Do we need a plumber, an electrician, or an exorcist?

3 years ago

Lightning struck last night, really loud and really close. The power went out and our Generac kicked on. We went to bed and didn’t run any water until the power came back on three hours later.

Then my husband got up to find we had no water. Or so we thought. He went to our utility closet and manually reset the water softener — since it was installed after the Generac, he thought maybe it hadn’t come back on. We tried the water upstairs and it sputtered and started. Problem would be solved, we thought, once the air was bled from the lines. Went back to bed.

Well. Nope. This morning it keeps sputtering — both hot and cold — on all floors and at all fixtures. Took 20 minutes to halfway fill a bathtub this AM. Hubby ran the utility sink faucet by the utility closet that houses the downstairs water heater, softener, and what I think is a pressure tank. Then he noticed the gauge on the pressure tank was swinging back and forth as the water flow sputtered and slowed.

Last time lightning took out our in-ground well pump we had zero water. So does this sound like a problem for a plumber? An electrician? Or should we call back the people who installed our well pump last time? Pretty sure it’s not a problem for our water softener installer. If anyone can point me in the right direction, we would appreciate it.

Featured Answer

Jake The Wonderdog

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Electrician, plumber or exorcist:

So, to rule out the exorcist I generally ask - to nobody in particular - "What do you want from us?" If an answer comes back, "Get out - Get out of this house!" or if the woodwork bleeds or anything floats in the air, I generally go for the exorcist.

You need to call a pump person. I think your pump control panel is fried. Pumps can often bear the brunt of induced voltage spikes from lighting because - wait for it - they are submerged in water and provide an excellent path to ground.

Check the grounding electrodes for your electrical panel and make sure those are up to snuff. Install a whole house surge protector while you are at it.

If you know a priest who will bless a 5 gal bucket of water - just for emergency DIY exorcisms - it wouldn't be a bad investment also.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

dadoes
3 years ago
Water softeners are pass-through devices, no pump involved. Sounds like a problem with the well pump so call those people first. They'll refer you to an electrician if it's an electrical problem that they can't handle.
MizLizzie thanked dadoes
Related Professionals
Saint Helens Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Midvale Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Lindenhurst Cabinets & Cabinetry · Deer Park General Contractors · Erlanger General Contractors · Marietta General Contractors · Melville General Contractors · Mount Vernon General Contractors · Parma General Contractors · Chantilly Handyman · Elizabeth Solar Energy Systems · Moreno Valley Solar Energy Systems · Pacific Grove Solar Energy Systems · Castle Rock Home Automation & Home Media · Phoenix Home Automation & Home Media
MizLizzie
Original Author
3 years ago
🤣 Thanks, I needed that.

I have a message in to the well folks. Things have improved a bit, but water pressure on the third floor master bath comes and goes. Literally the flow of both hot and cold will slow then stop. In about 2-4 minutes it will start back up again.
privateprivateprivate
3 years ago
Ha, same thing happened to us a few years back. Plumber said ‘give it time’ and we did. Over the course of a couple of weeks, our well pump assembly healed itself.
MizLizzie
Original Author
3 years ago
Wow. That’s freaky. Thanks.
MizLizzie
Original Author
3 years ago
Ding! Ding! Ding! And we have a winner. Jake the Wonderdog. $275 later, we have a new control panel. Fingers crossed!
Jake The Wonderdog
3 years ago
Great! Now talk to an electrician about reviewing your grounding electrodes on your breaker panel and a whole house surge protector.

You really want to get induced voltage spikes to go to ground some other way than through your pump.
ShadyWillowFarm
3 years ago
Glad your problem is resolved, and that was the best topic title I’ve seen in quite a while!😂
MizLizzie
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Thanks, Jake. I did ask the well dude if he could recommend anyone to do that. And he basically said, ”good luck, lady.” You cannot find an electrician in this town, we have learned since moving here. Not even a jackleg electrician. But I am gonna call in some favors. So maybe … Thanks again. DH enjoyed his post-workout shower this afternoon.