well. Well pump repair explains what each part does.

Is it the drought?

It could be. DEQ's October 2, 2026 drought update listed Powhatan, Goochland, Amelia and Cumberland in drought warning, with Chesterfield one step lower at drought watch, and reported that groundwater levels had generally declined. In August, Erin Ling reported a "moderate increase" in private wells running dry. Virginia Tech explains that groundwater recharges mostly in winter and spring, that most summer rain never reaches it, and that it usually bottoms out in late September or October. It adds that faucets that sputter, or pressure that sags, can be a sign the water has fallen below the pump.

Even so, rule out the pump, switch and tank before writing the well off as dry. Under a drought warning, VDH asks private well owners to stop non-essential uses such as lawn watering, washing paved surfaces and topping off pools. For a well with low or no flow during the drought, local news reports passed along the advice to contact your local health department:

  • Powhatan and Chesterfield: Chesterfield Health District, Environmental Health, (804) 748-1691
  • Goochland: Goochland Health Department (Chickahominy Health District), (804) 556-5843
  • Amelia: Amelia County Health Department, Piedmont Health District, (804) 561-2711
  • Cumberland: Cumberland County Health Department, currently housed in the Prince Edward Health Department, (434) 392-8187

Drought and dry wells covers what can be done when the water level really is the problem.

While you're without water

VDH suggests keeping enough bottled drinking water for your household for three days, at about one gallon per person per day for drinking and hygiene. That's 12 gallons for a family of four and 6 for a couple, and worth keeping on hand before the next outage too.

When water returns after a storm, an outage or flooding, VDH's emergency steps start with looking at it for cloudiness or odor, and NEHA recommends testing for coliform bacteria and nitrate before use. Storms, floods and earthquakes, VDH warns, "can render water supply from private wells unfit for use as a drinking water source."

After the repair

If getting your water back meant pulling the pump or other work inside the well casing, Virginia's well regulations (12VAC5-630-410 and -430) call for chlorine disinfection afterward, either 100 mg/L held for 24 hours or an approved equivalent. Ask the contractor when the well will be disinfected and when the water is fine to use. For a lab test afterward, Virginia Cooperative Extension runs drinking water clinics; Powhatan's 2019 clinic charged $60 a kit and tested for coliform, E. coli, nitrate, lead and other items.

What to tell the contractor

  • When the water stopped, and whether it sputtered or lost pressure first.
  • What the pressure gauge reads.
  • Whether the breaker tripped, and whether it held after one reset.
  • Whether there was a storm, power outage or flooding.
  • The age of the pump and well, and the depth if your well completion report shows it.
  • Whether the pump is down in the well (a submersible) or above ground (a jet pump), if you know.
  • How a truck can reach the wellhead.

On cost, HomeAdvisor (2022) puts a typical well service call at $100 to $150, up to $300 with flat-rate pricing, and says after-hours and weekend rates usually run about double. The cost guide covers repair and replacement ranges.

No-water questions

Is it safe to reset the well pump breaker?

Once. If it trips again, leave it off; a breaker that won't hold is a sign of an electrical fault that needs finding. If the pump still won't start, NEHA says to turn the power off and call a well contractor.

Why did the faucets sputter before the water quit?

Virginia Tech links sputtering and weak pressure to a water level that has slipped below the pump, which fits a drought year. NEHA adds that air hissing from a tap between spurts of water can mean the system has lost pressure. A contractor can tell which.

Can a well that ran dry come back?

Sometimes. Penn State Extension notes that if the level only drops below the pump during heavy use, cutting back may be enough. If it stays low, lowering the pump usually buys time rather than solving it, and deepening the well or drilling a new one are the more permanent answers. Groundwater mainly recharges in winter and spring.

How much water should I keep for a well outage?

VDH suggests three days' worth at about one gallon per person per day. For four people, that's 12 gallons.

Who do I contact if the drought dries up my well?

VDH's advice is to call a well professional rather than adjust the pump yourself, and local news coverage of the drought advised telling your local health department about low or no flow. The numbers for each county are listed above.

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