Water Conservation Gone Awry
I have been such a good boy with my water conservation. Indeed, in the past 24 hours I've made a pot of coffee and flushed the toilet once. That's it. So imagine my surprise when no water, hot or cold, came out of the shower head as I stood there by the bathtub buck naked. What now?
Hmmm. With my water conservation measures, how was it possible that no water was coming out of any tap in the bathroom or anywhere else in the house for that matter? A check of the circuit breaker confirmed electricity to the pump at the bottom of the well. Yet, the water tank thank was empty and the water pressure was zero.
Hmmm. A quick check of the weather station confirmed that it was 14°F outside ... at 2:30 in the afternoon! 14? Yep, 14. Well, maybe the heater tape I had installed several years ago on the water pipe at the well head was no longer working and the pipe had frozen as it had once before. Nope, the tape was doing its job and the pipe was downright toasty.
Hmmm. Discounting the absence of water in the well as a result of my conservation measures, that means one of two things: (a) the water pump is not working or (b) the water pipe is frozen somewhere between the well head and the house. Not being able to physically crawl the 375 feet down a well 6 inches in diameter, I checked the weather history. Yep, it has been above freezing only briefly in the last week, much below freezing most of the time, and at a low of 3°:F early this morning. And, of course, my water conservation measures had produced no requirement for warm water from the well (at a temperature of 55°F) to flow through the pipes since at least yesterday afternoon.
Yep, my guess is the water pipe is frozen somewhere under ground. Done in by water conservation!
We have plenty of snow to melt for drinking and cooking. (Yes, dear, I'll boil it before I use it.) And, the compost pile can always use more Household Compost Starter. But, the question how long can I go without taking a bath?
The weather forecast is for a low of -7°F tonight. The highs through next Thursday are, at best, around the freezing point. I may have to wait for the spring for the pipes to thaw out!
Hmmm.
After all, Henry David Thoreau went two years at Walden Pond without indoor plumbing. But, then again, everyone else did as well, and everyone smelled equally bad.
Hmmm.
Hmmm. With my water conservation measures, how was it possible that no water was coming out of any tap in the bathroom or anywhere else in the house for that matter? A check of the circuit breaker confirmed electricity to the pump at the bottom of the well. Yet, the water tank thank was empty and the water pressure was zero.
Hmmm. A quick check of the weather station confirmed that it was 14°F outside ... at 2:30 in the afternoon! 14? Yep, 14. Well, maybe the heater tape I had installed several years ago on the water pipe at the well head was no longer working and the pipe had frozen as it had once before. Nope, the tape was doing its job and the pipe was downright toasty.
Hmmm. Discounting the absence of water in the well as a result of my conservation measures, that means one of two things: (a) the water pump is not working or (b) the water pipe is frozen somewhere between the well head and the house. Not being able to physically crawl the 375 feet down a well 6 inches in diameter, I checked the weather history. Yep, it has been above freezing only briefly in the last week, much below freezing most of the time, and at a low of 3°:F early this morning. And, of course, my water conservation measures had produced no requirement for warm water from the well (at a temperature of 55°F) to flow through the pipes since at least yesterday afternoon.
Yep, my guess is the water pipe is frozen somewhere under ground. Done in by water conservation!
We have plenty of snow to melt for drinking and cooking. (Yes, dear, I'll boil it before I use it.) And, the compost pile can always use more Household Compost Starter. But, the question how long can I go without taking a bath?
The weather forecast is for a low of -7°F tonight. The highs through next Thursday are, at best, around the freezing point. I may have to wait for the spring for the pipes to thaw out!
Hmmm.
After all, Henry David Thoreau went two years at Walden Pond without indoor plumbing. But, then again, everyone else did as well, and everyone smelled equally bad.
Hmmm.
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