A New Pump for an Old Well
October 7, 2011 by Amy Dolego
Living in a very old house requires an unflappable spirit at times. You must always be ready for the unexpected. This week, Dennis and I faced another unpredictable challenge when we suddenly lost running water.
The first time I noticed something unusual was Wednesday night while making dinner. The water pressure in the kitchen faucet seemed diminished. Curious, I went into both bathrooms and tested the faucets, but they were fine. Since only the kitchen faucet has an aerator, I figured it must be clogged and planned to check it the following morning. But when Dennis emerged from the shower before work and told me there was hardly any water available, I immediately called Heath Water Systems in Monroe. Their company sticker was pasted onto the front of our holding tank in the basement when we bought the house. Last January, I called to have them fill our bladderless tank with air, something you need to do periodically when you have an old tank. At that time, I was told our pump was extremely old and could quit at any time.
Within the hour, Craig arrived to investigate. Since I have always lived in houses hooked up to city water, the nuances of having a well are completely unfamiliar to me. All I know about our deep water well is that it provides really clean, bacteria free water (it was tested), it’s an ancient system and cars are never supposed to drive over it. Other than that, it’s a complete mystery. I watched Craig descend through the small, square opening in the cement top and into the underground box. When he popped back up, he told me the bad news. Our pump was shot. To give me a fair idea of how old our pump was, he said the company who made it went out of business in 1961. I guess it had a good run. Although it’s expensive to replace, at least I was assured that both Craig and Dick would be back to install the new pump early the next morning. By noon on Thursday, we had no water at all…
It was a crazy morning. As promised, Craig and Dick arrived very early and got right to work. While the fellows were busy working, the cement contractor arrived to check out our basement. I had made an appointment for him to come and estimate the cost of putting a cement slab in the cellar to cover the dirt floor. Then the oil delivery man drove in the driveway to fill the oil tank. Sadly, it’s that time of year again. We had to jockey cars and trucks around the lawn to fit everyone.
Meanwhile, Craig and Dick had trouble removing the well cap. They finally resorted to heating it up to loosen it. They set up a machine that helped pull out the galvanized pipes, one by one. The machine automatically recorded the depth and they eventually hit bottom at 200 feet below ground. I was told it’s somewhat shallower than most wells, but far deeper than a few of the others on the surrounding properties. While working, they told me interesting stories about the history of the area. Finally, the pump was lifted out and all the existing wire removed.
Dick and Craig hopped in and out of the well pit. They dropped in bleach pellets as a precaution to destroy any bacteria that could potentially be introduced into the well when opened. Then they showed me the shiny new Gould submersible pump and lowered it into place at the bottom of the well with all new piping and electrical. Once hooked up, Dick went into the basement to make sure the new pump worked.
Although this is an unfortunate expense, it’s comforting to know that I don’t have to worry any longer about our pump quitting. The old one ran for over 50 years and I’m hoping we’ll have the same good luck with the new one. In the process, I also learned a lot about how wells work. Most of all, I’m just glad to have running water once again.
This article was written by Amy Dolego for the blog, This Very Old House, part of Connecticut Post's "Life @ Home" feature.