Weird Problem with Well Pressure Switch

[Jogeephus]

One of the wells quit working today. I checked eveything and finally found the problem. For some reason, sugar ants had piled up in the pressure switch and had disrupted the conection with the points. The piles of corpses had in a sense insulated the electrical flow. Anyone ever see anything like this before? Why would sugar ants be attracted to the points? I'm puzzled.

 

[1982vett]

It's an ant thing. Fireants cause a lot of problems like that around here. Don't know what the are looking for but they will get into the breaker switches too.

 

[larryshoat]

Ya know fellas, I may be up here freezin my butt off in the winter, but you guys have some of the most prolific critters imaginable . Never had ants like that .

Larry

 

[hurleyjd]

Are you sure it is sugar ants and not fire ants. An air conditioner servicemen told me how he keeps ants out of the electric controls. He said he takes a ear tag with fly repellant in it and trims a small piece and places it inside of the controls.

 

[dun]

We have problems with ants all the time in electrical stuff including switches. I don;t know if they're sugar ants I usually have a different word or words before ant.

 

[Jogeephus]

Are you sure it is sugar ants and not fire ants. An air conditioner servicemen told me how he keeps ants out of the electric controls. He said he takes a ear tag with fly repellant in it and trims a small piece and places it inside of the controls.

Not positive they are sugar ants but I am positive they aren't fireants. They are tiny little black ants that don't bite. I kept messing with the points until I re-established the connection and the points fried itself clean. Turned power off then cleaned it with high pressure water then turned it back on again after giving it a good spray of DEET. Dun probably id'ed em correctly - %^#^ ants. :lol2:

 

[grannysoo]

Ants, pincher bugs and scorpions are all things that love to get in the points around here. If my well is not working, that's always the first thing to check.

Also... keep a fingernail file with you. When the points get some burnt spots on them, use the file to resurface. Many times this will save you from buying new points.

 

[Texas Gal]

No such a weird problem at our place. We have fire ants in the relay switch for the well at least once a summer. Also have had them get in the a/c unit and shut it down. Last year a little bitty mouse got in the a/c and shorted out the capacitor; all that was left of him was a little mummy - just skin and bones. In August '05, a baby snake got in the wellhouse and wound itself around the relay about a million times and burned it( and himself) out. That snake was just about the nastiest, smelliest thing I ever had to scrape up.

Ah, life in the country is never dull!

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Not only will the fire ants get into your electrical components they are also attracted to batteries for some reason. Every time I have to change a battery on a fence charger, the battery box is always full of fire ants.

 

[Calman]

I have had to deal with fire ants in ac switch and pump switch also.
Once I hung a couple ear tags on the switches haven't had a problem for a couple years.

Cal

 

[Beefy]

happens all the time. ants. spiderswebs. rainfrogs...

 

[J. T.]

When we were on a well, many is the morning that I'd turn on the shower and get nothing. The switch points would invariably be clogged with fire ants. Sevin dust kept them away until it all dissapated.

 

[Bama]

A new guy from New York City came down here to work for the phone company. A junction box on the road was really torn up. The new guy ask "what happened to the box". The guy from around here replied, "a bush hog". After a couple of confussed seconds the guy from New York ask, " %^&(#@, how big do the S.O.B's get down here" (True Story)

The fire ants get into those boxes as well.

 

[1982vett]

A new guy from New York City came down here to work for the phone company. A junction box on the road was really torn up. The new guy ask "what happened to the box". The guy from around here replied, "a bush hog". After a couple of confussed seconds the guy from New York ask, " %^&(#@, how big do the S.O.B's get down here" (True Story)

The fire ants get into those boxes as well.

:lol: :lol: