Pump Service & Repair
It's usually not the pump. Here's what actually causes it, what you can check yourself in five minutes, and what we do if it needs us.
The short answer
Low pressure on a rainwater system is most often a loaded sediment filter, not a failed pump. Filters clog gradually, so pressure fades over weeks rather than dropping all at once. If the filters are clean, the next suspects are a waterlogged pressure tank, a low tank level, or a pump losing prime through an air leak on the suction side.
The pattern matters more than the symptom. Pressure that faded slowly points somewhere different than pressure that vanished overnight. The table below is how we sort it before anyone opens a toolbox.
Before you call
Any of these could save you a service call. We'd rather you find it yourself than pay us to.
If it's been more than six months, that's your answer more often than not. A loaded sediment cartridge strangles the whole house.
Check the level gauge. A low tank can uncover the intake or trip a low-level cutoff, and the pump will protect itself by shutting down.
Check the breaker, then the controller display. A DAB ESYBOX or similar variable-speed unit will show an error code — write it down before you call.
How we diagnose it
Most low-pressure calls resolve to one of seven patterns. Which one you have determines what we bring on the truck.
| What you're seeing | Usual cause | What it takes to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Faded gradually over weeks | Loaded filters | Cartridge replacement, housings cleaned. Routine. |
| Pressure surges then drops at the tap | Waterlogged pressure tank | Recharge the air bladder, or replace the tank if the bladder has ruptured. |
| Pump runs constantly, never satisfies | Lost prime or suction-side air leak | Find and seal the leak, re-prime, check the foot valve. |
| Rapid on-off cycling, hammering | Failed check valve or pressure switch | Replace the failed component. Left alone, cycling will kill the pump. |
| Fine at one fixture, weak everywhere else | Fixture-side blockage, not the system | Aerator or supply line at that fixture. Not a pump issue. |
| Gone completely, no pump noise | Electrical fault or seized pump | Diagnose power, controller, and motor before condemning the pump. |
| Weak only after heavy rain | Turbidity spike loading filters fast | Filters now, then look at first-flush sizing so it stops recurring. |
The visit
We take readings upstream and downstream of the filter bank. That single comparison separates a filter problem from a pump problem in about two minutes.
Air charge tested against the cut-in setting, bladder checked, switch contacts inspected. A waterlogged tank is cheap to catch and expensive to ignore.
Amp draw against nameplate, prime and suction integrity, check valve and foot valve function, controller settings and stored fault codes.
You get the diagnosis and the cost before any repair starts. If it needs a part we don't carry, you'll know that day rather than after we've left.
Equipment
We install DAB, and we service everything else. Age and brand aren't a barrier — if it moves water, we'll work on it.
Related
FAQ
Probably not. Most low-pressure calls we run turn out to be filters, a pressure tank that has lost its air charge, or a suction-side leak. We diagnose before we quote, and we will tell you when a repair is the better spend than a replacement.
A diagnostic visit is a flat trip charge, with parts and labor quoted after we have found the problem. You approve the repair cost before we start. Maintenance plan customers get the trip charge waived.
Treat it as urgent. Short-cycling is usually a waterlogged pressure tank or a failed check valve, and every cycle wears the motor. A part that costs very little now becomes a pump replacement if it runs that way for months.
Yes. Most of our service work is on systems built by other companies. Tell us the pump brand if you can find it on the nameplate, roughly how old the system is, and what the pressure is doing — that is enough for us to show up with the right parts.
Same-day in most of our service area if you call in the morning. Say "no water" when you call so it is flagged as an emergency rather than scheduled as routine service.
Ten to fifteen years is typical on a rainwater system, and longer if it isn't short-cycling. Most pumps we replace didn't wear out — they were killed by a failed check valve or a waterlogged pressure tank that nobody caught. Fixing the cause is usually cheaper than replacing the pump twice.
It can. Check the level gauge first. If the tank is genuinely low, the issue is not the pump — it is supply, and that is a catchment and storage conversation.
