Thursday, December 9, 2010

hot water ...

On Saturday, J realized that our hot water heater was leaking. Nothing major, but enough to warrant a call to our home warranty provider. We were told that someone would contact us to set up a service call "as soon as possible." Needless to say, "as soon as possible" does not mean quickly. So, we called again (on Monday) and got set up with a technician on Tuesday. In the meantime, we changed out the towel that was absorbing the leak every few hours and continued to go about our daily business.

When our service call actually happened on Tuesday morning, the plumber told us the water heater needed to be replaced and that it would be a one to two day turn around. We were cool with that. Everything was working fine and we didn't really mind swapping out a towel here and there. Plus, our home warranty was going to cover the cost.

But, then on Tuesday night (after my second run of the day), I took a shower. And when I came downstairs to swap out the towel, we had an issue. LIKE A BIG ISSUE. Like Old Faithful had erupted in our utility room. Water was everywhere and the shut-off valve wouldn't budge (we later learned the valve was shot).

I called J in a panic. There was no containing the water and I couldn't find the shut-off for the water line to the house. I tried to catch the water in a bucket, but that was pointless. When J got home 20 minutes later, he was able to cut the water to the house (well, partially), which slowed the flow of water. At that point, there wasn't much else for us to do. We had to sit and wait for a professional to come and remedy the situation.

An hour and a half later, the "on-call" plumber showed up to drain the tank and restore water to the rest of the house. It sounded great to me. Sure, we wouldn't have hot water until the unit was replaced, but that would hopefully be within a day. Easy peasy.

Except it wasn't. Because not only did our hot water heater provide hot water to our home, it also served an integral part in our home heating system. Meaning that if we don't have a functioning hot water heater, WE DON'T HAVE HEAT. And it's freaking 20 degrees outside. Needless to say, we are cold. And I'm not good with cold.

And to top it off, it is over 24 hours later and we still don't have any clue as to when we will be getting our new water heater. Apparently, it is "special" and is more difficult to obtain than your standard water heater. Right.

So, until it arrives and is installed we will be doing (or not doing) the following ...

1. We will be sleeping with WAY more blankets than anyone ever should. I'm pretty sure that Dilly is going to get lost in the three queen sized blankets on her bed.

2. We will be wearing multiple layers and hats indoors. Not ideal, but at least I don't have to brush anyone's hair.

3. We will be snuggling. A lot. Which doesn't really suck at all.

4. We will not be doing laundry. Kind of sucky, considering I only own 35 pieces of clothing and I am wearing most of them right now.

5. We will not be using the dishwasher. And all of our dishes will be cleaned in ICE COLD water. (That will be J's job.)

6. We will not be bathing. I'm not into the whole cold shower in the winter thing. And although I know I could fill the bathtub part of the way with cold water and add boiled water to the tub, that is just too much work.

7. We will count our blessing that this didn't happen a week from now, right before or right after we go to Disney.

25 comments:

Char said...

So NOT fun. I hope you get back to hot showers really soon. I was without a washing machine for 2 weeks earlier this year and it wasn't fun but being without heat and hot water in the middle of Winter ... I just can't imagine.

Silly Girl Running said...

That sucks! Big time! Fingers crossed for the new heater being installed within the shortest possible time!

MCM Mama said...

Oh, man, that just sucks. And it's cold right now! Wish I were closer and you could come hang out here. Not that I could help you out with the laundry since I'm still doing mine next door at the neighbor's house.

Hope you have heat again soon!

Carly said...

That sucks! I hope that it gets fixed stat. I think the shower thing would bother me the most...

bobbi said...

Oh no! That is horrible! I hope that you get it all resolved QUICKLY. Brrr!

Running Ricig said...

That is the worst! Fingers crossed it gets figured out soon!

Jen said...

Craziness. Last week had a leak in our PRV (wth? Yeah, it was the pressure regulatory valve), like filling a gallon milk jug a minute... took 3 days to get it fix and ruined our floor on the way.

I did not think it could get worse... but then again, we had hot water. Sorry!

Rae said...

Oh no! I hope they get that new water heater in their ASAP!

Unknown said...

This stinks! #4 is so ironic...and of course J will do the dishes.
I learned last winter how to shut the water off to our house from the street. Scott's self-make outdoor sprinkler system exploded in the freezing weather sending a gusher filling our side yard with water. It stinks when these things happen and you are the only adult home.

Laura said...

Ah man...that bites. Having something like this happen is a fear of mine...

Shannon said...

I'm glad they were able to contain the water - I've had friends and family who have had their tank bust and ruin most things in their house! That's one of my fears!

I hope they get it fixed soon and ya'll try to stay warm!!!! Back in the day, my mom cooked/ran the oven a lot to keep our house a little warmer.

A Prelude To... said...

Totally feel for you! We had an ice storm a couple years ago where we lost electricity for quite some time. So, no heat,no tv, no nuthin'. The hill was too icy to even leave the house and then...a pipe burst. No water...not even to flush the toilets. It was pretty entertaining.

Snuggling and board games while it was light out :-)
Just plain snuggling when it got dark.

Lisa said...

Suckage! Hope the "special" heater can be replaced immediately so you all can go back to dressing in normal amounts of clothing.

Terri said...

Ugh - how awful! Hoping you get a new water heater TODAY!

Runners Fuel said...

That is horrible! I hope it gets fixed SOON!! Think warm thoughts!

Kurt @ Becoming An Ironman said...

My family had a similar thing happen the MORNING OF our summer vacation - a two week road trip across country. We woke up and the hot water tank had burst; a good two inches of water covering the entire basement.

Thankfully it wasn't winter and we spent the next two weeks in hotels. We just shut off the water, sucked up all the water and hoped everything would dry while we were gone.

Best of luck to ya'!!

Pam @ herbieontherun.com said...

Duuuuude, that SUCKS. I have never heard of an integrated water/home heating system. I now know I do not want one.

DaphneB said...

Oh, that's terrible news!! We lost power at our home for over 24 hours when a storm passed through. We live in California and even so, our house was cooooolllld...we all slept together in our bed with a ton of clothes and blankets on. (I woke up at 4 am sweating bullets because the power turned on lol) I hope this gets resolved quickly so you can wash your laundry and get a nice hot shower! =o)

Stacie said...

That sucks. The week of Thanksgiving we had a storm come through and we were out of power when in was 10 degrees outside. Luckily, we got power back before we and the pipes froze.

I hope it gets replaced very soon. Thank goodness it didn't happen while you were gone.

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

I am with you on the so glad it didn't happen right before or after Disney.

Ours sprung a leak while we were in VA. Luckily it only leaked and didn't rupture completely. I ws able to mop up the water and I know how to drain the tank myself. We didn't go long without hot water and thank heavens we don't heat with hot water. I hope that you have the new one installed soon. Maybe heating blankets are in your immediate future?!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I can so empathize. THe day our hot water heater broke was one of the worst days ever. Ours is in the attic, so the ceiling actually collapsed... and the water got turned off about an hour after one of my kids got sick all over everything... thrilling day.

I hate the cold... so sorry you are freezing. I would be staying in a hotel probably! Hope it gets taken care of soon!

Non Sequitur Chica said...

Oh no that sucks! I am already cold in our house (my husband keeps the temp at 62) so I would be FREEZING if our boiler broke. I hope it gets fixed soon!

Bethany + Ryan said...

oh no!! So not fun but you have a great attitude about it and you are getting it done/making it work. good luck! :-/

ajh said...

That.Sounds.Like.No.Fun.At.All!

Marlene said...

Oh yikes! Hope they get the new one in for you soon - with no further issues!!!!