Water Pump Troubleshooting, by the Pump You Actually Have

Every Pump answers one question at a time: what's actually wrong with this pump, and what to check first. Pick yours below and you'll get the likely causes in the order they actually happen, a one-minute test for each, and whether it's a five-minute fix or a pump worth replacing.

Booster Pumps Low city water pressure — cycling, sizing, install location. Condensate Pumps Running but not pumping, overflow, short cycling, sizing and placement. Ejector Pumps Basement bathroom alarms, clogs, odor, venting. Sump Pumps Running constantly, float switches, battery backup, discharge lines. Utility Pumps Flooded basements, water heaters and draining standing water. Well Pumps Short cycling, no water, pressure switches, sizing by GPM and depth.
How these guides are built

Not another AI summary of a manufacturer's FAQ page

Every article starts from the live search results for that exact symptom and the manufacturer's own install manual — not a guess.

Verified against the manual

Every spec that goes in an article — GPH, lift height, cut-in pressure — is checked against the pump's own install manual or spec sheet, not estimated.

Ordered by real frequency

Causes are ranked by how often they're actually the cause — pulled from real repair-forum threads — not by how dramatic they sound.

A test before a purchase

Every cause gets a one-minute check you can run before you decide anything costs money — the $12 check valve and the $300 pump get the same honesty.

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