Tuesday, December 20, 2005

At Least We Had Electricity

So, wow. Some stuff has been a happenin... Remember last post where I had too much time on my hands? Well that's gone. This weekend was a bit rough out here in the sticks. We prepared to be hyper productive, Lee was out in the yard burning brush piles, and the neighbor came over and helped up rip up most of the rest of the 20 year old carpet. So I'm working away on pulling up carpet tack, and sweeping up a metric tonne of dirt and I hear a bizarre gurgling coming from the dishwasher, of all things.

So I wander into the kitchen to investigate this new puzzle. And on a whim I decide to try the faucet to see if we are having some water issue. And lo and behold, absolutely nothing comes out. I try the others in the house. Nothing. Hmmm. Not Good.

So somehow we figure out that while moving brush piles an outdoor faucet in the yard for the original owner's RV has gotten snapped off. So not only has this leak drained every last drop of water out of the house (including the hot water heater), but it has had our well pump running like the dickens to pump our precious well water into a puddle in the yard. Hmmm.

Since this isn't the first time we've had a plumbing leak, it is old hat now. We run down to the well, shut off the pump, and The Hub gets to work with that sticky purple stuff capping the offending pipe. We let it dry for a while, then nonchalantly turn the pump back on and wait for our cool clear well water to fill the pipes again. Only it doesn't work. Hmmm. Still nothing coming outta the faucets, not even spluttering gurgles of air.

Back to the pump. Shut her down. Scratch head. Over comes the Neighbor Of Goodness. Looks at the pump. Scratches his head. The decision is made that perhaps the professionals need to be called in. Only it is Saturday. And we have the local Mariposa Symphony Orchestra concert to attend. So we go back to our dreary floorless, waterless Double Wide, gather our belongings and go shower at the NOG's house.

Skip to Sunday. Its raining like crazy. Blowing. Bandying the trailer about like a jingly cat toy. We trudge over to the neighbor's to brush our teeth. Their house (due to its straw bale construction and 2 feet thick walls) is a warm calm sanctuary. Storm? What storm? We covet.

We trudge back and put the bad weather to its best use and stay inside. We work like little working monkeys and get 80% of the floor laid across the living room. During which the Neighbor of Goodness comes over with a brilliant idea. He's gonna run a hose from his outlet to ours and pressurize our house with his water. So bickey bam, in one day we go from floorless and waterless to mostly floored and leach-like neighbor water sucking. Ah, amenities.

And then the woman who is my contact for this new "job" thing that I might have mentioned, calls and says they're swamped. And can I come in part time next week? So there went all the time. And there goes all yall's Christmas presents. They're sitting right over there in the corner in their bags and boxes waiting to be wrapped and sent. Wave and smile at them. They miss you.

So today we give the pump one more try, see if the problem was a drained well. And if not, then we, well, start throwing money down the well. Bye bye money. I'll miss you.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Suzie, the pump probably needs priming. When it gets turned off AND there is a air inlet, all the water sinks back into the pump hole and out of the pump. It then often needs to be primed, that is, you gotta pour a lot of water down there thru the pipe that it usually pumps water UP and get the water DOWN to the pump, then seal it off and turn it on QUICK. Good luck, and don't worry about the Xmas presents, you have more important things to worry about! Better now though than after the baby comes...
Love, Dad

Unknown said...

DOn't listen you Your Old Man (YOM), I need my Christmas presents NOW! Ha!

I love the NOG acronym..... :)