You can do some of the checks yourself in a few minutes, but for the rest the pump has to be lifted and the borehole measured. We find the cause in Riga and the Riga region and tell you what to fix and for how much. In your request, describe exactly what is happening: the pump is silent, runs without water, or water comes with sand.
What to check yourself before requesting work
- Electricity: whether the pump's fuse or circuit breaker has tripped, and whether an error signal is lit on the control unit.
- The pressure gauge at the pressure tank: if the pressure is zero and the pump is silent, the fault is usually in the electricity, the pressure switch or the pump.
- Dry-run protection: if it has switched the pump off, the water level in the borehole has been too low. Many control units switch the pump on again after a while, but the cause remains.
- In winter: whether a pipe has frozen in the caisson or at the entry into the house.
Do not switch the pump on again and again if it runs without water: when running dry a submersible pump overheats and gets damaged. If you suspect the pressure tank or pressure switch, see also water pump switches on too often.
The most common causes
| What you see | Possible cause | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| The pump is silent, there is no pressure | Electricity, pressure switch, cable, pump motor | We measure the cable and pump resistance and replace the pump if needed |
| The pump runs, no water comes | Broken delivery pipe in the borehole, faulty non-return valve, fallen level | We lift the pump and measure the water level |
| Water comes intermittently and with air | During pumping the level drops to the pump, the pump is too powerful for the borehole | We measure the dynamic level, lower the pump deeper or limit the output |
| Less and less water over the years | Clogged filter (iron, silt, sand) | Borehole cleaning |
| Sand in the water | Damaged filter or pipe, pump too close to the filter | See the section below |
In a long dry summer the water level can fall in a borehole too, especially in shallow boreholes. Then what helps is lowering the pump deeper, if the borehole has room for it, and a lower output, not a more powerful pump.
How we find the cause
- Electricity and controls We check the power supply, pressure switch, control unit and the pump cable resistance above ground, without lifting the pump.
- Water level With a dip meter we measure the static level and compare it with the borehole passport. If the level is close to the pump, the cause is the amount of water, not the equipment.
- Lifting the pump We lift the pump and inspect the delivery pipe, the non-return valve and the pump's intake screen. Sand or brown deposits on it show what is happening in the borehole.
- Borehole check We measure the depth and, if needed, do a short test pumping to see how much water the borehole gives now.
- Solution We tell you what needs fixing: the pump, the controls, borehole cleaning or repair, and name the price before the work.
Sand in the water
Sand in borehole water means that soil is getting into the borehole by a route it should not take. For a new borehole a little sand in the first days is normal, if it has not yet been flushed enough. If sand appears in a borehole that has been clean for years, the cause is one of these:
- A torn filter, or a broken or separated casing pipe.
- The filter slots are too wide for the aquifer's sand grains.
- The pump is too powerful: a high flow pulls sand through the filter.
- The pump has been lowered too close to the filter or the bottom of the borehole.
Sand quickly wears down the pump impellers and clogs the pressure tank, taps and treatment equipment. If the fault is the pump or its depth, repositioning the pump or fitting a different one is enough. If the filter or pipe is damaged, you need a borehole repair with an insert filter. A sand separator in the house protects the equipment, but does not remove the cause in the borehole.
Building code LBN 222-15 “Water Supply Structures” (Cabinet Regulation No. 326 of 30.06.2015), point 74: the filter design is chosen according to the hydrogeological conditions, output and operating mode; point 82: after installation the borehole and filter are flushed until the water is clear. Source: likumi.lv, checked 03.11.2026.
What it costs if a borehole gives no water
The price depends on what is found, so we name it after diagnosis. The most common fixes have published starting prices:
- submersible pump replacement: installation from €200 excluding the pump price, more on borehole pump replacement;
- flushing a clogged borehole: borehole cleaning from €400;
- damage to the pipe or filter: we name the price after inspection, because it depends on the depth of the damage and the length of the liner pipe.
If the borehole cannot be fixed, we compare the repair with the price of a new borehole, which starts from €65/m. All prices: prices.