Homes served by City of Boulder Utilities get treated water from the city's own system, so they have no well pump to repair. Where a Boulder-area property does pump from its own well, a plumber can find whether the motor, the pressure switch or the tank has failed. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Boulder.
Warning signs on a home well
- A house that goes completely dry while the power stays on
- Pressure that surges and fades during a shower
- Rapid clicking at the switch beside the tank
- Coughing faucets with bursts of air
- A pump that hums but delivers nothing
- Electric bills climbing for no obvious reason, which can mean a pump running far too long
Any of these can trace back to the motor down the well, the control box, the switch or a waterlogged tank. Testing the simple parts first keeps anyone from pulling a pump that was fine.
What Boulder's water system means for pumps
The City of Boulder runs its own public water system, drawing on Barker Reservoir, North Boulder Creek, Carter Lake and Boulder Reservoir depending on the season, and treating at the Betasso and 63rd Street plants. Water is disinfected with chlorine, and the city runs a corrosion control program aimed at lead from home plumbing. If you pay a City of Boulder utility bill, the water arrives under city pressure and there is no well equipment in your basement.
That changes the diagnosis. In a city-water home near the Flatirons or the CU campus, low pressure usually comes down to a pressure regulator, a leak on the service line or mineral-clogged fixtures. For an after-hours emergency that needs the water shut off at the city's end, Boulder asks customers to call 303-441-3200.
The fact sheet we rely on doesn't count private wells in or around Boulder, so we won't guess. If you have a capped casing in the yard and a pressure tank inside, you are on a well and the rest of this page applies.
Cost factors
- Whether the fault is a switch, capacitor or relay, or the submersible motor itself
- How far down the pump hangs, which drives the labor of pulling it
- Pressure tank condition and size
- Wiring, splices and the control box
- Permit needs: Boulder's Planning & Development Services exempts minor leak repairs but treats replacing concealed supply piping as new work that needs a permit
What to expect from the call
We are a free referral line, not a plumbing company. The call is routed to an independent plumber who works in the Boulder area. Mention whether you are on city water or a well, what the tank gauge reads and whether the pump breaker has tripped. That lets the plumber check voltage, the switch and the tank before deciding whether anything has to come out of the well.
Well Pump Repair questions in Boulder
How can I tell if my house is on a well or on public water?
My pressure dropped and I am on public water. Could a pump be to blame?
Who issues permits for well pump or pressure tank work here?
Is there anything I can safely check before the plumber arrives?
More plumbing services in Boulder
Well Pump Repair nearby
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