No Water. Most Common Reason a Water Well Runs Dry. Well Pump Troubleshooting Starts Here

[@jeff95050]

The big difference between you and the rest is you are knowledgeable and you are a natural investigator. You know how the design of items within your trade work. When they dont, you diagnose, investigate and identify where things are not correct. You then methodically and efficiently follow the fault and let it lead you to the root cause. Nearly EVERYBODY else lacks proper understanding of the technology and they, what we call in the electronic equipment field, shotgun the solution. They may also call it wonder fixes, as in "Hmm.. I wonder if this might fix it?". You sir are a gem and always worth more than you are paid.

[@johnparrish1096]

At your age, you have a Dad or other family member that passed on the breath of knowledge and wisdom you possess. You are an impressive young man.

[@scottfrost4816]

i am a contract water system Operator turned well guy as a result of forest fires leaving hundreds of homes without water. your videos help ALOT.

[@taylorbabe797]

Don't know if you read your comments but I'm having a similar issue and I think you just saved me a few 1000 dollars. Toilet ran for three years unnoticed. Let's hope my foot valve isn't the issue now

[@skc3917]

There was nothing stupid in your video. I paid a local plumber to replace my water pump when 2 of my bathrooms were leaking. Thank you for your informative instruction video. What you do there is protect us clueless homeowners from shady work and inflated, unjustified billing.

[@mountainplumbing]

Plumber here. Love the Video's. For a quick easy test for all the home owners out there. Put Kool Aid in the tank to see if the Flapper is leaking. Found some crazy, unrelated stuff thru the years with Kool Aid Tracking down where sewers end up and some water pipe leaks too. No one seems to get real mad when I put kool aid in there water pipes. :)

[@johnstreet797]

a few drops of blue food coloring works too

[@karlschwab6437]

I would not ever thought of this! Many thanks.

[@jt0mi]

Awesome information!! No one ever makes the connection from a pump to a running toilet etc, they always wanna replace the pump! Great, honest, informative video - you are appreciated!

[@monicagrorud2225]

Clever boy! This is what you tube is for ,smart, informative information. Thank you. Wish you were in australia

[@MM-fq9gi]

When I was first repairing toilets in the 60's, we had to bend the float rod to adjust toilet tank levels.

[@spelunkerd]

I love that tip to turn the breaker off overnight, then look at water closets to spot the culprit. Singing toilets are easy to spot, but the silent dripper can fool even a plumber.

[@jenko701]

Another great sign to teach people is , if you see the tank sweating, that lets you know that the tank is cold because it is constantly getting replenished with cold water and falls below the due point.

[@TheJdubb235]

Your videos are always so helpful brother!

[@theElderberryFarmer]

Great video, sir. This is the sort of thing that folks learned routinely back in the day, but that sort of self-reliant thinking has faded. I'm happy to see you helping to renew that understanding in people! Folks who buy a home really need to learn some of this stuff. Calling in a plumber to replace a fill valve and a flapper and maybe a flush handle on a toilet can cost a small fortune. If you do it yourself, you are in for only $20 or so in parts and an hour's work. To be honest, there is nothing I like less than plumbing - except for spending hundreds of bucks on a plumber to do something I can do myself! Take care and God Bless.

[@josephhalas1676]

Keep the videos coming. Always learn little things from you. Thanks

[@eustacesamson3877]

Your video’s are all informative your an honest person. I don’t have a well but I love watching your videos very knowledgeable.

[@bernadetteosantowski9778]

Your just so full of all kinds of information, if everybody would listen they would have so much knowledge as you do. 👍

[@hp7033]

My well system has a variable frequency drive. One of the side effects is that when it's pumping, I can hear the hissing of the electronic control unit right near where I watch TV. My brain seems to be tuned to alert me when that hissing is too regular. Then I can go around and check the toilets, humidifier, RO system, outdoor faucets, etc. Not saying a VFD is the right answer for everyone, but it's a handy 'feature'. Love your common sense approach to problems.

[@ThomasWidmann-s7g]

I subscribed! It great to see someone that actually diagnoses problems before just changing parts or digging a new well. I recently had to change mu submersible pump. Ohmed out, grounded out. 60 ft deep, lots of rust bacteria. Put a new pump and it reaches water but starts sucking air in about a minute. Very slow to regenerate. The well is 6 in steel cased at least 40 years old. Is it possible that an acid cleaning will help? Are there actually screens on the well pipe? Second question, my next door neighbor installed a pump and dump geo thermal heat pump two years ago. Stupid, I would think its really going to shorten the life of his pump with it running constantly. What are the odds his constant pumping is effecting my well negatively? Thanks for what you do.

[@johnbutler5208]

Not stupid I just checked mine last week and it was leaking. Gave it a good cleaning now everything is OK. When you have a well you have to keep on top of these things.

[@carljorgensen2813]

Thank you much. Since I’ve been watching your videos I’ve learned a lot. Thank you and keep up the good work..

[@randyfinfrock143]

Great common sense fixes. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@gainestruk1]

Excellent info, running water thru toilet will over load the lateral lines for the septic tank, that will keep the septic tank from doing its job, if you are on city water running toilets will cost you a small fortune on the water bill, I keep 2 replace kits in my furnace closet just in case (if you keep spare kits be sure and use them first as the rubber will dry out over a few years) I change both mine every 2 to 5 years kits are only $25 to $40 dollars, very cheep insurance against leak's.

[@jenko701]

The masking tape idea for nights of extreme cold for your toilet is a great technique for those nights only . Thanks for the idea .

[@Dirtbug473]

I live in Central oregon. Our well pump went bad, lack of water. A pump guy put amp meter on controller, it wasn't showing enough load ie....no water. I discovered I have 38 inches if water at 141 ft. I put in a 24 volt solar pump . We get 1.4 gallons/ minute. We get 300 gallons a day to our cistern.

[@Dirtbug473]

I just retired from excavating and septic system installer with a DEQ license. This guy is right on....excellent info. If your on a private well and septic system....leaky toilets can even over load an older drain field....over saturation.

[@bluegrassbecky1018]

Please say/explain more

[@coryachenbach6684]

you can put red food coloring in the tank as well before you leave and look for it in the bowl when you come back home

[@Iloveyhwh_1974]

Incredible. I had no idea of this. Hope this helps my issue.

[@wayneakins7850]

Watch the flush valve also for seepage

[@eheproductions5744]

Seriously saved my a** man! Thank you, seems simple but unless you've looked for it so easy to miss. Would have been the last place I thought to check!

[@dixiewade8373]

Excellent, informative video. Lived on various acreages for 35 years and never knew this.

[@vaalrus]

First thing I do when a customer would tell me their cistern is leaking… let’s check the toilets. I’ve even had homeowners call the tank manufacturer to send someone out to check for leaks in the tank when it’s just a toilet running 24/7. Still not as bad as the plumber who directed the daily, (and set to maximum) back-flush on the water softener, and the bypass from the RO filter directly into the septic system. Between the saturation and the salt, I had to tear up their entire yard, attempt some soil remediation, and deploy a whole new treatment mound. The kicker is that the well and treatment system worked perfectly for years in the the temporary apartment built out of a garage package while the “proper” house was built. Instead of leaving everything in the mechanical room in the (soon to be) bonus garage+workshop, where the clean waste water was sent to a down-slope surface discharge, the plumber insisted on moving everything into the basement of the new house. so much unneeded work.

[@h2omechanic]

Yup! Never dump the softener backwash into the septic! High levels of salt isn't good for the bacteria in the septic tank.

[@vaalrus]

@@h2omechanic Worse. I’m over ancient glacial lakebed, the salt causes the clay to flocculate and seal tight, so there’s no percolation after the sand treatment layer, and just flows up. Sometimes an application of liquid lime sulpher can get things flowing underground again, but we ended up basically excavating the whole system up and starting from scratch.

[@souperdave2009]

​@@vaalrusdammit man

[@danielcorkey1083]

Really helpful, thank you!

[@alanlevine3984]

Great advice.

[@sissymurphy9620]

you are a great teacher

[@carlformsma8075]

Yeah it's does makes difference, I find that every person that is they too many toilet in house hold that will affect all cases.

[@ryangibson1900]

Hey bud, i have a well thats giving me issues. Lots of air in the lines. So it builds pressure on the gauge and the pressure switch kicks and slowly leaks down over a couple mins and repeats the cycle over and over. What do i check now maybe a leak at bottom of well pump or a bad check valve? Thank you!

[@todddewell6314]

Very good information. Thank-you.

[@waylonhartwell]

Even on city water and septic check your toilets I don't know how many houses I've been in as a technician for a cable and heard till it's running and told customers that the toilets are running and then they wondered why their water bill was higher than it used to be it takes to being a bit of a maintenance guy from my aunt for her rental property I've learned to deal with toilets so been able to tell all the people how to fix their own toilet

[@philipneri9482]

That’s a deep well!…oly chit!….most excellent video!

[@Iloveyhwh_1974]

Ty so much!!!! Wow!!!!!

[@Keith_Mikell]

It blows my mind how people overlook the little things. How could you have masking tape stuck in your toilet flapper like really? How could you let your toilet overflow like that like really? Phil you have all the awareness in the world the world needs to borrow some of it.😢

[@lytran8255]

Thanks bro. You are perfect good man

[@JoseOrtiz-zb7gq]

Awesome ty.

[@LuMaxQFPV]

People never learn how the basic things in their homes work. Used to, but now, they don't. I'm a science guy, fix everthing, etc kind of guy. It is mind numbing how little folks know, and how that ignorance puts them at a very real risk of injury or death in their homes. They are CLUELESS about all of it, furnace, water heater, gas appliance vents, etc.

[@rogervaillant6044]

Great video 👍

[@garylee1544]

Good Stuff!

[@stevenfuchs2548]

Great video as always, where would u recommend putting the filter, before the tanks or after?

[@h2omechanic]

Always after the tank & switch

[@andreabakersfield3218]

Please help me!!! After a hard freeze my system has not worked- not sure where the problem is. I turned off the breaker to pump and water heater(not sure why I did the water heater). Never found exactly where a possible frozen pipe was but I had no water.. after warmer days I turned back on and I got nothing. The gage on pressure tank doesn’t move and where my compressor is located it just makes a clicking sound.. is my pump bad? It’s a fairly new tank and switch(1 1/2 yrs).. any suggestions please?!?! I’m doing this project on my own so anything will be helpful, thank you

[@jimhenderson2308]

If you have old galvanized pipe then you most likely have a pipe blocked with rust. You did the right thing in shutting off power to pump if be you had frozen pipe in delivery line between well and pressure switch

[@andrewdesantisr6715]

I’m having a problem with my well, I replaced the pressure switch and I tested it, when I test just the left or just the right it reads 0. When I test the left and right I get 240, when I check the left or right with the ground I get 120? What’s going on??

[@Mr51Caveman]

Ok. You sound like you know what you are talking about so I'm going to tell you my story and maybe you can give me some advice. We moved into a brand new property a little over 5 years ago. We had a 425 ft (supposedly) Well dug. Had decent water pressure. Within about a month we started running out of water. (this happened when I tried to water a small garden) I called the guy who installed the Well. He said to turn off the Breaker and wait a few hours. HOURS! I'm thinking to myself that makes no sense! But that's what I did. And to make this story a little shorter....that's what I have had to do for these last 5 years!!! Supposedly we had 2 and a half gallons per minute. As I understand our State (SC) requires a well to produce that as a MINIMUM. Well we actually at the house tap we get only about a gallon a minute. My Wife can wash about 2 loads of laundry, a sink of dishes and then we run out of water! I'm at my wits end. New toilets, new Well, new everything and still we run out regularly. It's almost like wherever he terminated the pipe in the Well it's not getting enough VOLUME of water. I don't know. We have decent pressure just no volume. I'm guessing we can get maybe 10 or 15 gallons of water and then woosh...gone! I can't water a garden wash my vehicles, heck...do much of anything that might require more than about 10 gallons at any one time. Advice? Anyone? Oh also, I get a LOT of black sediment in the Toilets so I have to Shop vac them regularly. I have a 140 micron spin down filter that I also have to rinse regularly. Like every week or so! It's so bad I have to have a backup filter so that I can just swap them out.

[@billwestphal1421]

And mansfield crappers have a flat seal that leaks and also break the flush handle. If you break the handle replace the seal on the flush valve. Dam cheap verses a flooded sewer bed.

[@65gtotrips]

Just the other day, I had a piece of debris wedged in the top of one of our toilet valves, preventing the o-ring to seal; Causing the water to run constantly.

[@robertwilliams5373]

Good morning I have no power at my pressure switch and no pressure on my pressure tank changed the switch same problem

[@BobAldous]

Hi , wondering if you could give me a bit of advice i installed a new submersible well pump yesterday and it turn on and then the water stopped. I have 50 pressure but still no water . I'm at a loss 😢

[@h2omechanic]

Got a water filter? Try removing it & see

[@BobAldous]

@@h2omechanic i have no water filter . It is an old system that was already in the house when we bought it and it has worked fine until Saturday

[@BobAldous]

Also we have hot water but no cold water

[@h2omechanic]

@@BobAldous try another faucet or outside garden hose. You might have trash in the cold valve

[@BobAldous]

@@h2omechanic thanks for the help . I ended up pulling the pump and changing it for another one . Best 2 days I have spent in a while lol 😆 but seriuosly, thanks for the help . Bob

[@launica209]

Will it make the breakers pop?

[@h2omechanic]

If your well pump breaker is tripping, typically that means the pump is bad

[@ronaldpigeon4713]

I know you are dealing with well and septic, I find allot of issues on city water. From debris...

[@SilviaWalton-hl4ol]

We bought a new pressure switch and it clicked on them it turned off it just won't work and we have no water it goes on then off switch even the water heater doesn't have water and it is brand nether does the blue tank by the pressure switch please help cause Mom has heart problems and I have bleeding ulcers and migraines

[@launica209]

Does the running toilet make the water pressure stop?

[@h2omechanic]

A running toilet can drain a well dry over time & make the pump run alor more frequently and eventually kill the pump. Especially if the pressure tank is bad. You need someone to service your entire system.

[@old1234]

Unrelated question but I've always wondered.... My plumbing supplier has both Merrill and Square D pressure switches. Merrill's are a few bucks cheaper. I've used Merrill with no problems. Is one more reliable than the other?

[@h2omechanic]

We actually use both & stock both. There's no real difference between the 2 brands. Square D is a more popular brand, but recently with the way Quality Control standards have lowered across many different products, the Square D I've found to not be Pre-set correctly. They are supposed to be set exactly on 40 psi, but a few have been set to 34-36 psi. This is not a big problem but does require the tank to be set at 32psi for air pressure. Unfortunately we don't know there's an issue until the customer calls & I have to drive back out to the job & let some air out the tank.

[@old1234]

@@h2omechanic thanks for the info! I don't do all that many pressure switches (I'm a plumber). I always wondered if there was a difference between the two as far as quality goes. I've never had a problem with Merrill myself but it's good to hear they are ok from a well guy. I just found your channel, seems like you guys do a great job. Thanks!

[@jeremymorrissette2398]

Well we had a thunderstorm then we had some electrical surges. But now the water pump and the water heater don't work and water don't work now.

[@dumpsterfire6351]

Ayyyyeeee ….just like that

[@TheLightningStalker]

I guess you've seen my Fluidmaster valve cleaning video then. :>

[@carlosportilla7634]

New subscriber 👌 ny

[@carlosportilla7634]

My comment is. Why. You don’t let your helper do the hard job? Since you are the BOSS 🤣🤣

[@laurabethsims3478]

I have a problem that I don't see a video for.... We just had a really cold night and I think my pipes might have frozen, because we haven't had water since. None of the breakers have tripped and I'm clueless as to what to do next to figure out what's wrong. Can you help please?

[@laurabethsims3478]

Still haven't been able to get anywhere with our well pump. The pressure in the tank says 40 psi, the pressure switch is close so it should be filling the tank. I got a volt meter today and will be checking to make sure there's power going to the wires under the pressure cap. Our pressure switch is 40/60 and it's not 220, I believe its 110. The pump itself is covered very well so I really don't think any of the pipes froze, and all the contacts on the pressure switch are clean of any obstructions.

[@jimhenderson2308]

@@laurabethsims3478 you probably have a pipe blocked with rust if you have pressure in tank and have old galvanized plumbing lines. I just had this problem . The freeze event produces rust that blocks pipes already restricted with build up

[@oralpierce45]

You can shut the toilet valve off and it will do the same thing with out shutting the whole well off

[@nellinkafotky8369]

As an Engineer I can't believe that people don't notice leaking toilet is somehow connected with wasted water...

[@ThumperKJFK]

👍

[@truth6600]

My plumbing secret,put two drops of blue food coloring in tank let sit,see if bowl turns blue.

[@Mydriasis100]

Not a secret. That's basic.

[@fbauer4368]

Would the original well been able to provide sufficient water if the toilets were working properly?

[@dorinpompell1642]

H2o could I get your help please

[@dorinpompell1642]

My dads working on our well pump and we wasn't getting any water so he replaced the pump pressure switch and now we don't know what's wrong the pressure switch we had on the pump doesn't have a plastic top but the 1 we bought did an we bought a 20/40

[@RM-no3wj]

🤦‍♀️

[@jameslyons1661]

🏁👍

[@davidmark805]

Those plumbers should be embarrassed.

[@benjurqunov]

They were busy being technicians instead of Plumbers.

[@iansmartel5473]

Most UK wc 🚾 have a siphon system to empty the cistern. Once the cistern has emptied siphon is broken, just have to check the overflow. Jesus don’t you Yanks have some poor building and plumbing codes.

[@jimhenderson2308]

I don't understand why you think leaking toilets are a reason for having no water. You should never have no water because of a leaky toilet. No water means blockage or no water pressure and has nothing to do with a leaky toilet. Assuming the pressure switch is energizing the pump, no water pressure usually means bad pump or the well can't keep up with the pump. I don't understand your emphasis on leaky toilet in a no water situation. The question is why does a well stop producing? The problem is on the supply side not a leaky toilet. That's ridiculous. But I think you have very good videos in general but this one is strange. If there's no pressure in system that involves a remote well pit the very first thing to do is close valve near tank in line that supplies plumbing in house and see if pressure in tank builds up.

[@sissymurphy9620]

help please . I have no water because the plumber cracked the pipe to the filter when he over tightened it and it was dripping but now crack got bigger and I had to turn off water of course on July 4th no plumber t fix it . I tried to loosen the threaded piece that is cracked but I can't get it loose . My hands are to small for the vice grips to loosen it . I need a new plumber and wonder if you know one in Pittsylvania county VA NOW OR TOMORROW . We are seniors . I bought the pressure tank gauge from you also

[@fredyochoa7566]

Good catch!!!

[@sissymurphy9620]

geeze what I went through Running tiolets bad rings . bad hoses . I stopped using wax rings they are useless and use neoprene now . I put metal braided hoses on everything when I replaced all my floors myself after a fridge leak on ice maker . I replace my rubber flapper every couple of years .Dishwasher , washing machine , fridge and tiolets have metal braided hoses . I also found if you put a little vaseline on toilet flapper , fridge and dishwasher gaskets it helps them seal better learned that as a child and after remodeling 2 fixer uppers . Learning never ends and watching a plumber or electrician helps . Now youtube helps me learn . Also learned t add bacteria to my septic tank , vinegar instead of bleach so you do not ruin your flapper LEARN LEARN LEARN WHOLE HOUSE FILTER WAS MY GO TOO . i HATE THOSE PAPER THINGS IT IS SO HARD TO UNSCREW THEM TO CHANGE THE FILTER whole house filters flush themselves . I have a whirlpool which is not reccommended for wells but it works for now . But been looking at the other ones and learninbg about them and maybe when I find the right one I will change this one out . look at ratings independent reviews on them

[@euonymus1980]

Well done! Thanks!