How to Restart a Well Pump After a Power Outage in Winston-Salem

**TL;DR:** To restart a well pump after a power outage in Winston-Salem, turn the pump breaker off, wait a few minutes, check the pressure gauge, then turn the breaker back on. If pressure does not climb within a minute or two, check the pressure switch. If the pump hums, trips the breaker, or still will not build pressure, turn it off and call a technician.

Fall and winter storms regularly knock out power across Forsyth County, and every outage leaves some homes on private wells with no water when the lights come back on. Most of the time the fix is simple. Sometimes a surge or a hard restart damaged something, and knowing the difference keeps a small problem from becoming a burned-out motor.

Why a well pump may not restart after an outage

A well pump may not restart after a power outage because a breaker tripped, the pressure switch did not reset, or the surge when power returned damaged a component. Outages are hard on pumps because power often flickers on and off several times before it settles.

Each flicker can try to start the motor. Those repeated hard starts can trip a breaker, weld or pit pressure switch contacts, or blow a start capacitor in a control box. Low-pressure cutoff switches, common on many systems, can also stay off until someone resets them by hand.

Step by step, how to restart your well pump safely

Follow these steps in order. Keep hands dry and do not open electrical covers beyond the pressure switch lever described below.

• •**Turn off the well pump breaker** at your main panel. It is often labeled well, pump, or WP and is usually a double-pole 240-volt breaker.
• •**Wait three to five minutes.** This lets any control box components settle and keeps the motor from starting into a surge if power is still unstable.
• •**Check the pressure gauge** near the pressure tank. Note the reading, often near zero after a long outage if water was used.
• •**Turn the breaker back on.** Listen at the tank for the pressure switch clicking and watch the gauge. Pressure should begin to rise within a minute or two.
• •**If pressure stays at zero and the switch has a lever,** the switch may be a low-pressure cutoff. Hold the lever in the start position for about 30 to 60 seconds while the pump builds pressure past roughly 30 to 40 psi, then release.
• •**Run a faucet** once pressure reaches the normal cut-out, typically 50 to 60 psi, and let air and any cloudy water clear.

Signs your well pump needs a technician

A well pump needs professional service after an outage when it hums without pumping, trips the breaker again, or runs without building pressure. Stop resetting it if you see any of these:

• •**Breaker trips again** right away or within a few minutes. This points to a shorted motor, damaged wire, or failed control box.
• •**Pump hums but no water moves.** Often a failed start capacitor or a seized motor. Our well pump humming no water guide explains the causes.
• •**Pump runs constantly and pressure never rises.** The pump may have lost prime, a pipe may have separated, or the motor may be damaged.
• •**Burning smell, scorched switch contacts, or clicking with no pump start.**
• •**Water that stays cloudy or sandy** well after the restart.

Generator tips for Forsyth County well owners

A generator can run a well pump during an outage if it is sized for the pump's starting load. Well pumps draw two to three times their running current at startup, so a generator that runs the pump fine may still stall when it tries to start it.

As a rough guide, a typical 1 horsepower submersible pump often needs a generator rated for about 5,000 to 7,500 starting watts, but check your pump's nameplate. Generators should connect through a transfer switch or interlock, never a backfeed cord. Our generator backup power for well pumps article covers sizing in more detail.

A quick decision guide

Use this simple guide to decide what to do next once you have tried the restart steps:

• •**Pressure climbs normally:** you are done. Watch for sputtering or short cycling over the next day.
• •**Pressure climbs only after holding the switch lever:** the low-pressure cutoff tripped. If it happens with every outage, a technician can check the switch and tank air charge.
• •**Breaker trips or pump hums:** turn the breaker off and call. Repeated resets can destroy the motor.
• •**Nothing happens at all:** check that the breaker is truly on and that any separate disconnect or control box switch is on, then call if there is still no response.

Common mistakes after a power outage

These are the mistakes that most often turn an easy outage restart into a pump replacement in Winston-Salem:

• •**Resetting a tripping breaker again and again.** Each reset sends a full start current into a motor that may already be failing.
• •**Leaving the pump breaker on during flickering power.** Turning it off until power is stable protects the motor and switch.
• •**Holding the pressure switch lever for minutes.** If pressure does not rise in a minute, more holding just runs a dry or damaged pump.
• •**Forcing a generator that is too small.** A stalling generator causes low voltage that overheats the motor.
• •**Skipping surge protection.** A whole-home or pump-specific surge protector is inexpensive compared with a motor or control box.

Getting help in Winston-Salem

If your well pump will not restart after a power outage, T.W. Stanley & Son serves homeowners across Forsyth County, including Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Lewisville, and Kernersville. Our trucks carry pumps, control boxes, capacitors, and pressure switches, so most no-water calls are fixed in one visit.

Typical post-outage repairs range from roughly $150 to $400 for a pressure switch or capacitor up to a full pump replacement when a motor fails. See our well pump repair service for details.

Call (336) 273-7314 any time. A real person answers 24/7, family-owned since 1946, and you can also request service online.