Water Well Part I

Examining the well in detail revealed that nearly all its components would need replacing. I was able to make the breakers work temporarily to try the submersible pump. When I checked the power with a volt meter, there was power to the pressure switch but no power going out to the pump. The first task would be getting power to the pump to see if it even worked.

Trying The Submersed Pump

I bypassed the broken pressure switch and wired directly from the breaker to the well pump. When I flipped the breaker on, to my amazement, the pump came on and brought water up from the well! It had a lot of pressure, too. That was a huge plus for us. There were still well components that needed to be tested and most likely replaced.

Checking The Pressure Tank

Next, I needed to see if the pressure tank would hold pressure. I aired it up to 30 psi and let it sit for a week. When we came back, it was holding at 29 psi. Even though it had some rust on the outside, the diaphragm inside was holding up. It looked like we would be able to keep using the existing pressure tank.

The Well Breaker Box

The well breaker box was installed incorrectly. Someone had used the wrong AWG wire and branched off the tap in the meter where the wire to the house connected. The breaker box was rusted, along with the contacts for the breakers and the breakers themselves. It was not a safe installation and could easily be a fire hazard. I decided to wait to repair the power source since we are going to upgrade the electrical system for the entire house. I could still use the existing for temporary testing power as we repaired well components.

The Well Plumbing

All of the PVC from the wellhead to the pressure tank was old and brittle and would need to be replaced as well. At this point, we ordered a whole well kit that included plumping parts, a pressure switch, a pressure gauge, and an outlet ball valve.

Pulling The Well Pump

I wanted to check the well pump for debris and check the electrical wire to the pump. We pulled the pump out of the well for examination. The pump itself was in great condition and free of any debris. The electrical cable, however, was in bad shape. The wrong cable had been used that was not rated for water resistance. We made a quick trip to the hardware store and purchased the correct type of wire. After replacing the electrical wire, we lowered the pump back into the well.

Well Rebuild Completion

I decided to make an electrical tree with a junction box and a switch so I could cut power to the well without having the use the breakers. We made all of the wiring connections and replaced the plumbing. Using the switch now made turning the well pump off and on very easy and would keep us from having to throw breakers in the future after we resolved the breaker box issue.

We Have A Well

We were very excited the well worked out. Margaret ordered a water test kit that verified the well water was free of pollutants and contaminants and that the mineral levels were okay. Having the well will be a great benefit to our garden needs without having to use city-treated water that can sterilize the soil. Next, we have plans on routing the well water to spigots for use in different areas of the property.