Cold temps, lost water, lost pressure at well

[JnE2016]

So I'm in a cold climate over her and had been getting cooler about 5 days ago I woke up with no water.
I figured maybe pipes froze eve though it was still in the low 20s, so I put a space heater under home "manf"
And put my chickens best lamp above pipes in well shed.I

For the first 3 days my pressure at well was around 70ish like it always is but I still had zero pressure at house gauge.
2 days ago I flipped breaker back on at well to see if I had water still no luck. Figured I would try again later the day well when I went back out there the pressure at the well was at zero aswell......

So I did all the basics like making sure the switch had voltage and spark it's reading fine and shows spark when Flipping the contacts.
I don't hear anything running when breaker is flipped on nor when Flipping contacts just clicks at the capacitor I think it is.

I am not a plumber nor electriction, and no pretty much noting about wells, I do no that everything is new within 4 years and the well is close to 500 feet deep.
Last year pipes froze but I got it unfrozen within a day so I'm lost and I've been reading the deeper the well more expensive repairs. Really trying to avoid thousands in repair bill. Luckily we have over foot of snow so just been melting snow for use.

But really need help to get this going I have kids and animals that need water and .... Bathing....

 

[Reach4]

Pressure at well indicates 70. Now is that real, or is the gauge frozen? I don't know. If the pump house stayed above freezing, and the pressure switch is in the well house, then the pump is probably fine. Pulling and replacing the pump is where deeper is more expensive.



In cold places, you want to have a pitless adapter and the pipe would go below the frost line to the warmer indoors.

You might want to post a wide photo of inside the well house, and the visible part of the piping to the house.

 

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[JnE2016]

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I live in the boonies so trying to upload something is a hour long Chore can I post tomorrow when I run into town

 

[WorthFlorida]

When you are in town, look up pitiless adapter if you're not sure what it is. Reach4 is excellent when it comes to wells and pumps. Below I listed other possibilities.

Is there a spigot between the well (the pitiless adapter if you have one) and the pressure tank? Usually there is one near the tank to drain it. If yes open the valve and run the pump manually just to prove the pump and well is functioning. Your pressure tank may drain. If no water, the pump motor went south, the water table dropped some or you have a leak somewhere before the pressure tank. It is possible with a pitiless adapter that it has failed and water is just going back down the well. When it froze last year, something cracked and now it showed its ugly head. Pitless adapters are usually brass and can crack form frozen water.

If you have good water flow check the pressure tank for leaks. You do not want to see water spiting out of the Schrader valve. If you do the bladder inside the tank has ruptured. This can short cycling of the pump motor and its thermal switch inside the motor might be opening the power until it cools. Do you have the model number of the submersible pump?

 

[Valveman]

The little "click" you hear at the control box tells me the pump is running. A clamp around AC amp meter would give you the details. The tag on the control box will tell you how many amps is should draw. If drawing max amps, the pipe is broken. This usually happens right at the pump as the pump gets hot when the pipe freezes and melts the pipe just above the pump.

Low amps would mean the pipe is good, just plugged with ice. But low amps could also mean the pump has been pumping against a frozen closed pipe until it is worn out as well. Even just letting the pipe freeze last year could be the reason your pump is not working this year.

 

[JnE2016]

The little "click" you hear at the control box tells me the pump is running. A clamp around AC amp meter would give you the details. The tag on the control box will tell you how many amps is should draw. If drawing max amps, the pipe is broken. This usually happens right at the pump as the pump gets hot when the pipe freezes and melts the pipe just above the pump.

Low amps would mean the pipe is good, just plugged with ice. But low amps could also mean the pump has been pumping against a frozen closed pipe until it is worn out as well. Even just letting the pipe freeze last year could be the reason your pump is not working this year.

Do u have to use an clamp ac reader or can u use a regular Amp reader we live an hr or so from nearest town n this little town don't carry them.

 

[Reach4]

I live in the boonies so trying to upload something is a hour long Chore can I post tomorrow when I run into town

If you make you photos JPEG (JPG) and resize them to maybe 600x800, they will be a lot smaller than your camera or phone probably uses as its default. In Windows, Paint is one of the programs that can resize, but there are others.

When I said wide, I meant wide angle. Maybe that is as wide angle as your camera can do.. I expect your pressure tank is off to the right. I see the pressure gauge reads zero, so you probably turned off the breaker/switch.

Is A the well, and J or N the pipe to the house?

 

[Reach4]

If a regular ammeter just uses test leads, you would have to interrupt the path and run the current thru the meter. You would first make sure that the meter was set to AC amps, and probably set to its highest range -- at least 10 amps.

 

[JnE2016]

If you make you photos JPEG (JPG) and resize them to maybe 600x800, they will be a lot smaller than your camera or phone probably uses as its default. In Windows, Paint is one of the programs that can resize, but there are others.

When I said wide, I meant wide angle. Maybe that is as wide angle as your camera can do.. I expect your pressure tank is off to the right. I see the pressure gauge reads zero, so you probably turned off the breaker/switch.

Is A the well, and J or N the pipe to the house?

H go underground to the house I'm thinking q goes to the well and the other parrel goes to the outside hose perhaps the other pipes is just spare ones I have holding my best lamp above it sorry for confusion.
And the gauge won't show any pressure with breaker on or off.
it's difficult to get great pics cause it's also were I store all my boxes and tools and what not so pretty crowded sry

 

[JnE2016]

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Is the control box from what I see capacitor looks good, but how does it connect to my well when it's not connected to any of the other wires? I went to try and figure out the multimeter in there and got more confused when that half of the box came off separate and not connected to rest of panel. Can someone point to which parts I need to test for amp?

Sorry for all the noob questions I know cars not plumbing and I try to stay away from electrical work when I can so it's all new to me.

 

[Reach4]

When you put that cover, that holds the capacitor and more, back on to the fixed part of the box, it makes 5 connections.

The amps measurement we were talking about would be easier to access at the pressure switch. However you can interrupt L1 wire, and insert the ammeter in series. You will have to have that cover back in place for current to flow.

Typically the wires from pressure switch terminals 2 and 3 go to L1 and L2... either order.

 

[JnE2016]

When you put that cover, that holds the capacitor and more, back on to the fixed part of the box, it makes 5 connections.

The amps measurement we were talking about would be easier to access at the pressure switch. However you can interrupt L1 wire, and insert the ammeter in series. You will have to have that cover back in place for current to flow.

Typically the wires from pressure switch terminals 2 and 3 go to L1 and L2... either order.

Well I have to get a better multimeter mine blew up when I touched it with amp setting on nearly shat myself.... and we just got another 6-7 inches of snow so not even sure I can make it out of driveway today

 

[Reach4]

This is the time to order one, and maybe pay for faster shipping.

The meters with the clamp-around ammeter make measuring AC current much easier.

While you are ordering, you may want to order a second. I suspect somebody would like that as a Christmas present.

But one more thing. Water is important. Well service is more worth borrowing money for, than a lot of things people borrow money for.

 

[JnE2016]

This is the time to order one, and maybe pay for faster shipping.

The meters with the clamp-around ammeter make measuring AC current much easier.

While you are ordering, you may want to order a second. I suspect somebody would like that as a Christmas present.

But one more thing. Water is important. Well service is more worth borrowing money for, than a lot of things people borrow money for.

I plan on getting one i m going to chain up tomorrow and try to make it out, and i was hoping to at least figure out what the problem is. Christmas time with kids and Washington is so rammed expensive that I was just hoping I could avoid like a 3k+ bill

 

[Reach4]

If the pump does not have to be pulled, the bill will not be 3K. If the pump has to be pulled, you will not be able to do that yourself.

 

[JnE2016]

If the pump does not have to be pulled, the bill will not be 3K. If the pump has to be pulled, you will not be able to do that yourself.

does it take like a boom truck to get the pump out in a 400 foot well? That would be a another problem as driveway is nearly impossible to get up even in 4x4 with chain... I floor it and hope for the best lol

 

[Reach4]

I am not a pro. There are non-truck hoist methods, but the pros will use the truck. Maybe a winch could help climb the slippery part. I wonder if the hoist trucks ever use the winch they have for pulling pipe for the purpose of pulling the truck.

There are anchors that can be screwed into dirt.

 

[Valveman]

does it take like a boom truck to get the pump out in a 400 foot well? That would be a another problem as driveway is nearly impossible to get up even in 4x4 with chain... I floor it and hope for the best lol

See if you can find an Upsy Dazy to rent.

 

[JnE2016]

Okay sorry for long delay, been having a hell of a month my suv that was driving broke down with all kinds of errors.
And took a week to get my darn truck down the driveway...

I've contacted well service people many times and not getting and response.
Had a friend come out and says the switch is t getting enough spark? Even though it's getting right voltage so I'm going to get a pressure switch I guess.

Or would it be the box or what?
But trying to balance this vehicles problems getting wood for heat and trying to still make Christmas for kids is a pain.

 

[Reach4]

Troubleshooting the pressure switch with a voltmeter /multimeter is easy.

What is the water pressure? I presume about zero.
What is the AC voltage between terminals 1 and 4 of the pressure switch?
What is the AC voltage between terminals 2 and 3 of the pressure switch?