I live in Maine and temperature is often around zero. Got up today with no water, pretty sure its frozen somewhere. The hot water worked at first until I assume the hot water tank ran out. Theres a well about 10ft. from the house, I dont know much about it. It is about 4-5 inch pipe coming out of the ground with the cap on it, has rocks built up around it. In the cellar theres a small plastic pipe coming from the wall connected to a small tank/pump thing which has a pressure gauge (says zero), and a release valve. All the piping in the house for water is connected to this thing. There doesnt seem to be any water at all, frozen or otherwise, in any of this plastic piping in the cellar. If its frozen somewhere it has to be outside, but no idea how I would go about finding/fixing that. Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

It might be a frozen pipe:
Since you don't see a pump I'm assuming you have a deep well pump that is located at the bottom of the well. I also assume that your cellar is not below freezing so I'd bet the line is frozen at the well head. Do you see a smaller pipe coming out of the larger well casing? If you can get to it pretty easy it means the cold can as well. Also I've seen where the water line to the house is not buried deep enough at the well head. In either case you need to find the frozen pipe and thaw it out.

Could be another problem:
It sounds like you have a pump down in the well, a pressure tank and there should be a pressure switch near the base of the tank where the plumbing goes in/out. It is possible that the circuit breaker for your well is tripped, or it could be a bad pressure switch or bad well pump. Do you have an voltage tester?

 

Im not sure about the pump, I assumed the pump was the mini tank with the pressure gauge on it in the cellar, but then again doesnt seem like that has a motor or anything. I tried switching some breakers cause they looked fine but didnt change anything, there is one labeled tank pump. The small black plastic pipe comes in probably about 4 feet underground into the cellar, there is also a very small pipe that comes in with that that is cut off, angled upward, and has black tape on the end, has water in it, dunno what that is. I opened the well cap to look in there, just 3 pairs of wires each twisted into a cap, plus a really thick wire that is incased in its own pipe running alongside it, presumably into the house for electricity. Looked a little frosty in the well pipe but otherwise OK, and definitely water down there. There is also this really weird seperate breaker panel in the cellar right above where the pipe comes in, it has those circular fuses, just two, but its always been in the off position, dont know what it is. Tried turning it on but does nothing. The cellar is pretty cold, probably close to freezing. Its all flexible clear plastic piping for the most part but doesnt seem to be any water in any of them.

As for a pressure switch im not sure. Theres the plastic pipe that comes out of the wall, directly to the blue tank. Theres a spicket then a pressure gauge then the hosing to the outside spicket and the rest of the house. Pressure is zero and nothing comes out of the tank spicket. Theres also a small plastic pipe with a spicket on it coming from a slightly different direction directly by the tank (hose is cut off after spicket) no idea what it is but nothing comes out of that either.

It looks like a pretty basic system so just not sure. Hopefully ive explained a bit better as I dont know much about these things lol. Appreciate the help.

 

Well anyways, seems a small electrical heater by the little tank where the well pipe comes into the cellar did the trick.

 

im a florida guy, but during the rare times things do freeze around here.. its usually at the fitting/tubing that runs to the pressure switch (small box usually near the tank with contacts that open and close). it will freeze, therefore the switch doesnt see the drop in pressure and doesnt cut the pump on like it normally would.

if it were the pipe coming from the well to the tank and switch.. be very careful because this pipe freezing will cause the pump to "dead-head".. meaning the pump is running but is blocked so no water is moving.. this can cause big problems.