What Should Be on a Well Pump Installation Record?

The best record is a handoff packet, not just an invoice. It should let the next qualified professional answer five questions without guessing:

1. Which well and which equipment were serviced?
2. What exactly was installed, replaced, adjusted, or left in place?
3. What were the well and pressure-system baselines at the time?
4. What did the installer test or observe after the work?
5. Which warranty, manual, permit, filing, and contact records should the owner preserve?

The University of Arizona’s homeowner installation and maintenance form is a useful model: it groups well identity, installer, pump identity, performance testing, water-quality information, electrical test results, observations, and corrections. The record does not need to copy Arizona’s layout, but it should preserve the same decision-useful facts.

Safety boundary: A homeowner can review paperwork, photograph an already-visible equipment label without removing a cover, record a normal visible gauge reading, and ask the installer for test results. NGWA homeowner guidance says to consult a water-well professional anytime the well needs to be opened. Do not attempt opening a well or removing its cap, opening energized controls, testing live wiring, pulling a pump, entering a pit or confined space, changing pressure settings, or manipulating pressurized equipment such as disconnecting piping. Assign those tasks to a qualified well or pump professional. Missing paperwork is a documentation problem, not a remote diagnosis.

1. Start with an owner-side handoff packet

Ask for one organized packet in digital or paper form. It can contain several documents, but the documents should point to the same well and service event.

Oklahoma State University Extension recommends a separate file for each well containing a property map, construction log, contractor information, maintenance and warranty information, inspection reports, water-quality results, and the well identification number. That is broader than a single pump invoice, which is the point: the pump record should join a durable well history rather than become a lone PDF in an email inbox.

2. Record the work event before listing the parts

The first page should make the service event unambiguous. Record:

• Well address and a well ID, permit number, or agency record number if one exists.
• Date the work began and date the system was returned to service.
• Name, business, phone number, address, and license or certification details of the driller, pump installer, electrician, or other provider involved.
• Whether the event was a new installation, repair, replacement, modification, inspection, cleaning, disinfection, or diagnostic visit.
• The homeowner’s reported problem, without rewriting it as a diagnosis unless the provider documented that diagnosis.
• What was removed, what was reused, what was installed, and what remains unknown.
• Any access limitation, failed test, deferred correction, or recommendation for later work.

Use plain language in the scope line. “Replaced submersible pump and motor; reused drop pipe and control box; set pump at documented depth; tested flow and pressure” is useful. “Pump service” is not. If the provider says the cause was “low pressure,” keep that as the reported symptom unless the record identifies the measured cause.

The Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Water Survey specifically advise owners to keep service records, well depth, emergency instructions, and local health-department and drilling-contractor contacts. Those contacts matter when the installer is unavailable or when a future professional needs the original well log.

Attach the invoice, but do not stop there

An invoice proves that a transaction occurred. It may not identify the actual pump model, motor serial number, setting depth, pressure settings, measured flow, or test method. Ask the provider to attach the installation or service record, photos of accessible nameplates, manuals, warranty information, and any agency-facing completion form.

Do not demand that a contractor disclose a measurement that was not taken. Instead, the record should say “not measured,” “not applicable,” or “not accessible,” with a reason. An honest blank with a reason is more useful than a guessed number.

3. Capture the installed equipment’s identity and setting

This is the section that prevents an unknown replacement pump. Record the identity of each component that can affect compatibility, service, or warranty.

Pump and motor

Ask for:

• Pump manufacturer and exact model.
• Pump serial number, date code, and rated capacity or design point if available.
• Motor manufacturer and exact model.
• Motor serial number or date code.
• Horsepower, voltage, phase, and frequency.
• Pump type: submersible, jet, centrifugal, turbine, or another configuration.
• Number of stages when the equipment record uses that field.
• Whether the part is new, repaired, rebuilt, or a replacement.

The Franklin Electric Form 2207 installation record shows why “a new pump” is not enough. Its fields include motor model, serial number and date code; pump manufacturer, model and stages; design rating; actual delivery; controls; well data; static and pumping levels; pump inlet setting; casing and drop-pipe details; and control-panel information. That is a manufacturer-specific example, not a universal form, but it is a strong test for whether a handoff contains enough identity to support the next service decision.

Well setting and connected equipment

Ask the installer to record, where applicable:

• Total well depth and casing inside diameter.
• Pump inlet or pump setting depth, measured from a named reference point.
• Drop-pipe diameter and material.
• Check-valve locations or count if the installer documented them.
• Flow sleeve or shroud, if used.
• Pressure tank manufacturer, model, size, serial number, and installation date.
• Pressure switch or constant-pressure controller manufacturer, model, and control type.
• Gauge, relief valve, control box, starter, VFD, filters, treatment equipment, or storage tank that was installed, replaced, or left in service.
• Any component intentionally not replaced because it was tested or judged serviceable.

Do not turn “setting depth” into “well depth.” The pump can be set above the bottom, and the casing, screen, drop pipe, and pump inlet can all have separate depths. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s current pump-installer form separately asks for pump type, rated capacity, motor horsepower, setting depth, and pump-test results. That separation is useful for owners in every state even though Mississippi’s form itself is not a national requirement.

Preserve label evidence safely

A clear photograph of an already-visible nameplate is often valuable. Photograph the whole label, including units and serial number, and write down which component it belongs to. Do not remove a well cap, open a control-panel cover, handle wiring, or lean into a well opening to obtain a better photograph. Ask the installer to supply the label photo or a typed transcription.

4. Document the well and pressure baseline

A record should contain numbers that describe the system’s condition, not only the parts that were sold. The exact tests depend on the work and equipment, but the record should identify what was measured, when, how, by whom, and in what units.

The Arizona owner form includes static water level, flow rate, pressure-on and pressure-off, and run time. Mississippi’s state pump report adds static and pumping water levels, drawdown, test pumping rate, test duration, and measurement method. Together they show the difference between a useful baseline and a vague statement such as “pressure good.”

Keep the reference point visible

Every depth needs a reference point: for example, a marked point on the top of the well casing. A depth from the casing top cannot be cleanly compared with a depth from the ground surface unless the offset is known. Ask for the reference point in words, not just a number.

For pressure, record the gauge location and the control arrangement. A conventional pressure-switch system and a constant-pressure controller may not produce the same kind of on/off record. If there is no pressure switch, write down the controller type instead of forcing a switch-setting field.

Provider-completed technical tests

Electrical resistance, insulation, amperage, voltage, current balance, grounding, protection, and cable condition can be important installation evidence. The Franklin Electric installation record includes those technical fields, but they are installer-completed fields. A homeowner should receive the result and the instrument or method where relevant, not attempt to test live wiring.

5. Add post-service observations, tests, and limits

The closeout section should answer: “What happened after the work was complete?” Ask for the following when relevant to the job:

• The date and time the system was tested.
• Whether the pump started, stopped, and delivered water under the stated test demand.
• Measured flow, pressure, and run time, with units and method.
• Visible leaks, unusual noise, vibration, rust, damaged fittings, or control warnings.
• Whether water was cloudy, discolored, or carrying sediment after the work, and what the provider recommended.
• Whether the well or plumbing was disinfected, who did it, and what follow-up was advised.
• Whether a water sample was collected, where it was sent, the report number, and the results.
• Corrections still needed, conditions that limited the test, and the next recommended review.

NGWA’s WellOwner.org maintenance guidance recommends a written report after a professional checkup with recommendations and laboratory or other test results. The report should not imply that every pump replacement requires every possible test. It should make the test boundary explicit: “flow measured for 20 minutes at hose bib,” “no water-quality sample collected,” or “pump setting not verified because the pump was not pulled.”

Water-quality paperwork belongs in the same file

Pump work can disturb sediment or change the equipment path, but the installation record is not a substitute for a laboratory result. If a sample was taken, preserve the chain of information: sample date, location, lab, report number, analytes, result units, and any follow-up instruction. If no sample was taken, say so.

Testing schedules are not identical nationwide. For example, Illinois public-health guidance recommends annual total-coliform and nitrate/nitrite testing and metals testing every three years, with additional testing based on local conditions. Treat that as Illinois guidance, not a universal rule. Ask your state or local health authority and the laboratory for the appropriate sampling plan.

Do not infer from a pump record that drinking water is safe, that a well has adequate yield, or that a treatment system is working. Those are separate questions requiring the appropriate measurement or professional review.

6. Separate state filings from the homeowner’s file

A service provider may have a legal obligation to file a form with a state or local agency. That does not mean the homeowner has received a usable owner record. Ask for both:

1. A copy of any permit, completion report, inspection result, filing receipt, or agency correspondence that applies to the work.
2. A plain-language service record containing the installed equipment and measured baseline.

Requirements vary. Arizona Cooperative Extension explains that Arizona’s pump installation completion report is filed with the state within 30 days of pumping-equipment installation and recommends keeping copies of the submitted records. Mississippi’s current form says the responsible license holder prepares and files its state report within 30 days of drilling completion. Those are examples of state-specific rules, not a national deadline for every pump repair or replacement.

State or local paperwork may prioritize agency identifiers, location, casing, screen, well depth, licensed signatures, meter data, or a pump test. A manufacturer record may prioritize model, serial, motor, control, cable, voltage, current, pump curve, and installation details. The homeowner needs the overlap plus the practical handoff information that lets a future professional find the right component and interpret a change.

If a provider says “the state has it,” ask for the agency name, form or record number, submission date, and a copy or retrieval path. If the work was not subject to a filing, ask the provider to write that down rather than leaving the requirement ambiguous.

7. Use the completeness gate: accept, request, or escalate

Use this decision surface after the system has been returned to service.

The short request to send the installer

“Please send the complete homeowner copy for the work at [address/well ID] on [date]. Please include the itemized scope; pump and motor manufacturer, model, serial and date code; horsepower, voltage, phase and type; pump setting and well/casing/drop-pipe details; pressure tank and controls; static or pumping level, flow, pressure and run-time results with date, method and units; any water-test report; manuals and warranty terms; photos or transcriptions of nameplates; corrections still needed; and any permit, completion report or filing receipt that applies.”

That request is specific without asking the homeowner to perform a hazardous test. It also gives the installer a way to mark a field “not measured” or “not applicable.”

Keep the record useful for the next service call

Store the packet with the well log, property map, water-test reports, treatment-system manuals, emergency contacts, invoices, and photos. Update it after every service event, even when the pump was not replaced. The NGWA recommends keeping well logs, pump installation records, current equipment manuals, and warranty information together. The Oklahoma State University owner-file model likewise keeps construction, maintenance, warranty, inspection, water-quality, and well-ID records together.

The decision rule is simple: a complete record preserves identity, setting, baseline, result, and responsibility. If one of those is absent, request the missing evidence. If the gap involves opening, energizing, pressurizing, or pulling equipment, stop at the paperwork boundary and use a qualified professional. A missing number is a reason to improve the handoff—not a reason to diagnose a well remotely.