Uncategorized

Water is life.

21 Comments

.

And if you doubt the veracity of that statement, try living without it for a few days like we are.

Bright and early Wednesday morning, 3 men were in deep thought.

.

.

The man on the ground is our wonderful neighbor who brought over his toy to dig a hole.

.

.

A hole was dug.

.


.

A wet and muddy hole filled with water from a broken pipe.

.

.

More deep thinking was called for.

.

.

The ‘let’s put wood in the hole filled with water so we can stand on it‘ idea did not work out as planned. Color me surprised.

.

.

Youngest member of the team was sent down in hole anyway. (Please note he is a master plumber who planned ahead for the avoidance of butt crack photos, for which I was quite thankful.)

.

.

The broken pipe was found and luckily it was right next to the well access so we didn’t have to tear up more lawn or the house foundation.

Solution to the problem? Bypass the existing two pipe configuration, get rid of our not that old damn it! interior water pump system…

.

.

And install an exterior submersible pump made of stainless steel. This meant pulling up the existing water line that runs down into the well… and since that cover hadn’t been opened since 1974?

.

.

It was not an easy job. And when things don’t come apart easily?

.

.

It’s time for the sledgehammer.

.

.

A whole lotta pulling followed.

.

.

I never knew how far down our well was before this.

.

.

But apparently it’s slightly over 90 feet.

.

.

Young guy was sent down into the hole again.

.

.

And of course because this is a job at our house, nothing went right or smoothly.

.

.

Since the old pipe was cracked, it had sucked in copious amounts of dirt and sand that had to be flushed before the wire to the new pump could be pushed through to the house. Nothing worked. Trips were taken back and forth to the plumber’s shop for different tools. Trips were taken to hardware stores for extra supplies and finally… after an entire afternoon of battling… they broke through. Only to move on to the next step and realize a different size pump needed to be ordered.

.

.

To be honest, I wasn’t either. Welcome to my world … please bring alcohol.

So a less than wonderful Wednesday ended like this: open water lines actively pissing muddy water from the flooded hole into our cellar.

.

.

And notes like this pasted all around our house.

.

.

No drinking water, no toilet flushing water, no using dishes and glasses you have to wash… and worst of all, no shower.

Still don’t think water is life? Try not showering for 3 days and get back to me.

To be continued…

.

21 thoughts on “Water is life.”

  2. … yeah. 90′ for a jet pump is right at the fringe. But after the damage to the credit card and you have moved on to the next new joy of rural living, I am sure you will enjoy the benefits of a submersible.
    When was the last time you pumped out the septic tank?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. No credit cards, we cut them up years ago. Everyone swears by the submersibles up here, and since we had to dig everything up anyway it was a no brained. As for the septic, yes. We pump every 2-3 years.
      👍

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Sounds messy. We had fresh spring water and a well in the Catskills where I grew up. It was nice. I do like that we don’t have this problem living near other civilization in Florida. We have other problems, but I will take them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment