Nathan James
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There is a shallow well on my property, We moved out due to heat issues in 20012. When we left, I shut the water off, I drained the water heater, all the pipes and the pressure tank to avoid the pipes from freezing and bursting. We are trying to move back in this week and are having water issues:
I live in Bessemer MI. My grandparents built a shallow well in the 40's and it has been reliable and we rarely run out of water. Until now....
Last week, I started to prime the pump. Water was flowing from the shallow well pump into the water heater (30 gallon glass lined), pressure tank (appears to be a standard size) and the bathroom sink and bathtub and toilet. The pressure was building in the pump and went to 30 psi. I believe the pump shuts off after 45-50 psi. After about 2 hours, the pressure stayed at 30 and water was still able to keep flowing from the bathtub and bathroom sink and toilet, but not the kitchen sink.
I went to go check the well and it appears the water level is 2 ft below the foot valve (It appears to LOOK like a foot valve) They built the pipe to come out at horizontal slightly sloped pitch, instead of using an elbow and going down vertical. The water is below the foot valve, Which seems terrible...I figured we drained the well dry, but I waited 3 days and the water has not risen...Is my well dry? Am I screwed? I can attach pictures if nessecery. If I turn the pump on, water still comes out of the bathtub. The pump still sounds like it sucking water BUT theres is still the issue of the pressure staying at 30psi....
We only left the property for 2 years and had the water off, WHY would the well be dry all of a sudden? After 70 some years NOW the well dries up?? Doesn't seem like a coincidence.
I was thinking about filling the well with water from buckets from our apartment and make trips back and forth, which would take a very long time. I do not know who to call that fills wells with water. What should my next step be? I don't wanna call a well drilling contractor, as I cannot afford the huge bill and am worried if somebody professional looks at my well, they will tell the city and then Ill be forced to pay somebody or move or sell the property. What should I do?
I live in Bessemer MI. My grandparents built a shallow well in the 40's and it has been reliable and we rarely run out of water. Until now....
Last week, I started to prime the pump. Water was flowing from the shallow well pump into the water heater (30 gallon glass lined), pressure tank (appears to be a standard size) and the bathroom sink and bathtub and toilet. The pressure was building in the pump and went to 30 psi. I believe the pump shuts off after 45-50 psi. After about 2 hours, the pressure stayed at 30 and water was still able to keep flowing from the bathtub and bathroom sink and toilet, but not the kitchen sink.
I went to go check the well and it appears the water level is 2 ft below the foot valve (It appears to LOOK like a foot valve) They built the pipe to come out at horizontal slightly sloped pitch, instead of using an elbow and going down vertical. The water is below the foot valve, Which seems terrible...I figured we drained the well dry, but I waited 3 days and the water has not risen...Is my well dry? Am I screwed? I can attach pictures if nessecery. If I turn the pump on, water still comes out of the bathtub. The pump still sounds like it sucking water BUT theres is still the issue of the pressure staying at 30psi....
We only left the property for 2 years and had the water off, WHY would the well be dry all of a sudden? After 70 some years NOW the well dries up?? Doesn't seem like a coincidence.
I was thinking about filling the well with water from buckets from our apartment and make trips back and forth, which would take a very long time. I do not know who to call that fills wells with water. What should my next step be? I don't wanna call a well drilling contractor, as I cannot afford the huge bill and am worried if somebody professional looks at my well, they will tell the city and then Ill be forced to pay somebody or move or sell the property. What should I do?
