Silver Spring is an inside-the-Beltway suburb on WSSC Water's public water and sewer, and homes with their own wells are few. When the water slows to a trickle here, the cause is far more often a pressure-reducing valve, a leak or a utility-side problem than a pump. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Silver Spring.
Silver Spring's neighborhoods, from Woodside Park to Long Branch and Lyttonsville, grew up around a dense downtown on the District line, and the median home dates to 1964. Water comes through WSSC meters from the Potomac and Patuxent treatment plants. If your house is one of the rare ones with well equipment, or has a booster pump added to lift city pressure, the steps below still apply.
What to do right now
- Open a cold tap on the lowest floor and one on the top floor. Weak flow at both points to the whole house; weak flow at one points to that fixture.
- Ask a neighbor whether their water is normal. If the street is out, the problem is on WSSC's side, and WSSC Water's emergency line is the call to make.
- Find the main shutoff and the meter. If you hear water running with everything off, close the main and call for help, since a hidden leak may be pulling pressure down.
- If you have a pressure tank, read its gauge and listen for a switch clicking. Rapid clicking usually means the tank has lost its air charge.
- Check the breaker for any pump. Reset it once; if it trips again, leave it off.
Symptoms and their usual causes
| What you notice | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Low pressure everywhere, neighbors fine | Failing pressure-reducing valve, partly closed main valve or a leak on your service line |
| Low pressure at one faucet or shower | Clogged aerator, cartridge or showerhead |
| No water on the whole street | WSSC main break or planned work |
| Pump short-cycles with a clicking switch | Waterlogged pressure tank or bad switch |
| Pump hums but nothing flows | Seized motor, failed capacitor or lost prime |
| Pressure sags when the basement pit pump runs | Unrelated; that is a sump pump, not a supply pump |
What affects the cost
For most Silver Spring calls the bill depends on finding the real cause: replacing a regulator or a cartridge is modest work, while a leak buried under a driveway or a front walk means digging. In older homes, valves that have not been turned in decades sometimes break when they are finally used, adding a part to the job. True pump work is priced by the type of pump, how hard it is to reach and whether the tank and switch go with it. Plumbing permits in Montgomery County are issued by WSSC Water, and the plumber will tell you if your repair needs one.
Well Pump Repair questions in Silver Spring
Pressure dropped and I am on public water. What is the likely cause?
Who do I call about a problem on the utility side of the meter?
Is the pump in the pit in my basement a well pump?
What can I check safely before the plumber gets here?
More plumbing services in Silver Spring
Well Pump Repair nearby
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