A well problem. Check the breaker and the pressure switch first.
No water is urgent for a household, but a tripped breaker or a stuck pressure switch is a five minute check before anyone pulls a pump.
What is probably happening
- The well pump breaker tripped. Reset once. If it trips again the pump or its wiring has a fault.
- The pressure switch (the small gray box on the pipe by the tank) has stuck contacts or a clogged tube.
- Rapid on and off cycling means the pressure tank has lost its air charge.
- In a drought or late summer, the water table may have dropped below the pump.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Check the well pump breaker at the panel. Reset once only.
- Look at the pressure gauge by the tank. Zero with the pump humming means a pump or well problem. Zero with silence means power or the switch.
- Tap the pressure switch cover lightly. If the pump kicks in, the switch is failing.
- Turn the water heater off if you will be without water for hours.
- Note the pump's age if you know it, and whether the water was sputtering or sandy before it stopped.
Do not
- Do not open the pressure switch cover with the breaker on. It is line voltage.
- Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips again. A shorted pump can burn the wiring.
- Do not let anyone pull the pump before the switch and the tank are checked. Angi puts a pressure switch at $120 to $175 and a pump at $975 to $2,821.
Who to call
A well pump contractor or a licensed plumber who does wells
Many plumbers do not pull well pumps. Ask before they roll a truck. Some states license well contractors separately.
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What it should cost
$373 to $1,624 for repair, $975 to $2,821 for replacement
Well pump repair averages $974. Replacement averages $1,898. Pressure switch $120 to $175
Source: Angi, well pump repair cost, updated September 2026, and well pump replacement cost, updated August 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the plumbing page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Do you pull well pumps yourself, and is that licensed separately in my state?
- Will you test the pressure switch, the tank charge and the pump amperage before quoting a pump?
- What depth is my well and what pump size matches it?
- Is the pressure tank and the drop pipe included if the pump is replaced?
End the call if
- A new pump quoted over the phone with no tests.
- A contractor who cannot tell you the well depth or the pump amperage they measured.
- Cash only and no written scope.