I promise you WILL NOT see the punch line coming.

A few days ago, my concentration was all about the 7/8” diameter sanded cross section of a bar of Tool Steel. I’d spent hours staring at the inverse detail I was hand engraving into then steel. If the coined finished product turned out, I’d have one more bracelet for the brochure project.

The kitchen door opened. “Hellooo”. I always enjoy when Kelly drops by the shop. She says, “there’s almost no water pressure at the house ...”. I extract myself from the scratches on the steel. Scramble back up thru the magnifying lenses I’m wearing, and hip to the floor. Full sized, once again ... I say “tell me more”.

It’s determined that I must crawl into the pump house where the pressure tank lives. I’ll check the pressure gauge. I turn off the pump Breaker Switch. Kelly has begun removing the kids toys which rest in there between visits from our Grandkids. Path clear, I shimmy back in and sit on a box of tile left by the previous owner. The gauge says 25 psi. Should be a min. of 38psi and the pump 330 feet in the ground should kick on, raising the psi to 63psi for the cut off. Of course the breaker is off so the pump isn’t running.

I’ll go through the steps on my carefully written Note Card that I keep on the breaker box face with a magnet. Ok, hook up hose. Open valve to drain tank down. Etc. Bring the air hose from the shop Compressor and pressurize the tank to 40 psi to start. Etc etc. OK, let’s turn the breaker back on. And run a bit of water in there to drop psi below 38psi. Pump should start. Nothing.

“Is the Breaker on? #28. Bottom right.” ..... “Yes it is”

Not good. At ALL.

I’m sitting here on a box of tile. Thinking of pulling the Submersible pump with 330 feet of piping it hangs on. I’m having a chat with myself. Kelly comes back from turning the breaker on. I tell her I fear the pump is dead. Neither of us freak. Nobody is dead. We will deal with it.

I keep thinking I should pull the top off the box with the contact points. I ask myself “Why? I don’t want to change the pressure settings?” “You are sitting here. Just do it!” “Fine.” “Kelly, please turn it off again.” I take the box cover off. OMG!!!! What is that horrid smell???!!!

WARNING: WEAK STOMACH ZONE ...

It would gag a maggot. Or ..... not. Those little white worm ..... yuck. They ARE maggots. What are they on? A huge water roach? (Sorry, it’s Florida).

I don’t know what it is but Oh My Golly it stinks.





AND IT’S OOOZZZEEE IS ACROSS THE POINTS!!!!!

I get a nylon brush and spray cleaner. Make sure it is NOT FLAMMABLE.

I brush and spray. “Give me a few paper towels please”.

I pull the gunk off the brush. Spray more. Brush more. “What is THAT?” Good grief ....it’s the head of the .... thing. “Kelly, get me a toothpick please”. Look at this! No!!! Common, it’s not bad. Honest. What is this critter?



I say it’s the head! What kind of bug? She says “That white thing looks like a BONE!??” I agree. Well it isn’t a bug then. She says ... lizard? We wonder.

I go back in. “Ok ... Turn on the switch one more time”. HUMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm. Oh THANK GOD! The pump starts and water starts filling the tank. The pressure gauge raises to 63psi and goes off. It work as it should. Wow. Missed a bullet there. That would have been difficult.

While I’m back in there, I see something. Thought I did before. I got the flashlight and phone.


Gary

Haha
I love those kinda repairs ! It sure looks like a palmetto bug body to me .
I actually had a box elder bug caught between some points on my boiler furnace control a few years back . It was still working but made a crazy loud humming vibration that echoed. It was buried under 3 covers when I finally found it .
Just a little de bugging.
Glad y’all got it fixed .

Thanks
Kurt

Hi Kurt,

My pic had too much camo the way the flashlight lit the concrete texture. That’s a little tiny “tree frog” people call them. Tiny and Cute but we have one less now. Bugs Exoskeleton. Invertebrate. This had bones. Don’t know how things worked out. After the froggie got zapped, the pump still ran until the bugs did their work and things got, ah, ... like they were. Then wet enough to short out.

Heck of a story for parties. But boy I was glad to clean it up and hear that pump hummmmm down the well shaft.

Best
Gary

A life in the wilds. Last year we had an AC unit serviced and the teck (have to use them Freon rules in CA you know) pulled a dead, dried snake out of the fan that cools the refrigerant. (Condenser coils). It must of slept on the fan blades and when we turned unit on it got tangled and sliced.

My car has had mice eat wires (apparently this is common on newer cars) because they are not PVC anymore but a more natural insulation. Killed a wiring harness that is no longer made so service had to remove old one and repair it. Then a quick spray of pepper spray. No guaranty but he said it helps.

Glad that all you had to do was trouble shoot logically and a easy contact clean.

Has it dried (drained) out from Sally? Get the tractor running for clearing tree falls? Stay safe and looking forward to posts

Gary L

Hello Gary,

Alas, I’ve not yet made contact with someone who might make a house call on the tractor. I haven’t looked hard since at the end of the visit there’s be the ....

So I’ll get something else posted here first. Have I shown this one yet? I got it this far and then sooo many things interrupted. 6 3/4” Deep Hollow hand laid Mosaic 97. A real “Slender James” Folder. I’ll pick it up again shortly. I think that would be the PERFECT Tractor Knife! Yeah ... perfect. Hah.

K. Thanks so much for commenting.

Gary