Why does my pump keep clicking on and off?
That rapid clicking is your pressure switch reacting to pressure swings it was never meant to handle. The causes range from a five-minute adjustment to a pump that needs attention — and the order matters. This page walks through what each one looks like so you know where you stand before anyone drives out.
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What you're hearing
Short-cycling: what's actually happening inside the system
Every time your pump clicks on, it's because pressure dropped below the cut-in point. Short-cycling means it's dropping there almost immediately — which tells you pressure is bleeding off somewhere it shouldn't be.
Likely causes
What causes short-cycling, cheapest fix first
These are ordered by what it typically costs to correct them. Start at the top and work down — most short-cycling problems are solved before you reach the bottom of this list.
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Pressure switch out of adjustment
The cut-in and cut-off settings on the switch may have drifted or been bumped. When the gap between those two numbers is too narrow, the pump cycles rapidly trying to split the difference. This is the cheapest thing on the list to check and sometimes the only thing wrong.
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Waterlogged pressure tank
The pressure tank (the one that looks like a propane tank) holds a pocket of air that cushions the system between pump cycles. When that air pocket collapses — usually because the bladder or diaphragm inside has failed — water fills the whole tank and pressure swings become violent. This is the most common cause of short-cycling and confirmed quickly by tapping the tank: a waterlogged tank sounds solid all the way up.
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Low or lost pre-charge pressure in the tank
Even a tank with an intact bladder can lose its air pre-charge over time. When that air pressure drops, the effective storage volume shrinks and the pump has to fill the gap constantly. Checking and correcting pre-charge is less involved than replacing the tank, so it gets ruled out first.
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Small leak in the pressure line between pump and tank
A pinhole leak or a fitting that's weeping slightly will bleed pressure off steadily, especially after the pump shuts off. The pump then restarts to chase the loss. Leaks this small are sometimes invisible at the surface — pressure testing the line is what finds them.
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Check valve or foot valve failing
The check valve keeps water from flowing back down into the well after the pump shuts off. When it leaks, pressure drops every time the pump stops, and the pump restarts almost immediately. Confirming this means watching what the pressure gauge does in the seconds after the pump shuts off — a fast drop points here.
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Pump output declining
A pump that's worn or partially blocked can't build pressure efficiently. It reaches cut-off, shuts down, and pressure immediately sags because there's not enough flow in reserve to hold it. This is the most involved diagnosis on the list and the reason you work through everything else first.
This page covers the supply side — from the well to where the water line enters the building. Interior plumbing, fixtures, and water heaters are outside our scope.
How it gets diagnosed
The order a technician works through it
Diagnosis follows cost, not convenience. The steps below go from what takes minutes to what takes a full visit, and each one either confirms the cause or removes it from the list.
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Check and adjust the pressure switch
The technician reads the current cut-in and cut-off settings and compares them to what the tank's pre-charge calls for. If the gap is wrong, adjusting it may stop the cycling immediately. This is the first stop because it costs almost nothing.
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Test the tank pre-charge
With the pump off and pressure bled down, a gauge on the tank's air valve shows whether pre-charge is where it needs to be. Correcting a low pre-charge is straightforward and far less involved than replacing the tank — so it comes before any talk of replacement.
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Tap the tank and check for waterlogging
A hollow sound along the top half of the tank means air is present. A solid sound all the way up means the bladder has failed and the tank is holding water end to end. This takes about two minutes and usually settles the question of whether the tank needs to be replaced.
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Watch the pressure gauge after pump shutoff
Once the pump shuts off, the technician watches how fast pressure drops. A slow, steady drop points toward a line leak. A fast collapse points toward the check valve. The pattern narrows the field considerably before anything is opened up.
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Inspect the check valve and pressure line
The check valve gets pulled and inspected. Pressure testing the line between pump and tank locates any leak that didn't show at the surface. Either finding here is a targeted repair rather than a system-wide one.
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Evaluate pump output
If all of the above check out, the pump itself gets tested for flow and pressure against its rated specifications. A pump that's fallen below spec is the most involved repair on this list — but by this point, everything cheaper has already been cleared.
If you'd like someone to work through this in order, we're at (719) 859-1148.
- Free estimates — we quote after we diagnose
- One year on labor and materials
- Colorado License #1447
Why the cheap answer is safe to give
We can afford to tell you it is the cheap part
Not because we are nicer than the next outfit. Because of how this business is built — and all three of these are checkable.
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No rig to keep busy
A drilling rig is the most expensive thing a water contractor can own, and it has to stay working to pay for itself. We do not own one. A new well is not on our list of answers, because we could not drill it if we wanted to.
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We are a dealer, not a manufacturer
Authorized dealer — that is where the five-year equipment warranty comes from. We do not build pumps and we do not carry a quota on them. A pump we talk you out of costs us nothing.
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A wrong diagnosis comes back to us
One year on labor and materials means we are the ones who drive back out if the fix does not hold. Guessing expensive is not only dishonest here — it is expensive for us.
None of that is a claim about our character. You do not have to take our word for any of it — the license, the association memberships and the warranty terms are all verifiable, and they are the same on paper as they are on this page.
Questions we get asked
Before you call
Short-cycling is hard on the motor. Every start pulls a surge of current, and a motor that starts dozens of times an hour instead of a few times an hour wears significantly faster. It won't fail on a specific schedule, but running it that way shortens its life.
Sometimes, temporarily. If the bladder is intact and the pre-charge just bled down, re-charging the air valve may help. If the bladder has failed, the air won't hold and you'll be back to short-cycling within hours. A tap test tells you which situation you're in.
Watch the pressure gauge while the pump runs. If the needle climbs steadily to cut-off and the pump shuts off cleanly, the switch is working. If pressure swings are rapid and the needle barely reaches cut-off before dropping again, the tank is the more likely cause. A technician can usually confirm this in the first few minutes on site.
It can be. Under heavy draw, some cycling is expected — the pump is trying to keep up. If it cycles rapidly even with just a trickle running, or with nothing running at all, that points toward the tank or check valve rather than just a high-demand situation.
Not usually. Short-cycling is almost always a pressure-side problem — tank, switch, check valve, or pump — rather than a supply problem. A well that's running low typically shows up as low pressure or the pump running continuously, not as rapid on-off cycling.
The gauge shows average pressure, not the speed of the swings. A waterlogged tank can read a normal number on the gauge while still cycling rapidly, because the pump is just chasing the drop fast enough to keep the average up. The cycling pattern matters as much as the number.
Most modern tanks are sealed units — the bladder isn't a separate serviceable part. When the bladder fails, the tank is replaced. It's worth confirming the pre-charge first, since a tank with an intact bladder but low air is a much simpler fix.
Yes. Beyond the pump motor, rapid pressure swings put stress on fittings, the pressure switch contacts, and any filtration equipment on the line. Catching it early usually means the repair stays contained to whatever caused it.
If something above matched what you're seeing, a call to (719) 859-1148 — answered 24 hours Monday through Saturday — is a good next step. Call (719) 859-1148
Before we arrive
What to note before you call or have someone out
You don't need to diagnose this yourself. But a few observations make the conversation faster and the visit more focused.
- Count the cycles. How many times does the pump click on in a minute with no water running? Even a rough count helps narrow the field quickly.
- Note when it started. Did it begin suddenly after a dry spell, after a period of heavy use, or did it creep up gradually over weeks? The timeline points toward different causes.
- Tap the pressure tank. Knock on the tank from bottom to top — a hollow sound means air is present, a solid thud all the way up means it may be waterlogged. You don't need to be certain, just note what you hear.
- Watch the pressure gauge. See how fast the needle drops after the pump shuts off. A slow drop versus a fast collapse is one of the most useful things you can describe.
None of this is required — we can start from scratch on site — but it often means the answer comes faster.
Tell us what the water is doing.
We’ll tell you what it usually turns out to be, what it will take to confirm it, and what it costs — before we touch anything.
Call (719) 859-1148Answering 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday
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- One year on labor and materials, five on equipment
- Free estimates and project quotes — we quote after we diagnose
- NGWA and Colorado Water Well Contractors Association
Or have us call you back
If you are on bad signal or would rather not talk right now.