No, this is not a song.

But it can help to sing when your pump runs dry; who knows, it may bring peace to your otherwise un-abluted flesh and grumpy heart, and distract you from the debris of a shower that won’t work in the morning.

Pumps are pretty simple creatures but can put a Buddhist monk back years on the path to simplicity and inner peace.

For now, let’s list how to fix one type of pump, the self-priming pump:

- to prime the pump’s belly undo the largish screw at the top of the pump

- if it’s dry inside the causes include:  tank is dry, footvalve is stuck, or there’s a leak in the pipe from the tank to the pump

- don’t leave town; instead, pour some water (getting it can be a challenge if the tank’s your only source even it’s raining on your humourless back at the time) into the pump’s belly and fill it to prime it; then screw the top back on and turn on your pump; if there’s a change in the note of the pump from tinny to satisfied whooshing inside you can pat yourself on the back and have that shower because the pump is now drawing water from your tank again

- but . . .

- if next day the pump is again not able to pump and upon opening up the belly it’s dry again then things have gone from bad to worse; your footvalve is either stuck or broken – it’s allowing the water to slowly drain out of the delivery pipe and, even tho’ your pump is self-priming, if there’s no water in the pipe the task of sucking up the water is too great for it

- and now . . .

- you have to get in the tank and fix the footvalve unless you have (or the plumber has of her own initiative) made a modular fitting so you can just easily lift out the footvalve and pipe; if the tank is full this task can be dangerous and you’ll need someone around to support you

None of this is needed if the water from your tank flows freely to the pump.

I wish.

Sadder but not yet wetter man here, or to put it another way, “You don’t miss your water ’til your well runs dry”.

M

(So I’m off to a Bronte sunrise tomorrow to swim in the sunrise and get wet one way or the other; thank you, pump.)