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Well
Service
When you're out of water there are a couple of things you can check on yourself. Without electricity a well pump will not operate. It is a good idea to check the fuses of breakers supplying the pump before calling for service. In cold,windy weather, pipes can freeze and stop the flow of water. Gentle heat is the best way to prevent this or thaw pipes once they are frozen. A heatlamp bulb or a milkhouse-style heater are good tools for thawing pipes without damaging them. Gentle heat may take a few hours to completely thaw frozen lines.
If you need well service, the more you can tell us about the well beforehand, the better prepared we'll be when we get to your site. There are several types of well construction and several types of pumps.
A jet pump is located at the surface, with 1 or 2 pipes coming out of the end of the pump leading down the well. Jet pumps can freeze or just wear out. They are difficult to repair and are usually just replaced.
A pumpjack is a mechanical pump with one or two pistons in the well, a rod leading down the pump pipe, and a motor and gearbox assembly on the surface to move the rod and pistons up and down. These produce a quite limited amount of water flow and are found on very old wells. Parts inside the pistons wear out with time. Pumpjacks are simple machines and can be repaired many times over the years. A hoist is usually needed to remove the pipes and pumpjack components from the well.
A submersible pump is a combined motor-pump assembly that is less than 4 inches in diameter and will fit into the well casing. The pump and motor hang on a water pipe and are actually below the surface of the water. Watertight electrical lines and splices connect the motor to the electrical supply. Some submersible motors connect directly to the pressure switch, while others are connected to a control box that contains some of the electrical components that help the motor start. If the control box fails, only the box needs to be replaced to restart the pump. If the pump or motor have failed, the motor-pump assembly must be removed from the well and be replaced. Submersible pumps last an average of 15 years before wearing out.
All well pumps are connected to a pressure switch and a pressure tank. The switch is a little gray box containing spring-loaded electrical connectors. As you use water the line pressure drops. When the pressure drops to a preset level the connectors close and power is sent to the pump. When the pressure reaches the preset upper level the connectors open and the power to the pump is shut off. Some water systems include a control box. A control box is typically mounted to a wall or a post and contains the starter mechanism for the pump. If this starter mechanism has failed it can then be replaced quickly without pulling the pump out of the well. A pressure tank both stores water and acts as a shock absorber for the water system. The tank contains a rubber bladder containing compressed air. This keeps the water pressurized when the pump is not running. As the tank empties the switch will close to activate the pump. When you are done using water the pump will refill the tank. This reduces the number of starts for the pump. Electric motors love to run but hate to start, so the tank lengthens the working life of the pump motor. When a pressure tank fails, it loses its air and fills with water so it loses its reserve capacity. If the pressure switch clicks on and off quite often when you are using water the tank may have failed and need to be replaced.
A well that is losing its ability to give water may be suffering from mineral buildup on the well screen. An application of hydrochloric acid or high-volume compressed air can be used to clean the screen and restore water flow.
Any well that is not being used any more should be sealed. When a well is sealed, bentonite clay mud is pumped into the casing to create a watertight seal from bottom to top. This prevents any contamination from the surface from reaching the aquifer and polluting wells that are in service. Wells need to be sealed by licensed well contractors so that a valid record of the well sealing can be filed with state offices. An unsealed well or an unrecorded well sealing can prevent the transfer of property.
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