Posted: 7/9/2009 7:08:52 AM EDT
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OK, so my house is on a well and septic. I just had a pipe burst in my basement making quite a mess. Luckily the water was only able to run for a few hours until I came home and found the mess. My question is this....... Does anyone turn their well off if they go on vacation or leave the house unattended for any period of time ? I am thinking of turning the water "main" off and turning the power to the well off too. I would only do this if I left town for a few days or longer. Would there be any ill effects on my well ? I can't think that there would be any, but I was curious what some of you well owners out there thought. I appreciate any advice.
Thanks, -sno |
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It will not cause any problem to turn off your well.
The only slight issue you could have is you loose pressure in the pipes then turn it back on it may loosen some crud and rust in the pipes so flush things out a little when you get back. Oh and don't just jam your valve open if you have a ball type valve you can cause a "water hammer" effect and bust a fitting or pipe. |
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When we go out of town we turn off the breaker to the well pump and that's it. If a pipe should burst, then the only water will be what's in the pressure tank, about 30 gallons. That's enough to make a big mess I guess! But at least if the house-watcher needs to water the plants or flush a toilet, there's some pressure. When we get back, all I have to do is turn the breaker back on and we are in business without having to bleed the air from the system.
Have a good trip, efxguy |
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When you turn on your well, take off all your aerators to prevent any muck from being thrown from the walls of your pipe. When I put in a new tank I put a water sensor on the floor near there with a relay to cut off the power to the well.
Simple, two wires (12v) on the floor, connected to a relay with the cutoff to the well pump if the circuit is completed. |
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With a deep well it wouldn't matter as the pump is in the bottom.
In your have a shallow well with sand point/ foot valve and a jet pump in your basement it shouldn't matter either as the sand point/ foot valve has a back flow thing to prevent the loose of prime. Either instance power or no power will make no difference. Water pressure doesn't affect the prime. |
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People with vacation homes ask this same question all the time. They normally shut off the well and flush the pipes. Outside of that, there are several things you can do. Keep in mind people with city water have the same problem. If something brakes the water keeps flowing until someone shuts it off. Also keep in mind most national code recommendations require some kind of floor drain drain or sump near the water main to the house.
First get a water alarm. They are normally found near the sump pump section of your hardware store. They are battery operated and have a sensor that is mounted at low point. The alarm goes off like a smoke alarm when water is detected. They are useful in all kinds of applications. The next question is how to safeguard your home while away. There are a number of systems at various price points you can use. A few shut off the water when flooding is detected. They are $$$. Others are monitoring systems. Some work online on the net, others use the telephone land line. Land lines are probably the cheapest. Call you home number, enter in a code, and the phone goes to speaker. If you hear a water, smoke, or other alarm, call a friendly neighbor with keys to the house to deal with the problem. You have a friends and a safe right right? Ask your plumber or well guy. Google is your friend. Honestly if you have broken pipes in the summer, you have bigger problems than your well. |
Thanks for the info Ewald, you seem to know quite a bit about this. Yes, city water folks have the same issue, but turning off the main fixes that. My question was more in relation to damaging my well somehow. That doesn't seem to be the case so I can just turn the breaker off and I am set. I should clarify that the "pipe" that broke last week was the feed line for the toilet tank in a downstairs bathroom. Not an actual copper line in the house. As for your question about friends and safes, I have you guys for friends and why would I need a safe ? 
Thanks Again, -sno |