Intermittent Water

It seems like ever since we switched from our contaminated well to CG's secondary well for our water supply, we've had nothing but problems. Along with an intermittent water supply. CG's secondary well was never used before in the winter, so it's not well-equipped to handle the freezing temperatures we've been having. Luckily it hasn't been something we've had to wait days to get fixed; usually the problems are resolved in a matter of hours.

As a result, more often than not, we wake up to not having water in the morning. The pressure switch sometimes doesn't function as it should, which results in no water. The cellar door got opened somehow, and the water pipes in there froze. Luckily they didn't break, and after Number One put a small heater in there for a few hours, we had water again. The pipes have now been freezing up near the well, where they are housed in some kind of hole along with the pressure switch, accessible from above and topped with a wood-framed piece of tin, but not insulated. Number One put a heater in there, and that helps on that end, but he can't leave it running without fear of catching wood parts on fire.

Oh, and if CG unplugs a cord in her laundry room attached to her sprinkler system? Guess what. It is attached to "our" well somehow, and we have no water. Isn't this fun?

We've taken to filling a gallon jug at night, before we go to bed, so we can have coffee in the morning before Number One has to face the freezing cold and figure out which part of the pipeline needs fixing. Last night, we forgot to fill the gallon jug. This morning when we awoke to no water, it also meant no coffee. This is a tragedy.

But as I type, I can hear the toilet refilling, which is the signal that Number One has figured everything out and got water flowing again. For the time being. We need to make a trip to the building supply store and get some proper insulation to stuff down in the pressure switch hole.

Number One reports that one of the problems is that the hole in the ground was enlarged this fall, to roughly five feet square, instead of a 2 1/2 feet hole (which possibly wouldn't need to be insulated because the surrounding ground would keep it warmer). As it is now, the ground isn't close enough to provide any insulation, plus it's a huge hole to try to fill with anything, and a huge heavy wood and tin cover. Number One needs to do some work on this set-up.

And now I need to make some coffee...