Outages
An overview of what commonly breaks or stops working in water systems when power fails, temperatures drop, or dry spells set in.
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What to Check First When Water Stops
The pump had been running fine at six that morning, and by seven the kitchen tap spat air and went quiet. That is how it usually starts at my place — not with a flood or a noise, but with a handle turned and nothing behind it. I stood there a moment, then did what…
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Failures During Outages, Freezes, and Droughts
I’ll admit something first, because it cost me a winter. Years ago, when the first hard freeze came early, I left a garden hose screwed onto the frost-free bib by the barn and forgot it. The valve body split inside the wall, quiet as you like, and I didn’t find it until the thaw, when…