What did YOU do today?

[racsan]

We need to mow tomorrow, just mowed tuesday but its in need of it again.

 

[JoshT]

Just found out that my well system is inop. Guess I'm going to get to dig into that tomorrow, hopefully the rain will be cleared up. I know almost nothing about how these systems work. Just that there is a pressure tank and a control switch under the house and a pump head in the ground out closer to the road.

 

[Rick W]

Just found out that my well system is inop. Guess I'm going to get to dig into that tomorrow, hopefully the rain will be cleared up. I know almost nothing about how these systems work. Just that there is a pressure tank and a control switch under the house and a pump head in the ground out closer to the road.

Not being funny, check the fuses & breakers and power to the system first.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Just found out that my well system is inop. Guess I'm going to get to dig into that tomorrow, hopefully the rain will be cleared up. I know almost nothing about how these systems work. Just that there is a pressure tank and a control switch under the house and a pump head in the ground out closer to the road.

Is the pressure tank full of water? If it is, then the bladder is bad in it. Usually there’s a tire type valve somewhere on the top. Tank should have an ID label of what air pressure should be in there.

Also check breakers/fuses.

Oh, and there should be a pressure switch somewhere in the system that turns the well pump on and off and if whoever put it together did their job right, there should be a pressure gauge somewhere.

 

[97RangerXLT]

well... replaced the garage 4' fluorescent lights with 4 foot LED lights that I got from BJ's wholesale for 20 bucks a piece. (missed the sale when they were 17) because one of the two fixtures decided to die.. probably the ballast. also replaced the center stand pipe in the toilet tank as it was leaking internally to where the toilet was running constantly. it was not the flapper, it was the actual pipe that the flapper sits on and fills the bowl. Addeed annoyance... I had replaced it and everything else 4 months ago. Do not get Fluidmaster toilet parts, they are garbage. had other quality issues with that kit as well such as missing tank to bowl bolts and a broken flush handle. toilet does not run anymore unless you flush it and the new LED lights are brighter than the old florescent lights.

And I think all this crap breaking is just to annoy the living crap out of me while I am trying to sell the house...

AJ

 

[scotts90ranger]

I got the mowing done, even unloaded the '90 from the trailer, moved the trailer, backed the boat up and mowed under it... after moving the ranger and explorer 200hp in turbo 4 cylinder is way different than 200hp in V8 hp... the V8 is WAY more snappy now that it runs right...

Might do some screwing around in the shop later, not sure...

 

[JoshT]

Not being funny, check the fuses & breakers and power to the system first.

First thing I did. Breaker was not tripped, but I did cycle it with no change.

Is the pressure tank full of water? If it is, then the bladder is bad in it. Usually there’s a tire type valve somewhere on the top. Tank should have an ID label of what air pressure should be in there.

Also check breakers/fuses.

Oh, and there should be a pressure switch somewhere in the system that turns the well pump on and off and if whoever put it together did their job right, there should be a pressure gauge somewhere.

It was raining and after dark when I discovered the problem tonight, so I didn't crawl under the house and try to diagnose anything. Just flipped the breaker off and back on to see if it changed anything.

I'll find out tomorrow. I don't think the bladder is bad. Looking back, I'm almost certain that the system quit working sometime beforew I woke up this morning. I recall thinking that the water coming out of my fridgfe water dispenser was awful weak, but figured it was time for a new filter. Would have done the samething if pump wasn;t working and bleeding off the residual pressure in the tank.

There is a pressure gauge, but it's broken. A few years after I moved in we had a hard freeze and it broke the pressure gauge before I got the area warmed and system protected. That was the only casulty of the freeze, but never bothered with fixing it. At the moment I'm going to assume that it is the pressure switch that went bad. See if I can figure it out tomorrow, or if I'm calling a well service out to fix and give the whole system a once over. It hasn't been inspected since I bought in 2008 and who knows when it was looked at before then.

 

[scotts90ranger]

There's a couple things that could be going wrong, first check that you have 220 at your pressure switch (should be 2 legs of 110), if you have that look to see if you have a pump start capacitor box somewhere, I've had those go bad a couple times, they're $13 on amazon...

 

[sgtsandman]

We need to mow tomorrow, just mowed tuesday but its in need of it again.

I hear you. I've been cutting the grass shorter than usual and for longer because of how much rain we have been getting so as to prevent mold and fungus from growing. Even then, the grass is growing like they are weeds.

 

[JoshT]

There's a couple things that could be going wrong, first check that you have 220 at your pressure switch (should be 2 legs of 110), if you have that look to see if you have a pump start capacitor box somewhere, I've had those go bad a couple times, they're $13 on amazon...

Looks like dead pump. Rain cleared up so went out and pulled the cover, got 220 out to the pump, but no pumping. Also saw no pump start capacitor in the system anywhere. 220 from outside breaker box to pressure switch under the house, then goes back out and buried out to the pump. No other visible boxes between the switch and the pump.

Being unfamiliar with how things are assembled down in there, or how deep it is, I'll be calling a recommended service company in the morning.

I really hope that the oil pressure thing on the Ranger is a false alarm, cause I don't know if the budget is going to cover fixing the well and building an engine this year.

 

[Roert42]

Looks like dead pump. Rain cleared up so went out and pulled the cover, got 220 out to the pump, but no pumping. Also saw no pump start capacitor in the system anywhere. 220 from outside breaker box to pressure switch under the house, then goes back out and buried out to the pump. No other visible boxes between the switch and the pump.

Being unfamiliar with how things are assembled down in there, or how deep it is, I'll be calling a recommended service company in the morning.

I really hope that the oil pressure thing on the Ranger is a false alarm, cause I don't know if the budget is going to cover fixing the well and building an engine this year.

A well pump is not that expensive. They’re also no hard to change if you have the right tools. Mine is 150’ down, so kind of pain to pull yourself, they make a motorized wheel thing to clamp to the pipe to pull it out.

I don’t think I paid more then $400 to have mine replaced on a Friday night at overtime rates. Few years back though.

Was cheap enough that I gave the old man and his son a couple of beer when they finished. I like that old man, was/is good people.
Wife said he reminded her so much of her grandfather that she almost started crying.

The bladder in my well tank is shot, and the only real issue is that it causes there to be inconsistent water pressure. They are usually pressurized to just below the setting on the switch so they system maintains a consistent water pressure.

 

[JoshT]

A well pump is not that expensive.

I don’t think I paid more then $400 to have mine replaced on a Friday night at overtime rates. Few years back though.

I'm assuming that they get better pricing on pumps than I would at Lowes or Home Depot. I don't know my well depth or the pump's horse power rating, but the prices for pumps started around $450. Given that, if the company can do the job for $600-700 and give everything else a clean bill of health, the added cost seems worth it to me.

I can get better pump prices online and if I had able bodies help I'd probably order one and tackle it. As is, the only help I can ask for is my 70 year old dad who isn't in the greatest shape physically. Just coming out to give an extra set of hands for troubleshooting was difficult for him today. Also I'd be without water for most, if not all, of a week if I ordered a pump online.

Maybe next time. If I'm here to watch this time I'll have a better understanding of what I'm working with then. Or if the price is just too outrageous I'll find a workaround for the week and find someone to help me on the DIY route.

 

[Rick W]

I'm assuming that they get better pricing on pumps than I would at Lowes or Home Depot. I don't know my well depth or the pump's horse power rating, but the prices for pumps started around $450. Given that, if the company can do the job for $600-700 and give everything else a clean bill of health, the added cost seems worth it to me.

I can get better pump prices online and if I had able bodies help I'd probably order one and tackle it. As is, the only help I can ask for is my 70 year old dad who isn't in the greatest shape physically. Just coming out to give an extra set of hands for troubleshooting was difficult for him today. Also I'd be without water for most, if not all, of a week if I ordered a pump online.

Maybe next time. If I'm here to watch this time I'll have a better understanding of what I'm working with then. Or if the price is just too outrageous I'll find a workaround for the week and find someone to help me on the DIY route.

Just a few general thoughts, if it helps you think it all out, all stuff you may know already.

I don’t know if you want to get the cheapest well pump you can get. Home Depot usually sells decent stuff because they have to stand behind it. But they stand behind the unit not all the labor to put it in and out, nor your loss of water and lifestyle for a week or two.

I realize Home Depot also sells different grades of everything, so you can get the cheap one, the better one, or the best one. While I may not get the cheapest one, I may not also get the most expensive one.

And I am far from an expert on well technology, but I know that it’s more than a pipe in a hole in the ground with a pump in it. I believe there is a way for the well driller to back flush and surge the well, which opens up the ground around the well, which lets the water flow easier and more clearly.

I know there’s also a bacteria treatment they could do at the same time that will maintain the water quality for years to come. I don’t know what it would cost, but if he’s going to surge the well, I’m sure that’s the least expensive time to do it.

Another question, do you know how old your well is? Well screen is not window screen. It’s the slots in the pipe that allows the water to come through to the pump. Is it iron pipe? Is it plastic pipe? Is it 15 years old or is it 50 years old?

Another question, do you plan on making changes to your house? Are you going to add a half dozen bedrooms and three or four bathrooms, a swimming, pool and an outdoor kitchen? Sounds silly, but if you need to do a little upgrade for future plans, this might be a blessing in disguise.

Final thought, I hate financing anything, but I’ll bet you this guy will let you pay overtime if you put a reasonable down payment on it, especially if you do upgrades. Maybe pay 40% upfront and the rest over a year, and you can use the rest of the money to build your engine in the meantime.

I probably didn’t even cover 10% of the things you should think about, but getting water on tomorrow is probably only 50% of the equation.

I hope it helps and does it make your head hurt more….

 

[mtnrgr]

Went to local show my mechanic hosted. Alot of cool vehicles to look at.

 

[racsan]

mowed the yard today, sold out of eggs for 2nd week in a row so pulled the egg trailer fridge up beside the garage for the week , should be back to 3 or 4 dozen by friday. Unloaded the trailer of the “new” tractor accessories I bought yesterday, never know when I might need to go get something else. Last few hours of the weekend left. ugh.