Well Pump and Pressure Tank Failure

Step-by-step checklist

Identify

• Contact the claim adjuster right away. Ask them to hold the scene and for permission to retain an expert at the client's expense. Note the call in the file.
• On every claim, ask the client whether they want an origin and cause investigator to review the scene, or confirm one is already assigned. Note their answer in the file so the decision is on record.
• Make sure no evidence is touched or moved until the expert has secured the scene
• Get the client's approval for the scene exam cost. Most run at least $1,600 with travel, the day rate, and expenses.
• Find where the water or fire started: the pressure tank, pressure switch, a fitting at the tank tee, a supply line, the pump, or the wiring
• Photograph the whole setup, the pressure gauge reading, and the data labels before any repairs
• Get the install date, the well contractor's name, and any service records

Hands off until the expert arrives. Nothing at the scene gets touched, moved, repaired, or thrown out until the origin and cause investigator has secured it. Evidence that's moved early can sink the whole recovery.

Notify

• Get an expert from the insurance carrier, or a licensed well contractor willing to write a statement of findings
• Keep the pressure switch, pressure tank, relief valve, check valve, and any pump pulled from the well
• Notify the well contractor, service company, electrician, and manufacturers

Investigate

• Check for a pressure relief valve and how the pressure switch was set
• Hold the scene exam, then lab-test the pressure switch, pump, or electrical parts
• Check the well contractor's state license
• Receive and review the expert's report

Demand

• Review payments and out-of-pocket costs
• Sort the supports into photos, estimates, invoices, and reports
• Send the full demand packet

Negotiate

• Follow up. No response? Send the second demand.
• Check any service contract for liability caps or waivers
• If liability is accepted, negotiate. If not, review for ADR.

Settle

• Review the release
• Receive payment, issue the deductible and client payments
• Final file review, then close

1. Identify

How well systems cause water losses

• Pressure switch sticks on. The switch's contacts stick or weld closed, so the pump keeps running past its shut-off pressure and over-pressurizes the system until a line, fitting, or tank gives way.
• No pressure relief valve. Without one, there's nothing to release pressure when the switch fails.
• Pressure tank failure. The tank rusts through, the bladder ruptures, or the tank bursts.
• Fitting and tank tee leaks. Threaded fittings, unions, and connections at the tank tee crack or loosen.
• Check valve failure. Water flows back into the well, and the pump short-cycles or runs constantly, wearing out parts and stressing the plumbing.
• Freezing. Lines, tanks, or pumps in a well house, crawl space, or unheated room freeze and crack.

How well systems cause fires

• Overheated or arcing pressure switch contacts
• Pump control box or wiring failures
• A pump running dry or nonstop until the motor overheats
• Well house heat lamps or space heaters used to keep the pump from freezing, set too close to wood or insulation

Wear and tear, installation, service, or defect?

Responsible parties to consider

• The well contractor or pump installer
• Any service company that worked on the pump, tank, or switch
• The electrician who wired the pump circuit
• The manufacturer of the pump, pressure switch, pressure tank, or control box
• A home warranty company and the contractor it sent, if one was involved
• The builder, on new construction

Identify the equipment

Photograph the data labels on the pressure tank, the pressure switch, and the control box. If the pump is pulled from the well, photograph its label too. Many well contractors put their company sticker on the tank or control box. Most states license well contractors, so check the state licensing board for the contractor and any complaints. The county health department or state well program may also have a well record or permit showing who drilled the well and installed the pump.

Tip: big-box purchases. If the pump or tank was bought at Lowe's or Home Depot with installation, follow the big-box steps in the Water Heater Failure guide and send both the corporate and store notices.

2. Notify and investigate

Save the switch first. The pressure switch is small, cheap, and usually the first thing a tech replaces and throws away. It's often the most important piece of evidence. Ask the insured to keep it, along with the pressure tank, relief valve, check valve, and any pump pulled from the well.

Home warranty companies: protect the evidence before the tech arrives

Warranty techs usually collect the old parts as they finish the repair. Call the insured before the tech arrives, and have them:

1. Tell the tech not to take any evidence. The pressure switch, tank, valves, fittings, and pump stay at the home.
2. Show the tech the origin of the loss before any work starts, so the tech can photograph it before the repair.
3. Take their own photos and video, including the pressure gauge reading, before anything is touched.
4. Get the tech's name, company, and the warranty claim or work order number.
5. Bag and label every removed part and keep it somewhere safe until the exam.

Who to put on notice

• The well contractor and any service company
• The electrician, if wiring may be involved
• The manufacturers of the pump, switch, tank, and control box
• The home warranty company and its contractor, if one was involved
• Each party's carrier, once known

Evidence checklist

• Photos and video of the whole setup in place: tank, switch, gauge reading, relief valve (or where one should be), tank tee, fittings, wiring, and data labels
• The pressure switch, tank, relief valve, check valve, and pump, stored under chain of custody
• Install invoice, well record or permit, and any service contract
• Service and repair history
• The switch's cut-on and cut-off settings and the tank's pre-charge, recorded by your expert
• Electric bills. A pump that ran nonstop may show a spike in usage.
• Mitigation or fire department photos showing where the loss started

Mitigation records, not just the estimate. Get the moisture maps, daily moisture readings, drying logs, equipment logs, and photos showing where the water came from and how far it spread. Record them in the file and send them to the adverse carrier with the demand. The estimate alone usually isn't enough to prove the water damage.

Caution: when the mitigation company makes it worse. Occasionally the mitigation company worsens the damage, for example by showing up late, missing wet areas, pulling the drying equipment too early, or letting mold take hold. When that happens, document it clearly: the timeline, the moisture readings from each visit, and photos. The adverse carrier will argue it isn't responsible for the added damage, and the mitigation company may become a responsible party for that part of the loss.

Code and installation checks

Many state well codes and manufacturers' instructions call for a pressure relief valve when the pump can build more pressure than the tank or plumbing is rated for. Check the state's well construction and pump installation rules, and the tank and switch manufacturers' installation instructions, for the relief valve, switch settings, and tank pre-charge.

Exams

Hold a joint scene exam before repairs when possible. For fires, and for a pressure switch, pump, or control box that needs testing, hold a joint lab exam and notify every party first. A pump pulled from the well should be treated as evidence, not scrap.

3. Demand, negotiate, and settle

Liability theories

• Against the well contractor or installer: negligent installation, including a missing relief valve, wrong settings, or poor wiring
• Against the service company: negligent service or repair
• Against the manufacturer: product defect and breach of warranty
• Against the electrician: negligent electrical work

Defenses to expect

Negotiating and settling

• Well contractors are usually small, licensed businesses with commercial general liability coverage. Get their certificate of insurance.
• Expect the installer and the switch or tank manufacturer to blame each other. Keep both on notice.
• Review the release with the release checklist, then close with the standard closing letter and the deductible reimbursement letter.

4. Letters for this loss

Sources

• Well pressure tank problems (Fresh Water Systems)
• Common well pump problems (Fresh Water Systems)
• Bad well pump pressure switch problems (Angi)
• Pump protection switches (InspectAPedia)