Oh Boy!!!!!!!!!

RoyJackson · Nov 26, 2007

I'm getting ready to go through what every rural homeower dreads...

Friday, I lost water (which has happened occasionally since we moved here 7 years ago). Shut the pump down to let it recover, but it hadn't by Saturday morning. So, a call to a plumber...at time and a half!
While pulling the pump, we did find the wiring had chaffed and was broken as one place...but since the pump was out, I decided to replace it anyway.

$1500 later, had a new pump and water...for a while. Lost the water again Saturday night through part of Sunday. We had enough pressure late Sunday to finish a load of laundry and take showers. We're eating off paper plates and using plastic utensiles (neither of us are big eaters, so this isn't too much of a hassle).

About the middle of the night, I got up to go to the bathroom and did flush the commode (if it's yellow, let it mellow had gone on too long). I heard the tank refilling...and it was struggling so I knew we were out again. Still out at 4:00 AM, so I turned the pump off.

I expect it will recover again today (Monday)...but the well does have problems.

My options:
First, measure the depth of the well and determine if there is water at the bottom. If there is water (neighbors aren't having problems, so I'm pretty sure the aquifier isn't drained), and the pump is above the bottom, lower the pump a few feet. That will probably be the cheapest method, if it works.

Second, try a process called hydrofractue. This entails pumping water down at high pressure to flush sediment out of the fissures in the rock. I first read of this on Sunday...don't know too much about it yet. Anyone here know anything about it? Or, had it done in their well?

Third, and most expensive, is to drill for a new well. Serious money there! The well is about 300' deep.

I'm hoping the first or second options bear fruit... The well is at least 15 years old...and apparently had been a problem for the previous owners (who should have disclosed it on a legal form) based upon a comment the first owner's wife made during settlement.

Good thing I had a bottle of Wild Turkey and a case of Bud Lite to get me through this!

randy41 · Nov 26, 2007

is this a drought related condition?
are you showering in the bud lite?
sorry you're having troubles. good luck to you.

Egon · Nov 26, 2007

As you have planned determine the well depth, the static water level and then lower the pump if it is possible. Perhaps try and determine the pumping rate and reduce the rate at which your present pumps output if this is feasible.

If this does not work then:

As this was a problem for the previous owner perhaps get another case or two of decision maker and then call the well driller.

The fracing may work but if it does not you are out that amount towards a new well. The success of this procedure may also be determined by the composition of the aquifer. The local well people should know this information.

Are the other producing wells in your area all around you or are you isolated to one side?

WTA · Nov 26, 2007

Sorry to hear about your well. We lost one of ours completely this year and the other one, the one that supplies the house also, got pulled into service for irrigation as well. It's a 7.5 horse sub pump that can run two half inch sprinkler nozzles at once and still keep 40 PSI to the house. I have been worried about it all year since it seemed like it never got shut off. We have a couple bermuda pastures and a alfalfa pasture that just have to have water and we haven't had any rain really in months.

My big problem with using that well to irrigate this property is it pumps a lot more sand than normal. I know my big tank in the well house is full of sand to the pipe coming out to the house. About the bottom 1/3 of it. The pressure has dropped off a little on the pump too. I probably have to replace the impeller. I've rebuilt every kind of pump imaginable before except for a sub pump though. I don't even know how to pull one of these things. I hope it isn't too hard!

My big turbine pump out in the field will only pump for about 5 minutes now before petering out. That one needs to be pulled and cleaned out at least. I want to replace the pump with another sub pump but maybe like a 10 horse this time. I think pulling that turbine will be way beyond my capabilities. It's down 350 feet I believe so it will probably require a crane.

I sure hope you can get yours going quickly. We had the door on the well house come open last winter and bust a bunch of pipes in the middle of night. We were without water for 2 days and my wife thought it was the end of the world.

ToadHill · Nov 26, 2007

A number of years ago I lost mine 3 times in 5 years. I ended up having the well drilled down another 50 feet and they hit a good seam. I haven't had a problem since. Good luck with your situation.

N80 · Nov 26, 2007

I've only lost mine once. Called well guy and he determined that the pump had fallen off the well pipe (before pulling the well pipe out). He went to get a new pump and when he got back I helped him pull the pipe out and lo and behold the pump was dangling by the electrical wires! So, he reattached it and added some sort of tether but I did not have to buy a new pump!

I am living in fear of the well drying up due to the drought. I've heard through the grapevine that you have to get on a long list to get a well driller out. Roy, I hope your well isn't dry but if it is, here's hoping that another 50 feet or so will open it back up. Keep us posted.

WTA · Nov 26, 2007

What would you guys do if it did dry up? I know here living out in Lubbock county, if we couldn't afford the new well we'd be up the creek without a paddle. The well driller isn't a problem to get for us, it's the cost. When our turbine pump had to get pulled and a new casing installed in the hole 7 years ago the last owner of this place paid 12000 dollars for it. I couldn't produce that kind of money if I tried. Not right now anyway.

I am fortunate that on our other place we have two running springs and a 30 foot hand dug well in the back yard. Some idiot vandal cut the rope for the bucket and let it fall in but I could fish it out. Hopefully it is still good. I don't know where to find another one. It's one of the old long cylinder types with a pull ring on the top. That's all we ever had for running water at that place. All it probably ever will have too. I can't wait to move back. When I was a kid we bathed and drank from one of the springs all the time. That was and still is some of the cleanest ozark mountain water there is.

My grandfather brought home an aircraft engine container one time and put it on the backporch for a bathtub. My grandmother was th only one that was allowed to use it. We would drain and refill it from the well every other morning for her and durring the day it would warm in the sun. In the winter she would use the old hot water tank on top of the wood burning stove in the kitchen to warm it up some. I think that tank only held about 10 gallons but the stove fire was never allowed to go out so she had hot water. Filling that tank was a major pain in the butt though!

I must be a redneck!

dmccarty · Nov 26, 2007

We are worried about the well as well.

None of my neighbors are having well problems and we are not either. I have heard that some shallow wells have run dry in our area. The only thing I could think of if we did run dry was to hook up a water tank to the pressure tank to provide temporary water. I could then put another tank in the back of the truck and go buy water somewhere to help fill up the "house" tank.

I saw on the news that this is what well drillers are doing for people whose well has a problem. They keep the "house" tank full until the well problem is fixed.

We are getting some rain today so hopefully this will be the start of the rainy season. The forcast is for a dry winter and another dry summer. If that happens its going to be real ugly in my area. Raleigh only has 110 days worth of good water. After that there is some amount of water that takes more cleaning to use. Not sure how much long that supply will last.

We are down 8 inches of rain for the year. That is just 8 good downpours.... Seems like maybe we have more demand on the lakes than supply...

Later,
Dan

WTA · Nov 26, 2007

Is there any way to clear the sand out of a house tank? Just wondering. That would give me a lot more capacity just in case. Ours is 500 gallons and is about 1/3 full of sand. Right up to where the pipe comes out for the house.

It's a heavy steel tank and has no drain on the bottom. It's got a 2 inch pipe with the pressure switch in it on the inlet side closest to the bottom and a 1 inch pipe about 3 feet up where it goes out to the house pipe and filters.

I wonder if I can install a different type of tank that is easily flushed? More emergency capacity would be nice too.
We aren't pulling water up with a bucket here. This well is nearly 500 feet down.
Last time I checked it the water was only about 45 feet down. That's good I guess though.