01/09/2026
Sorry we haven’t posted in a bit. As most know, our main source of water for our house and farm went out on Dec 22. We now believe that the deep well pump failed. We requested information for our well from the State Department of Health who is responsible for keeping records on Well’s and Septic Systems here in Virginia hoping to find out how deep our well is so we can figure out the correct pump size.
However, all the State had on record was a permit request to increase the well depth by an additional 100 feet from 2007. The State had no other information on file.
We did find out the well was originally drilled in 2002 by a local company that is no longer in business.
We then found that when they installed the piping, they had used a cheap pitless adaptor and attached a homemade removal tool to the top. The pitless only sits about 1-2 below grade, however that homemade removal tool was made from black iron pipe and a pvc tee and is completely corroded onto the adaptor.
So we have to excavate around the well head, dig down below that adaptor and cut the pipe off, then drill a new hole for the new adaptor to go in. Then we have to attach a short piece of well casing on top.
Luckily here in Virginia, our well casing is PVC and not Steel like up north, but still a bit pricey for even a 3 foot section. We also have a coupling to attach the new piece to the old one.
Once the pump is pulled, we will be able to “Sound” the well for depth and water level and determine the correct pump size and proper depth to place that.
The other issue is where the pitless adaptor comes out of the well casing, it’s facing away from the pump house for some reason, meaning there is a big loop of water pipe buried which doesn’t need to be that long. The line from the Well House to the Main house also goes to the wrong end of the house instead of a shorter direct route.
Hopefully, later this year, we will be able to correct these issues by installing a new pump house and adding new water lines that directly go to the pump house and then to the main house, and that should put a lot less stress on the system.
Next Issue was our Auxiliary Heat Pump went out. The same company that installed the system cane out and discovered that the electrician who was contracted to do the wiring put a 50 Amp breaker in place of the recommended 60 Amp, so over the last 2 years whenever auxiliary heat was called for, the breaker was being over taxed and has finally weakened to the point of tripping. So we have a new 60 Amp to install this week to correct that.
And the sad news is Wednesday my wife’s mother died suddenly without warning or signs of a problem. We had just got off the phone with her doctor who wanted to get a CT and MRI of her food that she injured a week or two earlier. Within a few minutes, the doctor called back to say my wife mother had died. She had been waiting for her lunch when staff said she just got up from the table, walked back to her room and got into bed, covered up and would not respond to staff. They immediately got her doctor who was there at the assisted living home within minutes because they knew something was wrong, and she discover her gone.
This has been the worst month for us so far. It seems like everything has gone wrong so far, but we will manage through. Our thanks to everyone for their support and prayers, and to those who are helping us until we get our well fixed. We also want to thank our friends who donated to the GoFund me page to assist us with our well issues. We are hoping to get the pump pulled this weekend and then we can budget for the correct pump and additional pipe / fittings needed to get it up and running. We have already secured a new Pitless Adaptor and a new pressure switch to replace the old one, and just picked up a 3 foot section of well casing with a coupler for when we cut and remove the old adaptor.
Again thanks to everyone. Here’s a picture of a Goat Kid in “Jail”. This is one of our little girls “Marshmallow” who likes to get under the hay feeder lid when it’s raining to eat. Don’t worry, she can get in and out quite easily right now.
