Pump!

[tsubasahome]

You(being the general "you") may not know this, but we have an artesian well. This is both a blessing and a curse. I like knowing that if there's a nuclear holocaust, our water will be safe to drink, but losing running water when you lose electricity is not cool. So I laugh at people who complain about having to take a cold shower when they lose electricity. Ha! Try having NO water and not even being able to flush the toilet! Anyway.

I was making my bed this morning and I heard a sound from behind the headboard of my bed like I had dropped something heavy, but I couldn't find what I had dropped. About 20 minutes later, I went to wash my hands and the water just stopped. I thought there was something wrong with the sink(it's in a bathroom that doesn't get a lot of use) but apparently we had just completely lost running water. Just like that.

I broke out in a cold sweat. The last time the water "just stopped" in 2002 we had to get the well pump replaced and it cost $1,600. Not only that, but it took 2 or 3 days to get it fixed. And today is Sunday!

The first plumber with emergency service refused to pick up the phone. The second informed us that since it was Sunday, they would charge double time, bringing the bill to $3,000. This was before they even came to look at the pump. They just assumed that it would have to be replaced without even coming over? "Can't you wait until tomorrow?" they asked. Then they said that they would charge $200 just to look at the pump. Finally, we managed to get ahold of the person who installed the pump in 2002. He was horrified that the other guys had thrown the $3,000 bill in our faces for what would be considered an emergency without so much as a consultation.

It turned out that the control panel to the pump had shorted out. The guy's coming over on Tuesday to replace our reservoir tank, since he thinks it's letting air into the pump and ought to be replaced to prevent anything else from shorting out. All in all, $800. And at least we have our water back.

What is this world coming to, when a plumbing service acts like losing running water isn't an emergency, and repair should be postponed because the plumbers don't want to answer their emergency calls? My parents don't make double from overtime and they work in a hospital!