Something I'm forgetting?

Hi,

I woke up to no water this morning. I have checked everything I can think of including the following;

the breaKer
the pressure switch
the bladder tank pressure (30 psi)
I have no leaks anywhere

I went outside and pulled the cap on the well and I could hear the pump
I pulled the pump out to from the pitless union to the surface and it pumped water fine so I put it back.

The only other possibility is that the main supply line (plastic) froze somewhere in the 6 feet to under the house. I have been under the house and checked where the line comes in but there is no frost on the pipe and the soil on the other side of the wall doesn't appear to be frozen.

It dropped to below zero here last night but it has not been particualry cold (I live near Chicago) and I have never had this problem in 16 years even with weks of sub-zero weather.

I am about to go under the house and put a hair dryer on the pipe to see if it will help heat it back a ways because I am running out of explanations.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Robin

If the pipe got frozen solid then the pump would have pumped at shutoff pressure, which could have ruptured a pipe somewhere. Submersible pumps should never be run with a closed line.

You could have a split in the pipe down in the well that would not be evident if you disconnected it at the top just to test the pump against no pressure.

You should try to pump water from the well at pressure to see how much flow and pressure you can get.

The key is you said it was 16 years since you had a problem.

I think the 16 years [lucky you] is the problem unless your cross pipe is frozen or broken.

Might be as Bob said, pump not making pressure.

When you checked the pump, did you check it with a gauge to see how much pressure it can make?

Plastic pipe can split and close back up so you can't see the split with the naked eye. Only pressure opens it up again.

Depending on how this pump ran without moving water if the pipe is frozen some of the impellers may be nuked.

bob...