When we moved to the majestic woods north of Houston after having lived in the city all my life, it never occurred to me that there were basic tricks to surviving in the country. One would think that since I had read all the “Little house on the Prairie books, that I would have seen there were some basic comforts we might be without in certain circumstances. Nope. Never gave it a thought. For several years we did not have any remote problems. Not once did it occur to me that many of the conveniences I held so dear, hinged upon the adequate and constant supply of electricity.
In many country homes, things such as plumbing, heating, cooling and water are often on the electrical system. These things can suddenly run a muck. Power surges and brown outs can alter your life in a nanosecond.
One winter we had several consecutive cold days. That is not a normal thing in most South East Texas winters. Since freezes were predicted, we were doing the only thing I knew to do. We had turned on the water in all the outside pipes just a trickle. This was known as “dripping the pipes.” The idea that the electricity might go out never dawned upon me. I learned the hard way that dripping of the pipes threatened the most important water pipes we had. Those were the pipes in our well.
Imagine the fun of a holiday with three active young children and several of their friends without having access to water. Functioning toilets take on a whole new meaning when you have to do without them.
The well repair man came out, fitting us into his already jammed schedule. After his visit, the water functioned for about ten minutes. There was then another brown out and the water shut down again. The well man had not even gotten back to his phone when we had to call again. This was in the era before cell phones.
Packing up and moving crossed my mind. Then the reality that there were things that could not be packed before they were washed set in. Moving was not an option at this point. Learning more about the function of the well seemed to be the thing to do.
Defrosting the well was a process of taking the well apart enough to observe the gauges. The gauges reflect the health or in this case the well pressure. It is also contingent upon having the co-operation of all the children in residence. Perhaps the flashlight holder could be eliminated since this operation was being done in daylight hours. One other person is essential to turn the electricity on at the right time, and one more person needs to run around to bleed the faucets all over the house when the water comes back on.
After dissecting the well cover, it is necessary to locate the freeze point, or at least the one you most suspect. Then you need to pour boiling water over the entire apparatus, Water, which unless you have some drawn before the breakdown, will be difficult to get. All this must be done without pouring any water on the wires or anything that might melt. Please recall that this is electricity. If one does not take care of things just right, the whole escapade could turn into a shocking experience.
An invaluable tool in novice well work is a little propane thing that you can light. It was in essence a small welding torch. It had been inherited from a jeweler in the family. The torch had always been in an out of reach location as it was considered a dangerous device. Its whole value became enhanced when with its help the gismo on the gauge went “pop” “hiss” and we heard an excited exclamation from inside the house saying. “Hey! Its on!”
When the pipes had quit dripping again, finding the previously mentioned jewelers torch, I set out to attempt a well repair. My efforts were quickly rewarded with a small fire in the pipe wrappings. No problem! No need to panic! One just sends a child to get some water. Water?! We did not have any. Otherwise, why would anyone be outside in this weather playing with the well?
Fancy footwork and a lot of luck saved the well with its paper wrapped pipes. The next morning as soon as it was light, the pipes were re-wrapped in insulation. Two or three layers of insulation were applied and then covered with aluminum tape. The once dreaded torch became a dependable friend.
As soon as spring arrived, a well insulated well house was constructed to make future well thawing a bit less frequent and less frigid. That was a promise I had made to my toes.
This was one of many adventures that proved without a doubt that living the country life was a wonderful exercise in creativity. The lessons learned created memories for a lifetime.
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