Old Faithful

Just when you think life is starting to cruise right along, and all of the crisis' are behind you, things take a turn.

I had to go down the basement to do a few things, and noticed where the pressure tank to the pump was, there was a huge puddle of water, and a steady stream of water trickling down from where the pressure switch was. I called a friend of mine, who's husband is a plumber to ask if he would give me a call this evening to tell me if I needed a plumber, or a well person out to take a look. I had no water pressure, according to the gauge, and very little water coming from the faucet upstairs.

She said she would call her husband, and it wasn't 5 minutes later, he called and asked if I was going to be home, and that he was coming over. Not fifteen minutes later, here he is, knocking on my door. How about that for quick service! He was in a town not far from here.

We go down to where the problem was, he peers down, says it's probably just the pressure switch, but he didn't have one on his truck, and said I could find one at a hardware store. So as he is telling me what to get, I asked how to take the old one off, and he said to just unscrew the pressure gauge, and at that moment he touched it, and that gauge shot up into the air and we had Old Faithful geyser going right off in the basement! Water spraying uncontrolled, all over the ceiling, and everything else, including the circuit breaker. Where, of course the shut off was to the well. Not a little water, mind you, we are talking something like turning on your water valve full blast amounts of water. He, at that point shouts that this usually happens when the owner isn't home.

He grabbed a bucket, which happened to be near by and stuck it over the shooting fountain, and I grabbed another bucket to catch what was no pouring on to the floor, and stopped it enough for him to reach over and throw the main power switch off at the breaker. WHEW! Talk about a little excitement today on the farm!

It turns out, he did have a used pressure switch on his truck and after a few minutes, the new one was on, and we were back in business. That indeed was the problem. The old one had corroded enough that it was just sitting there and it would have been a matter of a few days, and it would have shot off all on it's own.

The cost?

Pressure switch: Nothing
Cost to put it on: Nothing
Cost of coming out: Dinner for he and his wife at a later date and one cigar box.
Having good friends you can count on: Priceless
One afternoon of excitement: Priceless