If your Richmond rental uses a private well, a whole-home loss of water or sudden pressure change follows a different path from an ordinary faucet problem. Start by determining how much of the home is affected and by checking only the controls or indicators that are already visible.
Do not open well caps, pressure switches, electrical control boxes, pressure tanks, or service panels. Private-well equipment varies substantially between properties, so the exact system installed at your home matters.
Key Takeaways
- First determine whether one fixture or the entire home is affected.
- Check ordinary household power status and photograph visible well-system gauges, displays, or alarms.
- Do not adjust pressure settings or open well or electrical equipment.
- Report sudden changes in well-water appearance, taste, odor, or clarity rather than trying to chemically treat the water yourself.
Is the Problem at One Fixture or Throughout the Home?
Try a second faucet in another part of the home. If only one fixture has weak or no flow while water elsewhere is normal, start with our Low or No Water Pressure guide. The problem may be limited to that fixture or plumbing branch rather than the private-well system.
If several fixtures throughout the home have little or no water, continue with the well-specific checks below.
Check Ordinary Power Status
A well pump needs electrical power. If the entire property has lost power, the water loss may be part of the same outage.
Confirm whether lights and other normal household electrical equipment are operating. If the home has a broader outage, use our No Power or Partial Power guide.
Do not open a well-pump control box, pressure switch, electrical enclosure, or other service component.
Look at Visible Gauges, Displays or Alarms
If well or pressure-system equipment is in a normally accessible location, photograph what you can see without opening anything. Useful information includes a visible pressure gauge, indicator light, alarm, display message, or model label.
Do not change pressure settings or turn unfamiliar valves simply because an online diagram shows similar equipment. Well systems can differ in pump type, pressure controls, treatment equipment, storage, and installation.
Has the Water Itself Changed?
A private-well problem is not limited to pressure. A sudden unexplained change in taste, odor, color, clarity, or appearance should be reported.
The Virginia Department of Health Private Well Program recommends considering additional testing after a wellhead is flooded or when a previously trouble-free well develops a noticeable water-quality change.
Do not add bleach, disinfectants, softener chemicals, or other treatment products to the well or water system unless PMI James River gives you a property-specific documented instruction. If you are concerned that the water may be unsafe for drinking or cooking, report that concern promptly so the appropriate water-quality guidance can be provided.
When to Submit a Maintenance Request
If the whole home still has little or no water after the ordinary checks, a well-system alarm is active, the problem continues or returns, or the water itself has changed, submit a maintenance request through the resident portal.
Include whether the whole home is affected, when the problem started, whether the property recently lost power, photos of any visible gauge or alarm, and any change you noticed in the water.
For other property-specific equipment, return to Special Systems in Richmond Rentals.
Published: September 2, 2026
