All’s well that ends well!

Paul Whitelock’s domestic water is supplied from a well. For a good while now his well has not been well. For no discernible reason the electricity for the well pump would cut out, but only sporadically. Here is his story.

Two electricians from VoltaSur failed to solve the problem in two visits. I turned to a young electrician from Ronda, Juan Antonio, who also failed to deal with the issue after several calls to the house. These visits all cost me money for desplazamiento and mano de obra.

Over the previous 12-month period I had a new pump for the depósito fitted, a new prostat valve, a new globo and a new diferencial in the fusebox. I renewed the sondas which control the well pump myself. There was nothing left to replace. It was an expensive year!

I had a descalcificador fitted, but the problem had still not been rectified.

Then finally, last week my depósito was completely empty. The tank had not refilled from our well. Fortunately we have access to a communal well up the road, so I refilled my depósito from there. At least I could wash up, flush the toilet and have a bath again.

The plumbers from Ronda, Raúl and Borja, who had fitted the descalcificador, had already diagnosed the problem as being la bomba del pozo, and were due to come at the weekend to fix a new well pump. I got a second opinion from another plumber, Rafael, from Arriate, who was recommended by a friend. He came, diagnosed the problem as being the same, but he wouldn’t be able to do anything until the following week. So I stuck with Raúl and Borja. Rafael, who spent an hour with me, didn’t charge me a penny.

Raúl and Borja came yesterday, hauled out the old pump – it was 80 metres deep and very heavy – and fitted the new one. The old pump was seriously eroded and oxidised, but at least my well is well again. It was an expensive job, but the new pump should outlast me, unless I live to be over 100!

As William Shakespeare wrote in 1623 in his famous play about water sources: All’s well that ends well!