One of the most common confusions we run into on the phone is people calling a well-drilling company for a pump problem, or calling us when they actually need a driller. They sound like the same thing — both involve wells. They’re actually two different trades that handle two different sets of problems. Calling the wrong one wastes time and money. Here’s how to tell them apart.

Two Different Trades, Two Different Problems

Drilling and pump service overlap on the same well, but the work is different. Drillers create the well, deepen it, and handle the structural side — the casing, the depth, the yield. Pump-service companies (us) handle everything that moves water out of the well and into your house — the pump, the tank, the switch, the lines, the filtration. Most homeowners only need a driller once or twice in the life of a well. They’ll need pump service many times.

What a Well Pump Service Company Does (Us)

We diagnose, repair, and replace everything from the pump down to the fixtures inside your house. That includes submersible and jet pump installation, replacement, and repair , pressure switches, pressure tanks and storage tanks , supply lines, leak detection, and water filtration systems. If your problem is mechanical, electrical, or about water moving through the system, that’s us.

What a Well Driller Does (Someone Else)

A driller drills new wells, deepens existing wells, hydrofracks to improve yield from a low-producing well, and replaces or repairs the casing structure itself. They handle the rock, the depth, and the well bore. They typically don’t do pump work, and we don’t do drilling. Different equipment, different licensing, different specialty.

How to Tell Which One You Need

Call a pump-service company first if you have low pressure, no water at the faucets, weird noises from the system, sediment or rust at the tap, or a smell from the water. Call a driller if a pump-service technician confirms the well itself is the problem — static water level too low, recovery rate too slow, casing damage, or the well is simply too old or shallow to keep up with modern household demand. Most homeowners should start with us — the diagnostic will tell us whether the problem is on our side or the driller’s.

Why It Matters Who You Call First

If you call a driller first and the problem is actually a $40 pressure switch, you’ve burned a lot of time and possibly money for nothing — drillers don’t fix pressure switches. If you call us first and the problem is the well itself, we’ll confirm it with measurements, document everything, and refer you to a trusted local driller. Either way, a one-hour pump diagnostic ($169 plus tax) saves you from chasing the wrong trade.

What If I Need Both?

Sometimes you do. A new well needs a new pump installed in it. An old well that gets deepened often needs the pump pulled and reset. We work alongside drillers all the time on jobs like these — the driller handles their part, we handle the pump install. Contact Mad River Well Services if you’re not sure which one you need — we’ll help you figure it out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do drilling?

No. We service and repair pumps, tanks, switches, lines, and filtration. If you need drilling, we’ll refer you to a trusted local driller.

Do drillers do pump work?

Some do basic pump installs, but most don’t handle pressure-tank diagnostics, leak detection, or filtration. For anything beyond a straight pump install, you want a pump-service company.

How do I know if my well is too old?

Most modern Connecticut wells last 50+ years if they were drilled to adequate depth. A driller can evaluate yield and casing; we can tell you whether the pump and pressure system are healthy.

Will both trades charge separately?

Yes — they’re separate companies billing separately. The diagnostic from one side often saves money on the other side by identifying exactly what needs to be done.