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Lebanon Plumbers, home

Wells & Water Treatment

Well Pump Repair and Water Treatment

Outside the boroughs, the pump, the pressure tank and the water chemistry are all yours. There is no utility to call when the pressure drops.

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What is included

What this service covers

What we actually do on this job, and what you can expect us to deal with while we are there.

  • Submersible and jet pump diagnosis and replacement
  • Pressure tank replacement and pressure switch adjustment
  • Short cycling, weak pressure and loss of prime
  • Water softeners sized to measured hardness
  • Iron, manganese and sulphur odour treatment
  • Sediment filtration, neutralisers and UV disinfection
  • Plumbing work following a water test result

Signs to look for

You may need this if you are seeing any of these

  • The pump switching on and off rapidly while a tap runs
  • Weak pressure throughout the property
  • No water at all, or water that stops and restarts
  • Air spitting from taps, or cloudy and sandy water
  • Orange, brown or black staining on fixtures and laundry
  • A rotten egg smell from the water
  • Scale on kettles and fixtures, and soap that will not lather

Why it happens

What usually causes it

01

A pressure tank that has lost its charge

The tank holds an air cushion that lets the pump deliver steady flow between cut in and cut out. When the bladder fails, that cushion goes and the pump hammers on and off every few seconds. It is the most common well call and it destroys pumps if left.

02

Pump or pressure switch failure

A worn pump loses capacity gradually, while a pressure switch out of adjustment or with burnt contacts causes erratic behaviour. Both present as pressure problems and need testing to separate.

03

Falling water level

Air spitting from taps, or water going cloudy and gritty, can mean the level has dropped near the pump intake. Running a pump dry damages it, so this is worth investigating rather than living with.

04

Groundwater chemistry

Limestone geology across this county produces hard water, and iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide all appear in wells here. These are treatment questions rather than pump questions, and they need a test result before any equipment is chosen.

Our approach

How we handle this job

Specific to this work rather than a generic checklist bolted onto every page.

  1. 01

    Read the cycling pattern first

    Rapid on and off while a tap runs points at the pressure tank. Steady weak pressure, or a pump running without building pressure, points at the pump, the switch or the well. That distinction directs everything that follows.

  2. 02

    Check the cheap things before the expensive ones

    A tripped breaker, a failed pressure switch or a control box fault are all far cheaper than a pump, and all of them get missed by anyone who assumes the worst first.

  3. 03

    Test the water before selling any treatment

    We will not size a softener or a filter from a description of the symptoms. A certified lab test tells you what is actually in the water and at what concentration, and equipment gets chosen from that.

  4. 04

    Install and set up properly

    Pressure switch set correctly, tank pre-charge matched to the cut-in pressure, and treatment plumbed so filters and media can actually be serviced.

Who this applies to

Lebanon County splits fairly cleanly. Inside the city and the boroughs there are public systems: the City of Lebanon Authority serves Lebanon city and a number of surrounding municipalities, Myerstown has its own borough water authority, and Pennsylvania American Water serves much of the western side including the Palmyra and Annville areas.

Outside those service areas, across the rural townships, houses are generally on private wells. If that is you, there is no utility standing behind your water. The pump, the pressure tank, the plumbing and the quality of what comes out are all yours.

A three-stage whole-house water filter assembly mounted on a basement wall

Short cycling is the call to make quickly

The single most common well problem, and the one most worth acting on, is a pump snapping on and off every few seconds while a tap runs.

The pressure tank is supposed to hold a cushion of air that lets the pump deliver steady flow between cut-in and cut-out. When the bladder fails or the charge is lost, that cushion disappears and the pump starts hammering. Every one of those rapid starts is wear, and a pump on a failed tank can be destroyed in a small fraction of its expected life.

It usually presents as an annoyance rather than an emergency, which is exactly why it gets left.

Water samples in test tubes being checked with a digital meter at a kitchen sink

Test first, then treat

Water quality is a separate problem from water delivery, and the order of operations matters.

Hard water is widespread here because of the limestone geology, and iron, manganese and sulphur odour all turn up in wells around the county. Every one of those needs different equipment, and concentration decides what is appropriate.

We will not size a softener or a filter from a description of your symptoms. Get a certified lab test, read the result, then buy equipment that matches it. Penn State Extension and the Lebanon County Conservation District both publish guidance for Pennsylvania well owners on what to test for and how often, and bacteria is the one that gives no warning at all through taste or smell.

Questions

Well pump and water treatment questions

Specific to this job. Every service page here has its own, none repeated.

General FAQ

Common questions

How do I know whether the problem is the pump or the pressure tank?
The cycling pattern is the giveaway. If the pump switches on and off rapidly, every few seconds, while a tap is running, the pressure tank has almost certainly lost its air charge or its bladder has failed. If pressure is steadily weak, or the pump runs continuously without building pressure, or water stops entirely, the pump, the pressure switch or the well itself is more likely. Short cycling is worth fixing quickly either way, because it wears a pump out fast.
My water stopped completely. What should I check first?
The breaker for the pump circuit, because a tripped breaker is free to fix and gets overlooked constantly. Then the pressure switch and, on a jet pump system, the control box. Those are all considerably cheaper than a pump. If all of them check out, then it is the pump, the wiring down the well, or the water level. Do not keep switching a pump on and off repeatedly while investigating, because running it dry causes real damage.
Do I need a water softener?
Only a test tells you, and buying before testing is how people end up with equipment that treats the wrong problem. Lebanon County sits largely on limestone, so hard water is common here, but hardness varies well by well and the right equipment depends on the actual number. Get a certified lab test, then size the softener to the result.
My water stains everything orange. What is that?
Reddish orange staining is the signature of iron, which is common in groundwater across this area. Dark brown or black points more towards manganese, and a rotten egg smell towards hydrogen sulphide. Each needs different treatment media, and concentration decides what is appropriate, so this is another case where the test comes before the equipment. If the smell is only on the hot water, look at the water heater's anode rod first rather than a whole house system.
How often should I test my well water?
Nobody tests it for you, so it only happens if you arrange it. Pennsylvania does not require routine testing of existing private residential wells and no utility monitors them. Penn State Extension and the Lebanon County Conservation District both publish guidance for well owners on what to test for and how often. Testing matters more for shallow wells and after heavy rain, and bacteria in particular has no taste or smell to warn you.
How long does a well pump last?
It varies enormously with water conditions, how hard the pump works and, above all, whether it has been short cycling. A pump on a system with a failed pressure tank can be destroyed in a fraction of its expected life, because every rapid start is wear. That is the main reason we treat short cycling as urgent rather than as an annoyance you can live with.
Can you treat water for a house that is on public supply?
Yes. Hardness affects houses on the City of Lebanon Authority, Myerstown Water Authority and Pennsylvania American Water supplies too, and softening is a common request in the boroughs. The difference is that on public water somebody else is already testing and treating for safety, so the question is comfort and appliance life rather than potability.
Should I test before buying a rural property?
Yes, and it is often overlooked. On a well property, the pump, tank, plumbing and water quality all become yours at closing with no utility standing behind any of it. A water test and a look at the pump and pressure tank before you commit is a small cost against a system you are about to own outright.

Related services

Where we cover for this

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