# Another well question, left the hose on.



## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

We accidentally left the hose on last night from about 9pm until 7 am this morning when we discovered it. The faucets were not working and the toilets were not flushing. Dh called a well drilling company and they said to turn of the circuit for the pump. I did this at about 8:30. He said to leave it off for a few hours and we should have water then. I just flipped the circuit, and still no water. It is supposed to rain heavily this afternoon, but we all know how that goes. When you need the rain the worst, it doesn't come. Is there anything else I can or should do?


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## mamalisa (Feb 1, 2004)

Wait 3 days. Do NOT keep flipping the circuit breaker. At the end of the 3 days, go to the pressure tank. There ought to be a little metal lever near the pressure switch, flip that to prime. If you get water, sing hosannas.

Can anyone tell I've done this WAY too often? Most submersible pumps have an internal cutoff that prevents overheating. They then need to be restarted manually.

Give the well time.


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

Should the circuit be turned on or off while I wait the three days?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Is this a submersible pump or an above ground jet? Makes a big difference as to the restart.


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

I have no idea. I really don't know much of anything about wells. All I can tell you is how it looks. It is in the front yard and is a big round concrete cylinder with a cement top. Someone told me it is a more shallow well as opposed to a deeper well where the thing that sticks out of the ground is much skinnier.

Please excuse my ignorance, I am new to all of this. Does that help?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Tell me this, is the pump down in the water or is the pump mounted above ground?


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

The only thing I see above the ground is the cement cylinder and cement lid. Would I have to take the lid off to see if the pump is above the ground?


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

whats the 3 days all about? do things recharge that slow where you are?


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

how does this switch prime the pump?
*ASHley* send post pictures of the well and pumpsetup if ya can!
LOL reminds me of the wanted good woman joke!


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Take the lid off and look! Where is the tank located? Look at that location also for a pump and motor.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

You are a lucky person....you have agmantoo helping you. This guy really knows what he is doing around wells and pumps! He has singlehandedly helped more folks on this page save thousands and thousands of dollars.
My hat's off to him!
clove


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

Okay, the lid is off and the pump is down in the water, and yes, I can see some water down at the bottom.


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

The tank is in the utility room I think, it's blue and says well-x-troll on it. All I see in the well is a pipe and a yellow electric line going down into the water.


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)




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## mamalisa (Feb 1, 2004)

ok, the thingy next to your pressure guage with the spring is the pressure switch. A lot of these for submersible pumps have a little lever----hard to tell since the top is off of yours---that you lift if the pump has stopped of its own free will, to cause the pump to prime. 

I would wait 'cause it's really hard on the poor pump to make it run without water there since most of these guys are water cooled. Also, they suck really hard and the well could just run dry again. Waiting never killed anyone.


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## titansrunfarm (Aug 14, 2005)

yes, Agmantoo helped me out with my pump a while back, def. knows stuff. Looks like a submersible pump from here. Agmantoo...whatcha say?


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## Oilpatch197 (Apr 18, 2004)

OK quick question for you Well experts, look at those pictures, that water well has a CEMENT casing, WHY??

I've seen wells with Plastic pipe, stone, brick, but cement???


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## davaseco (May 4, 2006)

She doesn't say where she is located. But in my experience, in CA. a LOT of wells had cement casings. Especially if the hole was bigger than the standard 6" diameter....usually more suited for a deepwell system. but this is just MY experience.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

They just use cement "culvert" tiles instead of plastic pipe. Its pretty common in shallow wells with a large diameter. Ive seen lots of them, especially on older wells


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

Bumping for Agmantoo.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

This is what we refer to as a bored well. It is a shallow surface water source. A large auger bit is used to put these wells in then the culvert are stacked. These wells are seen in developments where the developer is pinching pennies. Replenishment is often very slow and the water often consist of the small amount stored in the culvert. Having pumped the well down could take some duration to recharge. The pump is a submersible and the tank is a bladder tank. I see Ashley has the switch on the wall turned off as she should. I would like to know that there is power to the pump and if she can hear the pump run? That pump would reprime itself once the well recovers and power is available. Submersible pumps depend on the water to lubricate the seals and for cooling of the motor. It is unlikely that the installer put any type of low water/no water protection on the system as he was the low cost supplier. She is in a colder climate than California IMO, I base this on the manner the water leaves the well. Enough said, now to fix the well. Ashley, with the top off the well culvert look down the well and determine if you can see the pump on the end of the pipe. The pump must be under the water. If you can not see the pump and you think it is under the water have someone to turn the switch on while you are at the well and you listen closely to determine if the pump is running. If you hear nothing you need to determine if there is power to the system. You could have tripped a breaker. Is there anyone there that has some awareness of electricity? If you determine there is power available at the wire nuts at the well and the pump is not running then the only remaining fault is the pump itself. PS...I cannot see the pressure switch as clearly as I would like to but it seems to be wired differently than the Square D type. I have seen a few of the switches with a reset so look closely OR just determine that there is power feeding the wire going out to the well. Sorry I was late getting back to you but I was delayed as I got my track loader stuck on top of a stump and I have been hours trying to get it off.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Agmantoo has you on the right path.

Unfortunately, be prepared - this is a low-cost setup, and if the pump was running for that long without water in it, either it tripped something to protect itself (the 'no power' he is trying to work out with you) or it burned itself up. You are kinda 50/50 on this..... Hopefully your odds are that good.......

What is the red thing down in the well? It's not a float of some type, is it? I'll guess it's the top of the motor/pump, but....

--->Paul


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Hopefully the motor has a Klixon switch internally to it. One benefit to this setup is that it is easy to access.


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

A friend came by and checked the pressure switch with some device and said there was power. We cannot find any type of reset button on the pressure switch. We will have to check tomorrow if the pump will run, it is thundering and raining right now. When we checked yesterday with the power on, we heard a buzzing down in the well, but it didn't sound like a motor. The red floating object looks like a ball and is not stationary, it might just be a ball that fell down there?


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

fantasy69maker said:


> whats the 3 days all about? do things recharge that slow where you are?


The Lord rose in three days, so perhaps...???


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## AshleyB (Aug 6, 2005)

We checked the motor this morning. I flipped the swiych and husband sttod at the well. He said that when I flipped the switch he saw ripples in the water, but no sound. When I turned the switch off he also saw ripples.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Ashley, doesn't sound very encouraging. The ripples were probably the motor receiving power but unable to start. I am of the opinion you are going to have to remove the pump for further evaluation. This is not a major task and you have the necessary switch to isolate the power. Turn the power off at the switch in the house and at the breaker if you know the correct breaker. At the well disconnect the 3 red wire nuts. Observe which lead is connected to the ground wire. It should be the same as the wire connected to the yellow with the green stripe. When replacing the wiring you will want to put it back the same as it was. Can your husband reach into the well far enough to get to the piping by hand? At the 90 degree location in the plumbing, that is a type of fitting that will slip together. If you will look closely you will see that there is a dovetail type slot. This slot is currently supporting the down pipe and the pump. A vertical lift below the fitting will cause the dovetail to separate and the pump weight and the plumbing will now have to be supported by whomever is removing the pump. As a safety measure it would be best to support the down pipe/pump via a rope. There is a tool for attaching to the dovetail joint fitting but I am positive you do not have one nor do you have the means on hand to make one. With a six inch deep wel, a tool is necessary but not with the shallow well such as you have. Two people should have no problem getting your pump out without tools. Once the pump is out verify the wiring at the pump is still sound. Next, momentarily apply power and see if the motor will run. If not the pump will need replacing. All submersible pumps made in the US have the same brand of motor. About any submersible well pump will work in you application. If price is a question just buy a similar horsepower as the pump you removed and one with the best warranty. Replacement is reverse of removable.


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## Oilpatch197 (Apr 18, 2004)

Pulling up the pipe is a very INTERESTING job!

We have a 6" 60Ft well and about 50ft of pipe going down it, we used that black flexible pipe, since we used a deep well pump two pipes go down into the well.

we got our gloves on, took the roof off the wellhouse, and Dad grabbed the pump and started walking, my job was to lift the pipe out so it wouldn't kink when bending over to the ground, at first, hey this is easy! I thought, but once that footvalve got above the waterline, it was HEAVY!! all that pipe had water in it.... and 10ft to the end I got a nice nasty surpise there was calcium/iron buildup on the outside of the plastic tubing, YUCK! and it STUNK!


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