Just a Trickle of Water

Uh Oh! I turned on the outside water spigot and a measly splash of water came out.

The outside spigot is connect directly to the water service pipe before the pump so it gets the limited pressure from the main water only. I did this to save on running the pump for irrigation. In retrospect, not the best idea.

But, I can see how much water I am getting from the water main this way.

And it was barely a trickle.

Damn!

These small neighborhood water systems are notorious for running out of water.

What, you say? In a country that measures rainfall in feet.

There is plenty of water but the water systems are very bad.

I had a look in my 660 gallon tank and, although it was almost full, there was only a trickle filling it.

I went up to the main above my house and tried the relief valve and there was plenty of water there. So the problem was in my service line. It seemed to be plugged.

I was getting ready to cut the line and find the blockage but I talked to my friend first. He convinced me to get a plumber to look at it rather than me trying to fix it.

He does know my limited mechanical skills!

I am SO HAPPY he talked me into it.

The technician from Grupo Agua de Chiriqui came out this morning. I showed him the spigot and the tank.

Then he did something that I thought was stupid. He dropped the sediment filter just before the tank and out came gravel and sand galore. And water...gushing!

This indicated that the service line was working and not plugged.

We went to the spigot, unscrewed it, and sediment and gravel spilled out followed by water.

It never occurred to me that the obstructions were at the termination of the pipes, a logical place for the sediment to collect.

I would have started cutting into the pipe in various places trying to find the problem. This would require many repairs to the line, a pain in the ass and always a source for future leaks.

Whey!!! Dodged a bullet on this one.

Oh, the cost...$16.05.

Now, all the way around, that is a bargain.