Pfafftown is unincorporated and partly annexed into Winston-Salem and Lewisville, so some homes are on Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities water and others run on private wells. Forsyth County Environmental Health permits new wells here, though no source gives the share of homes using one. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Pfafftown.
Is my Pfafftown home on a well or on WSFC water?
It depends on the address. WSFC serves the city and much of Forsyth County where its lines exist, and a 2020 county resolution notes that some unincorporated Forsyth residents still lack public water. If you get a WSFC bill, you have a meter and no pump. If you have a pressure tank in the basement, garage or crawl space and a well cap in the yard, you're on a well and the pump is yours.
Pfafftown mixes older rural homes with newer subdivisions; about a third of homes in ZIP 27040 were built before 1980. Older rural lots are where wells are most likely, and where original pumps and tanks may be nearing the end.
What goes wrong with a well system?
Most no-water calls trace to a short list. The pressure switch contacts burn or stick. The pressure tank loses its air charge, so the pump starts and stops every few seconds. A capacitor or control box fails, often after a storm. A submersible motor finally wears out. Less often, the well itself can't keep up and the pump draws air or sediment.
A plumber checks power, switch, tank and controls first. Only after those test fine does pulling the pump make sense, and some deep pulls are handed to a well contractor with the right rig.
Who issues permits in Pfafftown?
Whether your part of Pfafftown is inside Winston-Salem, inside Lewisville or in unincorporated county, plumbing permits go through the joint Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Inspections Division. Well construction is separate: a new well needs a permit from Forsyth County Environmental Health (336-703-3225), and the permit fee includes the initial water sample. Ask the plumber whether a pump swap on your well needs anything filed. If the work involves drilling a replacement well rather than fixing the pump, that is a job for a well contractor working under the Environmental Health permit.
One local note
For homes that are on WSFC water, the 2025 report puts average hardness at 17.5 ppm, which is soft, and the utility disinfects with chlorine. That report doesn't cover private wells, so well owners should test their own water rather than rely on the utility's numbers.
Well Pump Repair questions in Pfafftown
How often should well water be tested, and who can test it?
Who handles the permit side when a well pump is replaced here?
The water stopped at every tap in the house. Where do I start?
Why is there sand, grit or cloudiness in my well water all of a sudden?
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