Asking
Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

I have no water

A few days ago our water stopped working. Its a private well. There is a pump out a ways across the pasture. It connects to an outside shed where the water filter is and then it goes to our house. I think the problem might be at the pump. Its turned off once before. When it happened the first time, we walked out to the pump and saw where the cows had broken the plastic casing that covers the electric wires for it. We moved it around a bit, decided we had no clue how it works, and put the cover back on it. When we back inside our water was working again. Any ideas?
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
robb65 · 56-60, M
I'm guessing the plastic thing the cows broke before was the cover on the pressure switch. If it was me I would look to see if the contacts are open or closed. Then I would check to see if there was voltage at the pressure switch, and if there is whether or not it is going through the contacts. (of course you'd need to be comfortable working with electricity and have a voltage meter).

It's possible you aren't getting power to the pressure switch ( broke wire, tripped breaker).

It's possible the contacts in the pressure switch are stuck open or are burnt. Usually you can see the contacts when you remove the cover and can tell by looking if they are open. If they appear closed but you aren't getting power through them then they are burnt. You may be able to clean them with fine sandpaper and get it going temporary but in either of these cases replacing the switch would be the right thing to do.

If you have power and the pressure switch is good that just leaves the pump itself and any wiring between the pressure switch and the pump.

Edit: There's also " pump is running but not pumping". This is more likely in an above ground pump than a submersible. Above ground pumps sometimes lose their prime and need to be primed. It also possible a foot valve stuck open, or there's a hole in one of the pipes (above ground jet pumps have two pipes going down into the well) or a broke impeller, or a piece of something clogging the jet .
morrgin · F
@robb65 its submersible in the outbuilding it says
robb65 · 56-60, M
@morrgin Those seem to be a lot more trouble free than the above ground jet pumps. Probably just a bad pressure switch.
morrgin · F
@robb65 it turned out to be a bad wire from a capacitor. The pro came out and in probably about 10 minutes or less he completed the testing and had the electric box replaced. Water back on.