Two contractors can quote the same well, the same house and the same pump, and come back $1,200 apart. Neither of them is necessarily wrong.
Almost none of the money is the pump. Once you know what the rest of it is buying, the quotes start making sense.
How Much Does a Well Pump Replacement Cost?
Replacing a well pump costs roughly $900 to $2,500 installed according to This Old House, with the pump itself only $200 to $500 of that. Labor and well depth account for the majority of the bill, not the hardware.
Key Takeaways
- The pump is a small share of an installed quote.
- Depth drives labor, and labor drives the price.
- Diagnose before replacing, since the tank often fails first.
- Replace pipe and wire while the pump is up.
- A cheap pump costs the same labor as a good one.
Where the Money Goes
| Line item | Why it varies |
|---|---|
| The pump | Horsepower, stages, jet or submersible |
| Labor | Depth, access, hoist needed or not |
| Drop pipe | Replaced with the pump on deep wells |
| Wire and rope | Age, and whether they come up damaged |
| Pitless or cap work | Only if the fitting is failing |
| Electrical | Control box or switch replaced at the same time |
Depth is the variable that moves the total most. A 60 foot shallow well and a 400 foot deep well take the same pump but nothing like the same labor, and that alone explains most of the spread between quotes.
Diagnose Before You Buy
A large share of replaced well pumps were working. The symptom that sends people looking, pressure that swings or a pump that runs constantly, is more often the pressure tank losing its air charge than the pump wearing out.
Checking that first costs nothing and is covered in our well pressure tank guide. The full diagnostic order is in our guide to telling whether a well pump is bad, and weak pressure has its own list of causes in low water pressure in a house.
What to Replace While It Is Up
- Drop pipe if it is older galvanized or looks tired.
- Wire and safety rope, since both age underwater.
- Check valve at the pump.
- Pressure switch if the contacts are pitted.
- Torque arrestor on a submersible install.
These are the cheapest parts on the job and the most expensive to go back for. Pulling a pump twice in three years because a $30 item was reused is the outcome worth designing around.
Buying the Pump Yourself
Because the pump is the small end of the bill, upgrading it barely moves the total. Spending an extra hundred dollars on a better motor and stainless components changes the price by a few percent while changing the service life considerably.
Size it properly rather than matching whatever was there, since the old pump may have been wrong from the start. Our guide to reading a pump curve covers matching the pump to the actual duty, and on a submersible the control box should be replaced alongside the motor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to have a well pump pulled and replaced?
Replacing a well pump costs roughly $900 to $2,500 installed according to This Old House, with the pump itself accounting for only $200 to $500 of that. Labor, well depth and whether the drop pipe and wiring come up with the pump account for the rest, which is why quotes on the same pump vary widely.
How much does a well pump itself cost?
A well pump on its own runs about $200 to $500 for a typical residential unit, a small fraction of an installed quote. Horsepower, stage count and whether it is a jet or submersible model move the figure within that band. Paying more for the pump is usually cheaper than paying twice for the labor.
Is a well pump covered by homeowners insurance?
A well pump is generally not covered by homeowners insurance when it simply wears out, because policies exclude normal wear and mechanical breakdown. Damage from a covered peril such as a lightning strike may be a different matter. Check the policy wording rather than assuming either way before you file.
How long does it take to replace a pump in a well?
Replacing a well pump usually takes a crew half a day, though pulling several hundred feet of drop pipe from a deep well can stretch it to a full one. Shallow well and jet pump swaps sitting above ground go faster because nothing has to be hoisted. Diagnosing the fault beforehand prevents a second visit.
Can a plumber replace a well pump?
A plumber can replace a well pump, though pulling a deep submersible is specialist work that well contractors are better equipped for, because the job needs a hoist and hundreds of feet of pipe. Shallow well and jet pumps sitting above ground are ordinary plumbing. Ask which type you have before deciding who to call.
Well Pumps at Ken’s Distributing
Ken’s Distributing supplies well pumps, drop pipe fittings, switches and control boxes across the Franklin Electric range and the Monarch water pump range.
Send us the well depth, the current pump’s nameplate and the symptom you are seeing, and we will confirm the pump is actually the failed part before you pay anyone to pull it.