Can You Burn Out A Well Pump? [Reasons & Quick Solutions]

A good quality well pump generally lasts longer; you can say, more than 10 years. But the fact is true that you need to constantly take care of the well pump in case it shows any problems.

But the question is: can you burn out a well pump? The answer is YES. Your well pump can get burned out at a certain time. But you can avoid that from happening

What you can do is use manual and automatic switches for better results, which we’ll explain below alongside the best solutions to avoid burning out of the good pump.

Can You Burn Out A Well Pump: The Tormenting Reasons

Before we can jump to the solutions of how to avoid well pump burnout, it’s time to see in detail the reason for the burnout of well pumps. They follow:

1. Water Flow Quality

You need to accept that if the flow or pressure of the water quality gets over the roof, your well pump may end up burning out. It might also depend on the quality of the water.

For example, if the water contains too much mineral, it can clog the pump and burn out. Bacteria or non-maintenance can also clog or corrode the pump.

2. Age of the Pump

It’s not always easy to find a good quality well pump, although we may always look for the best quality well pump. But as time passes, the pump will be rusty, or the parts will start to malfunction. If not sooner, then within 15-20 years.

3. Size of the Well Tank

One thing you should always do is try to install a water tank that is spacious enough for good water flow. A water tank holds and controls the water pumped by the pump.

However, if the tank is too small, the carrying capacity will decrease, the pump will burn out, and water leakage will also start.

4. Waterlogged Pressure Tank

A well pump comes with an element named the pressure tank. Generally, a pressure tank is in charge of collecting water and pressurizing water in the upward direction from the well.

But you may face a problem caused by the pressure tank, which is called water-logging. And this problem can lead your well pump to burn out.

Water logging arises when the tank parts are filled with air instead of water, which makes it challenging for the tank to cope with the pressure as the water level drops.

So chronic water-logging will make the pump turn on frequently, which can lead to overheating. Hence, an overheated pump burns out the well pump.

5. Leakage On Foot Valve

The foot valve is responsible for preventing water from going back into the well that has already plunged into the water pipe. You can find this component in the head of the pipe.

However, the actual task of the valve starts when the pump pauses the operational process. When the foot valve has a leakage, water will drop out of the water pipe; therefore, the well loses its prime purpose.

And if you keep running the pump without fixing the leakage on the foot valve, it’ll lead to overheating and eventually burn out the well pump.

6. Dry Well

This reason behind the well pump burning is mainly seen during drought periods. During this period, the well remains dry and lacks enough water. And if you turn on the faucet frequently, it’ll cause the well pump run at high speed to collect water.

As a result, the procedure burns out the pump slowly. In that case, you should consider installing a low water cutoff switch during drought.

5 Ways to Avoid Burning Out a Well Water Pump: The Possible Solutions

As we’ve mentioned before, you can use manual and automatic switches for the solutions, but sometimes they get very costly and might not help you.

If you want your well pump to be as perfect as ever, you can try our solutions for the best results.

As the answer to the question of whether you can burn out a well pump is simply yes, without any further ado, let’s look at the solutions to prevent burnout.

1. Pressure Switch

Generally, well pumps are of 2 types: submersible pumps and ground pumps. The submersible pumps are basically ‘submerged’ in the water and must be pushed upwards to get the water flowing.

On the other hand, the jet water pumps are the opposite of the submerged water and are placed or built above and need to be pulled for the water to flow.

Now, why are we learning so much about these pumps?

These pumps deliver water into the well tank where the water gets stored, but water doesn’t flow to any water tapes from there. It just gets stored there and the pressure keeps increasing, which may lead to a burnout well pump.

The solution to this specific problem is installing the pressure switch. It ensures by checking out that the water level and amount of pressure being stored in the pumps is enough to pump water to faucets.

It works according to the amount of pressure inside the pump and lets the water in and out accordingly so that the water isn’t overstocked inside the pump. The settings of the pressure switch vary but the system and the way they work are pretty much the same.

2. How Well Tanks Are Related to Pump Burnouts

This is one of the helpful solutions that you can use and it’s an easy approach to understanding how a well tank is connected to your well pump to have burnout.

A well tank controls the running of the well pump; this is a good approach or solution if you ask. This is because if the well pump runs for too long, it will get overheated and burn out. Hence the water tank limits overheating.

But do remember one thing the water tank needs to be spacious for the water to not get clogged and another thing to ensure is that the proper care of the pressure switch so that it doesn’t malfunction.

3. Proper Care of Water Pipers

Can you burn out a well pump because of leaking pipes? Unfortunately, even the answer to this is yes. If the pump is pressuring the water flow, it will also harm the water pipes and lead to some leakage. Hence, the maintenance of water pipes is a must.

4. Water Tank Replacement

As the water tank also controls the overheating of well pumps, you should replace it with a new water tank. Because when the components in the water tank break, the pump initially gets waterlogged.

5. Repair And Fix

This is probably the most common and often overlooked solution to avoid burning out the well pump. If you notice any defective component that may interrupt the smooth procedure of the pump to deliver water to the tank, you should repair or replace that component immediately.

Often people overlook this matter, thinking that it may not cause any damage to the well pump. But to keep the well pump in a good functional state, you should consider fixing any breakage, leakage, or faulty issues as soon as possible.

Video of How to Avoid Burning Out Your Well Pump

If you want to know more about how to avoid burning out your well pump, you can check out this video for a more clarified idea:

FAQs

Can the well pump burn if it runs all night?

Well, pumps can’t be kept on 24 hours a day, which is the reason you need to reserve water in the tank. Otherwise, the pump will overheat and burn.

How long can a submersible well pump run?

It depends on the manual and quality of the pump but initially, the submersible pump runs 24/7.

What can be done if there is low water pressure in the pump?

It can happen due to water pipe leakage, clogging, or if the pump runs out of warranty. Hence, it’s wise to have maintenance check it.

Conclusion

Overall, can I burn out a well pump? Definitely yes, but if you follow the manual or should I say if you follow the maintenance system well, there will never be any overheating.