I wanted to tell this story because I really can’t help myself. I’ve had some bizarre experiences as a first-time homeowner, and it’s just good blog material. Sorry not sorry.
If you know me in real life (not here on the internet), you’ve probably heard my horrible water stories from every place I have lived in Hoover/Birmingham and Nashville. These stories are so wacky, I feel weird telling them. If they definitely don’t sound real then they definitely sound like they were written by Stephen King on mushrooms.
I’m not going to recount those stories, I will just pick up where we are. Three weeks ago, our well pump suddenly stopped working. We had water. I took a shower that morning, made coffee, everything was normal then suddenly there was no water.
Joy.
The last time there was no water pressure, I had a busted pipe that was flooding my basement, so this could definitely not be as bad as that right? Right, but still terrible.
A well is a simple yet complicated system. It involves electricity, pressure, air, wiring and zero failure for it to work. By “it work” I mean, you turn a faucet and you get water. A lot of things have to go just right for that to work.
So when the system stops working, you’ve got a lot of troubleshooting to do.
(Let the record reflect that I have learned so much about how a well works that I could probably at least be a receptionist at a well drilling office—maybe in another life).
After a whole lot of googling, a trip to Walmart and Lowe’s then another trip to Tractor Supply Co., we decided maybe we should call a repairman.
If you are a well owner, your wallet probably shuddered in your back pocket because well work ain’t cheap work. It ain’t cheap at all. Our well is 150 feet deep, which means a whole lot of heavy pipe and wiring to pull up out of the ground.
The well men came the next day. They replaced the well pump and ran all new wiring and pipe. The cost was four-digit number I won’t share here.
But as far as four-digit numbers go, this is just one of a few different four-digit water fiascos we’ve dealt with.
Let me count the ways:
Forced to move early to a new apartment because of busted sewer pipes in my apartment floor (Alabama)
Complete remodel of our basement because of shoddy workmanship leading to busted pipes and flooding (Tennessee)
Well pump failure (It was old—she had done her time. Replacement was looming).
Then there are the just… weird things. Like, the toilets suddenly running constantly after the well pump was replaced. (The culprit is sediment, I think, and we are still troubleshooting that issue). The time water was pouring out of our smoke detector at one of the apartments we had in Alabama. The time our upstairs neighbor “turned on their shower then left for work,” soaking our walls, causing a heap of problems (and smells).
I’m not sure which ancient Greek god we pissed off or if we just have fantastic luck, but it’s a lot.
Oh! And then we got COVID. Joy!
It’s been the summer of all summers for me. Busy in so many ways. Filled with fun and music and art and stress and screaming into the void, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve learned a new instrument, seen new sights on my own two feet, learned more about what it means to be a homeowner, and traveled in new ways.
I promise I’ll finish those AT reports. There are still stories to be told :) (And more memories to make!)
In the meantime, say a prayer or offer a blessing on me and my water woes, which seem to never end.
Must have pissed off the aqua gods