Water service in Boyds varies by address: WSSC Water is the public utility for Montgomery County, but in this semi-rural area some properties may rely on a private well instead. If you are on a well and the pump, tank or switch is failing, or you are not sure which you have, a plumber can sort it out. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Boyds.
How do I know if my Boyds home is on a well?
Start with your bills. A WSSC Water bill and a meter mean public water. No water bill, plus a pressure tank and switch where the line enters the house and a well cap in the yard, mean a private well. Montgomery County also gives every property a water and sewer service category, and some categories cover individual wells, so the county's records can settle it for a property you are buying. Boyds grew as a railroad and dairy-farming village on the old B&O line and is still semi-rural around Black Hill Regional Park and Little Seneca Lake, so both setups are plausible depending on the street.
What usually goes wrong with a well system?
Most failures fall into a few groups. Pressure tanks lose their air charge, which makes the pump short-cycle and wear out early. Pressure switches burn their contacts and stop starting the pump. Control boxes and capacitors fail, so the pump hums or does nothing. Submersible pumps eventually wear out, and drop pipes can split, which gives you a pump that runs without delivering full pressure. Lightning and power surges during summer storms are hard on all of the electrical parts.
Can a plumber fix it, or do I need a well driller?
A plumber who handles well work can usually replace switches, gauges, tanks and control boxes, and pull and replace a submersible pump in a typical residential well. If the well itself is failing, for example a damaged casing, a well that no longer yields enough water or a pump set very deep, a well driller is the right trade. The plumber can tell you which situation you are in after testing the system.
A Boyds note
If your property turns out to be on WSSC water, low pressure points to a valve, a fixture or a service line rather than a pump. Plumbing work in Montgomery County is permitted and inspected by WSSC Water Permit Services, and the plumber can say whether your repair needs a permit. Write down your well's depth and pump age if you have old paperwork; it speeds up any future visit.
Well Pump Repair questions in Boyds
How do I find out whether my property is set up for public water or a private well?
Can a plumber handle a submersible pump, or do I need a well driller?
How often should private well water be tested?
What happens to my water when the power goes out?
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