Well, son of a bitch, my well pump died a sudden and horrible death last night. To be fair, it was 19 years old. I called a guy I know to see if he could come out on a Sunday, and he had a crew just finishing one job and said he would come right away. I have two wells, each with a 5 hp Grundfos pump. The newer one is only a few years old and runs all my irrigation and a couple outbuildings. The one that does the house (and the general yard near the house and the remaining outbuildings) was 19 years old. 150 feet deep. Dude had the old pump out and the new pump, control panel, and pressure tank in in under 2 hours. No charge for coming on Sunday, contractor price, no labor. We do work for each other when we can. I had that sucker installed for under $3,500. It's good to know people. I hate hate hate hiring anyone to do anything on my property, but with shit like this the manufacturer will not warranty the pump, tank, or control board if a licensed person doesn't install it. Plus they have the equipment. I don't know if any of you have ever tried pulling a submersible pump that's 150 feet deep, but holy shit, you'll destroy your back. And then reinstalling it without their special clamp that holds it in place while you screw the snappy joint back on, I'm not sure it's possible without about 4 guys.
So, only about 12 hours without water in the house, but there's a full bath in my wood shop, and another toilet out closer to the garden, so no big hardship.
However, he told me this job for the average Joe would have been about $7,500. I wonder, do most people have access to that kind of capital right on the spot on a Sunday afternoon?