LET THERE BE LIGHT.....BUT NO WATER!

Yesterday was a milestone day as DP&L "flipped the switch". I called them Monday and asked when they would be out to set the meter box and turn power on. They said sometime in the next one to ten days. Typical answer, huh! I asked if she could get a bit more specific so she checked with someone, came back to the phone and said "we'll get it done tomorrow (i.e. Tuesday). So, I retired the portable generator from service for the time being. I will not miss the sound of that thing running for the past two plus months. On the other hand, it served it's purpose and did so reliably.

DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MUCH BUT IT'S "LIVE"

Somewhat off topic, got up this morning to "no water". For those of us who are used to relying on a well, it is an event that we all know will happen at some point. I always hope that it is not when I am all lathered up with soap in the shower.
Went down and checked out the pressure switch and cycled the pump on and off a few times. Sometimes it would run but it was not pressurizing the tank. Other times it would pressurize the tank but then the tank pressure would bleed down which suggested a faulty check valve.
Since I have pulled well pumps on more than one occasion, I filled up some containers with water to carry us for a while and then got out my "pipe clamp/black pipe pump pulling" apparatus. The threaded end screws into the pitless adapter and the pipe clamp on the end allows me to crank down and break loose the adapter. The lateral section of pipe insures that I won't lose everything down the well hole which is not something you even want to think about happening.

WITH WOOD BLOCKS IN PLACE, I CAN TURN THE PIPE CLAMP HANDLE WHICH

EFFECTIVELY PULLS THE PITLESS ADAPTER UPWARD

 The pump was only about 60 ft. down so I was able to get it out of the hole with little effort. I removed the head from the pump and the problem was as suspected...a broken check valve.

THE CULPRIT CHECK VALVE! TWO OF THE FOUR "LEGS" ARE BROKEN OFF

I got on the phone and tried to find someone who had this part in stock to no avail. Then, someone suggested the obvious....just install a brass check valve at the top of the pump rather than replacing the above pictured valve which is integral to the pump. After a couple of trips to Menards, I had everything I needed to get the pump back together and back down in the hole. After about $35 for the valve and some fittings and about four hours of time (most of which was spent on the phone and running to Menards) we are back in service.

Apparently the broken check valve was getting turned upside down in the housing and when that happened, it was preventing the water from flowing upward from the pump. That is why at times the pump was running but not pressurizing the pump.