Sunday, January 20, 2013

Bad news, GOOD news!

I wrote yesterday about my water system shutting down.  I operated without water all night, none for the animals either.  Steve said he would be here at first light, was prepared to change out the well pump motor if necessary.

He got here and told me the bad news.  A new motor would be $419, and it is not kept in stock at any of the big box stores that are open today, but is a special order that would take several days.  But, he said, first let's test the pump from inside the house to see if it works.

We went downstairs and he pulled a cover off a relay switch that controls the pump.  He asked me for a pencil so that he could push a plate against a metal piece that would complete a circuit.  Oh, yes!  The pump came on!  So he said my problem was the switch, not the pump.  He said the switch is less than $30, and he thought he had one at home.  What a relief!

I asked, "How is it that you know so much about everything?"  He answered, "That is because so much stuff has broken down over my lifetime and I have had to learn to fix it." 

He played around with the relay switch, and I ran some water to see if it would come on by itself as the pressure dropped.  Voila!  It did.  So I am back in business, and if I lose pressure, I know how to take this cover off and what to push on until I have water again. 

So now, when I am impressing someone with well pump problem that I am able to diagnose and perhaps even fix, she will be saying to me, "How is it that you know so much about everything?"  And I can answer, "That is because so much stuff has broken down over my lifetime and I have had to learn to fix it." 

I am having company today - we are going to take a brisk hike around here and then come in for beef soup and homemade bread.  I'm looking forward to it, and I'm so glad that I didn't have to call it off due to a lack of water.  Thanks, Steve!

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