Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating completed a well pump replacement at a home in Tabernash, Colorado. The owners were staying at the property in late February when the water stopped. During the replacement, the crew found the old pump at 198 feet rather than the estimated 80, sized the new pump and pressure tank to the measured depth, and repaired a leaking toilet that may have been overworking the old pump.
Project Facts
- Location: Tabernash, Colorado
- Project Type: Well pump replacement
- Equipment Installed: Franklin Electric ¾ HP, 5 GPM submersible well pump; Flexcon H2PL82 pressure tank; new drop pipe and wiring
- Primary Concern: The house lost water entirely while the owners were at the property
- Measured Depths: Pump found at 198 feet against an estimate of 80 feet; total well depth of 290 feet
- Additional Work: Well permit; well chlorination; repair of a leaking toilet found during the final walkthrough
- Result: Full water service restored with a pump and pressure tank sized to the well’s actual depth
The Challenge
The owners of a home in Tabernash were staying at the property in late February when the water simply stopped. Because the owners were there, a technician could diagnose the problem in real time, with the owners on hand to describe exactly what had happened.
A well system that stops delivering water can fail for several reasons: a tripped breaker, a bad pressure switch, a waterlogged tank, or the submersible pump itself giving out far down the casing. In this case, the pump itself had failed. It needed to be pulled and replaced, a job that takes permitting and scheduling rather than a same-day fix.
The crew returned to complete the replacement the following week. Getting the well properly fixed did not depend on the owners being there to watch the work, which is the kind of service a mountain community with many part-time residents depends on.
The Solution
Technicians Zach, Barry and Kes handled the job as a well pump pull-and-replace, from the initial permit through commissioning.
Permit First, Then Measure
Before any work could start below ground, the crew pulled a well permit to keep the replacement compliant with state well regulations. During the pull, the crew measured the depth to the pump and the total depth of the well directly instead of assuming them. The actual numbers did not match the estimate made ahead of time: the pump came up from 198 feet rather than an estimated 80, and the well itself measured 290 feet.
That gap is why a physical pull-and-measure matters on a well job. Sizing the replacement pump and drop cable from an old estimate instead of the real depth is how a homeowner ends up with an undersized system or a callback down the road.
A New Pump and Pressure Tank
With accurate numbers in hand, the crew installed a new Franklin Electric ¾ HP, 5 GPM submersible pump sized to the well’s actual depth and set it on new drop pipe and wiring. On the surface side, the crew installed a new Flexcon H2PL82 pressure tank. The tank holds system pressure and reduces how often the new pump cycles on and off, which directly affects how long a submersible pump lasts.
Once the new pump and tank were in place and the system was re-pressurized, the crew chlorinated the well. Chlorination is a standard step after any pump pull that disturbs the casing, and it makes sure the water reaching the home’s fixtures is safe before the job is called complete.
A Leaking Toilet That Mattered
During the walkthrough at the end of the job, the crew found a leaking toilet elsewhere in the house. A running toilet keeps drawing water long after anyone would notice, which means the well pump cycles on and off far more often than it should. That extra cycling is one of the more common ways a submersible pump’s working life gets used up early, so the leak may have been overworking the old pump for some time before it failed.
The crew repaired the toilet during the same visit rather than leaving it for a separate call, which removes a likely contributor to wear on the new pump.
The Results
The owners have full water service again, with a new pump and pressure tank sized to the well’s actual depth rather than an outdated estimate. Because the crew measured rather than assumed, and pulled the required permit before doing the work, the property also has a well system that is properly documented and correctly sized the first time.
The repair did not require the owners to be present to make sure it was done right. And by fixing the leaking toilet during the same visit, the crew addressed a likely reason the original pump wore out early, not just the failure itself.
Well Pump Service in Tabernash and Grand County
Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating has served Grand County for over 100 years, and a sudden loss of water is one of the situations where a fast, correct response matters most, whether the owners are standing in the driveway or three states away. We offer emergency and same-day well service, because a house with no water cannot wait.
Our Sweet Water Pump Services team, part of Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating since 2018, services, repairs, and replaces well pumps, pressure tanks, and water storage systems in Tabernash and throughout Grand County. Sweet Water Pump Services has been part of the Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating family since 2018, and Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating was the first plumbing company in Grand County to hold a Colorado Water Well Pump Contractor License.
Our team also provides well water testing and plumbing service in Tabernash. Another Tabernash project shows our work on the water itself: a whole-home water treatment replacement.
Lost water at your well, or worried about an aging pump? Call Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating at 970-627-3441.
More well pump projects: well pump recovery and replacement in Kremmling and well pump and control system replacement in Fraser.
Well Pump Replacement FAQs
Why measure a well before choosing a replacement pump?
Estimates can be far off. At this Tabernash home, the pump came up from 198 feet rather than an estimated 80, and the well measured 290 feet. Sizing a replacement pump and drop cable from an old estimate instead of the real depth is how a homeowner ends up with an undersized system or a callback.
Can a leaking toilet shorten the life of a well pump?
It can. A running toilet keeps drawing water long after anyone would notice, so the well pump cycles on and off far more often than it should. That extra cycling is one of the more common ways a submersible pump’s working life gets used up early.
What does a pressure tank do in a well system?
A pressure tank holds system pressure and reduces how often the pump cycles on and off. How often the pump cycles directly affects how long a submersible pump lasts.
Does a well pump replacement need a permit?
On this Tabernash job, the crew pulled a well permit before any work started below ground, to keep the replacement compliant with state well regulations.
Why is a well chlorinated after a pump replacement?
Chlorination is a standard step after any pump pull that disturbs the casing. It makes sure the water reaching the home’s fixtures is safe before the job is called complete.
Does Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating service well pumps in Tabernash?
Yes. Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating and Sweet Water Pump Services service, repair and replace well pumps, pressure tanks and water storage systems in Tabernash and throughout Grand County, with emergency and same-day well service.
