Well and that's a deeper subject than I can possible answer here
but here goes.
Awoke to no water, few drips and sprinkles and a 2 cup
pot of coffee. YIKES!
Checked all the normal check list kind of things, water anywhere
from broken pipe? Well circuit breaker on? etc., etc., Excedrin!
Problem identified. Pipes out at the well head froze up. Not busted
thanks be to H2O and its freezing point!
Procrastinated and even thought about next move. Decided to call
plumber. Plumber came said pipes frozen. Cover them up to let them thaw out and give it a shot. I'll be back ot see how you make out.
But also had me shut the well pump off
so it did not burn out! So helpful hint for those with well pumps. If
no water and frozen pipes is suspected turn the well pump off. Immediately if not sooner!
Waited, waited, waited, stood outside and waited, to cold came
inside and waited. Back out side threw ball to dog, dog fetched ball,
dog looked deep into my eyes and through animal telepathy told me,
to cold to play catch, so back inside. waited, waited, waited.
Tried pump again no water. Drat! Drat! Drain-oh??? Naw!
So I could wait no longer for nature to un freeze pipes. Obtained
a couple of pipe wrenched, some Teflon tape, long, longer, and a
longest extension cords and set out for my quest! TO FREE MY
WATER PUMP FROM DR. FREEZE! I knew this was no job for the
faint hearted or a Joker or two and I didn't even have Alfred to assist.
Took off this large concrete top that I think an Olympian weight lifter
would strain himself moving. Remove the round concrete pipe around the
well head. Who developed these things, the ones that think up the things
that the World's Strongest Man Competion uses? Back inside for a stronger belt as I surely felt a hernia coming on.
Loosened nut on pipe and low and behold froze water in pipe. My water from from well look like a clear freeze pop. Hands starting to get numb but knew I must push on, well at least melt on! Hooked up blow dryer, nice hair aparatus by day and pipe unfreeze by night! It blew and it blew, turned to wards my hands from time to time to at least keep enough blood flowing threw my fingers so I could hold the blow dryer. Water started to flow from the pipe. It was music to my ears....but with the big wool hat on it was more like dripping cold water in my now soak en sneakers!
After about 20 minutes of blow dryer and chipping out the ice like
Edward Scissor hand is to hedges I was done! Now for the journey back
to the house to turn the pump on. That was no small 'feet' being its
about 150 yards away. Who put this well so far away? Were they
marathon runners and 150 yards away is like going from your front door to
your back door? T.G oodness I don't smoke or I would need oxygen to
go between the well and the house.
But onward and westward! Put all the pipes back together, a quick
prayer, faced East, and headed back to the house to turn the pump on
once again. Entered house, tracked mud into the kitchen (DRAT),
turn facet on and after a few puffs and spits of air, wallah water,
water spewed from my facet into the sink! My trusted dog watched
me every step of the way and he too saw the water flowing from the
facet and ever so lovingly he looked at me and in that split second I could read his mind.
He's thinking, "Hey they are not blaming me for carting this mud inside!"
But all is right with the world, water is flowing. In fact it is dripping all
night into the sink so it does not freeze again. But I did insulated the
living dead out of the well head pipes. This plumber wanna be was not
born yesterday!
Oh yea the plumber called back and asked how it was going.........I said
great just great!
So if you have a well please let your water drip or make sure your outside pipes are insulated!
Happy almost over Friday!!!
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