“We are out of water!” were the words my dear bride spoke as she recently awakened me at 3 a.m. Hmmm said I, as I reached for my clothes to dress and began troubleshooting the issue.
Step 1, Open the faucet and listen for gurgling or sucking sounds. No noises to indicate a vacuum so likely the pump hasn’t lost prime nor has the main supply line broken.
Step 2, Check the panel and make sure the breaker hasn’t tripped. The weather has been clear ie. it’s unlikely lightening is my culprit and sure enough the breaker is fine.
Step 3, Grab my flashlight and multimeter and head out to the well head. After removing the “decorative rock” and insulation from the well head and pressure tank, I removed the cover from the pressure switch and voila—fire ants galore!
After returning to the panel to open the breaker I spent a few minutes with an old toothbrush wiping dozens of dead ants out from between the pressure switch contacts, using caned air to clean away what I couldn’t reach with the brush. Next step – performing a continuity check on the load side of the switch to make sure there wasn’t a short before repowering the circuit. Finally asking my wife to close the breaker, I held my flashlight beam on the spring-loaded contacts and saw the switch close followed by hearing the water begin to flow. I left the well uncovered so I could spread Amdro granules the next morning and went back to bed.Continue reading“Winter Plumbing Preparedness – Part 1, by A.F.”