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Well CRAP.....no water. UPDATED
William81
Member Posts: 25,332 ✭✭✭✭
I was out mowing tonight and my Bride came out and said there was no water in the house…. Checked the pump fuses, and the house fuse box, no issues. Checked the pressure tank.. The meter showed ZERO so I am hoping this is the issue. The well guy will be here tomorrow to look it over.
Glad I am a guy and the World is my urinal !!!!
Fixed SEE below
Comments
Could be one of a half dozen things. Hope repairman gets there early and it's nothing big. Good luck
Hopefully it is just the pressure switch, that would be a heckuva lot cheaper than a new pump. Bob
Most likely the pressure switch. Usually a very easy fix .
Thanks all…. That is what I am hoping for, a pressure switch or pressure tank….they are both about 13 years old…
Now all you need is a box and a bag of Johnny Cat to do number 2. Sure you'll have to squat "Asian" style but I hear that's the best way to eliminate fully.
I would try lightly tapping on the pressure switch. Sometimes they stick.
Hope the fix is easy and inexpensive for you Frank!
Good luck.
Good luck on your water and hopefully you have somebody there ASAP.
Have you had any lightning around?
Fuse box. In fact you have a panel box with circuit breakers, right?
When I lived in Georgia there were many accounts of water turning off because the points were fouled. There is a little box that has points like they used to have in all the cars. Fire ants would get in there and get fried and clog up the points. All you had to do was get a fingernail file and run it through the points several times and it would clean right up.
There are youtube videos that show you how to work on the pressure switch. If you do it, make sure the power is off to the well.
ps. My brother's water just shut off a week ago. We've been having a drought. Turns out the grandson took a 30 minute shower and used up all the water, and the pump got fried. $5,200
This is a deep well and the pump is down 670 feet.
Take the cover off the pressure switch, kick the pressure switch to see if power is going to the pump. That will answer a lot of questions. Hopefully it is just the points burnt and just need a new pressure switch.
Allen that must be one hell of a pump to overcome the head pressures from 670 foot down. Think the deepest I ever set one was around 200.( well driller when I was in my 20s). Would be interested in knowing hp and brand.
A few around here that deep. A 2 HP Gould will bring it to the surface for many years.
And this is why I have repurposed milk jugs into emergency fresh water storage containers strategically placed around the house.
They are stored for flushing and washing dishes. I keep a small supply of bottled water on hand for drinking and rotate them on a regular basis.
Equipment malfunctions or power outages, I am prepped.
Hoping it's a small issue and parts are readily available.
Need to clarify my comments a bit .My drilling was in the coastal plains areas of NC and Virginia Water tables were typically very high .rarely needed to set deeper than 200 to 250 feet. Never did any hard rock drilling other than just occasionally drilling thru 30 or 40 foot of bedrock
I am a retired electrician, and the local supplier of pressure switches and breakers for wells. We live 11 miles from town and 25 miles from Lowe's. I keep a spare Square D pressure switch, some #12 wire, two or three brands of breakers, a roll of teflon tape and a can of wasp spray handy all the time. Murphy's Law usually strikes at night or on Sunday when a family is gathering for a meal. The only pay I want is for the recipient to replace my supply!
We farmed and raised chickens commercially. We kept spare water pumps and such on hand all the time .40 thousand chickens drink a lot of water.
While building we opted for County water. Neighbors wells were @ 500' and the water wasn't great. I dug a ditch 700' to the house & ran a 1-1/4" line. The County has a great system so for $30/month, let it be their problem. And yes @susie , my wife still has water jugs ready.
PS. Did you try lifting the little lever on the pressure switch?
You are not alone @susie it only took one time without water then we started saving 1 gallon jugs, usually have around 15 that we rotate by using for cooking and coffee maker Refill with filtered water whenever 4 or 5 are empty. Saved us several times in the last 24 years on well water.
Old timers kept a 55 gallon steel barrel under roof drains for emergency water supply.
For drinking and fighting fire if the well or creek went dry or well rope broke.
Usually the emergency barrel water was also full of mosquito larva.
This was back in the day when everyone drank out of the same water bucket using the same dipper. Also no sign in the outhouse indicating to wash your hands before returning to work.
No Covid back then.
It could not get past the snuff, chewing tobacco and Prince Albert, Bull Durham and OCB roll your own cigarette paper.
Hard to believe how a person ever survive such and not get the latest news warnings from the media. Seemed most everyone was happy hunting and fishing quite often.
I'd hope you have water back. What did the tech find was the problem? @William81
They were finally able to get to us late Thursday afternoon. The culprit was a magnetic switch that had failed. Once they figured it out, it was a quick fix….I was thankful it was not the pump…
It was 33 years old so I guess it was a likely fail at some point….
Looks like lightning hit it. Call your insurance agent.
Man that is an old part. Glad they got you up and running.
No, just 33 years of dust, cobwebs and rust….. The coil that pulled the switch open was the actual issue… The tech, activated it by pushing it forward with an insulated screwdriver and the pump kicked right in…. He joked he could fix it or I could just get a lawn chair out and push on the switch whenever my wife needed water for the Washer or a shower !! I chose a new switch !!
Not only that, his water is back on
It certainly is something you do not give much thought to until you do not have it !!!!!!
We are on a county wide water system here . They have backup generators in case of power outages . Worst case scenario is that it goes completely down ..I have a private well that I can pump from either electric or manually if need be .
Will.......
If it can be cleaned/rebuilt........do so.
Spares are nice to have.........especially when you NEED one!!!😉
'My drilling was in the coastal plains areas of NC and Virginia Water tables were typically very high .rarely needed to set deeper than 200 to 250 feet.'
😲WOW!! High water table @ 200'? Most water wells in north MO are 20-25'. Before folks thought they had to take a 20 minute shower or FILL the bath tub, a hand dug well 12-15' deep was good enough for even a big family.
Glad you got it fixed. It takes all the fun out of country living when your well breaks.
Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains deep wells are common. My well is 505 feet deep. My brother's is 705 feet, the neighbor is 705, and the other neighbor is 805 feet deep.
You are growing wise Grasshopper.
Old timers kept a 55 gallon steel barrel under roof drains for emergency water supply.
For drinking and fighting fire if the well or creek went dry or well rope broke.
Usually the emergency barrel water was also full of mosquito larva.
This was back in the day when everyone drank out of the same water bucket using the same dipper. Also no sign in the outhouse indicating to wash your hands before returning to work.
No Covid back then.
It could not get past the snuff, chewing tobacco and Prince Albert, Bull Durham and OCB roll your own cigarette paper.
Hard to believe how a person ever survive such and not get the latest news warnings from the media. Seemed most everyone was happy and went hunting and fishing.
chumps