Fast help for no water, low pressure, a short-cycling pump or a failed pressure tank on private wells in Lakeland and Polk County.
Most Polk County wells use a submersible pump that hangs deep in the well, with a pressure tank and switch in the house or pump house. Older and shallower wells may use an above-ground jet pump. Submersibles are quieter and push water from deeper, but replacing one means pulling the pump and pipe out of the well, so depth and pump size drive the price.
A pressure switch, gauge or tank repair usually costs a few hundred dollars. Replacing a typical submersible pump and pressure tank in Florida often runs about $1,000 to $3,000. Deep wells, bigger pumps, new wiring or a constant-pressure system cost more. Get a written quote that lists the pump, tank, controls and labor separately.
The Florida Department of Health recommends testing a private well at least once a year for bacteria and nitrate, and again after flooding or work on the well. The Florida Department of Health in Polk County, in Bartow, can tell you how to collect a sample. See Florida DOH private well testing.
A well pump needs electricity, so a power outage means no water. If you're on a well, a generator sized for the pump, connected through a proper transfer switch, keeps water running after a storm. Never backfeed a generator into the house wiring.
A pump that keeps failing, sand that won't stop, or a well that runs dry in the spring dry season can point to the well itself: a collapsed screen, a cracked casing or a water level that has dropped. Those jobs need a licensed water well contractor and a permit, and sometimes a new well is the better buy.
The most common causes are a tripped breaker, a failed pressure switch, a waterlogged pressure tank or a failed pump. A power outage stops the pump too. Reset a tripped breaker once; if it trips again, call a pro.
Replacing a typical submersible pump and pressure tank in Florida often runs about $1,000 to $3,000. Deep wells, larger pumps and new wiring cost more; switches and gauges cost far less.
That's hydrogen sulfide, which is common in Polk County wells. It's a water treatment issue, not a pump problem, and aeration, oxidizing filters or chlorination can remove it.
Work on the well itself, such as repairing, deepening or replacing it, needs a water management district permit and a licensed water well contractor. Ask your contractor whether your job touches the well or only the pump and controls.
The Florida Department of Health recommends at least once a year for bacteria and nitrate, and again after flooding or work on the well.
It's when the pump turns on and off every few seconds. It usually means the pressure tank has lost its air charge, and it wears out the pump quickly if it isn't fixed.