It all started Wednesday morning when I was awakened at 5 am to the clanging of metal on metal...it sounded like it was coming from the roof....I had no idea what could be making such a clamor and it was too early for a visit from Santa! So I put on my shoes and a raincoat and stepped outside to see what was the matter..to no avail...back inside I finally realized the noise was from the basement...and, it was the pipes that were violently shaking my entire house and making me seasick in my landlocked bed! A water main had broken right in front of my house and was causing changes in water pressure (I'm surprised I didn't notice the river in the street but in my defense it was way too early to be coherent!) Sooo... I just turned off my water and headed to work. And, thankfully when I came home and turned my water back on everything was just like normal....or so I thought!
When I got home after prayer meeting I ran to the basement and promptly stepped in a puddle...wet socks...ick! My water heater was leaking! So, I lived the rest of the week with minimal water...enough to brush the teeth and wash the face...oh yea, and a few toilet flushes...and I was just thankful that all 40 gallons of water was not gushing out into my basement!
I spent today "helping" my dad put in a new water heater! I don't think I was really much help! When we tried to drain the old tank, the spigot broke off and 40 gallons of water came rushing out! Dad and I were frantically running around trying to direct the water to the drain...ultimately we used trashcans...dad filling one up while I dumped the other down the drain and quickly returned to switch it out! It was a huge mess but really quite funny as we hollered throughout the house trying to keep a mess becoming disastrous! Even with all the water out of the tank, I definitely wasn't strong enough to help him carry the old one out or the new one in! We must have been quite a site trying to get that box into the house and down the stairs without lifting it and without scratching the wood floors! I'm thankful and proud to announce that after 6 hours, 4 trips to the hardware store, and many laughs I now have hot water stored in a leak-less tank, ready to be used at the switch of the faucet!!
I'm constantly learning that home ownership is full of adventure, and generally when you least expect it. There are times that I really love it and there are times it's a little more challenging. But with each project I am learning something new and expanding my knowledge of how to care for my home. (I can now check off "Water Heater Installation 101"!!)
4 comments:
Wow! That is no fun! We had an outside pipe burst our first winter in our house, and man, those things can be so disastrous! Glad everything worked out!
We just had water heater 101 this summer!
Homeownership is never dull or boring that is for sure.
I've never had a water heater go out. But I do remember a time when the washer core broke and coming home I found all the water needed for an entire cycle spread through at least 4 rooms.
Plumbing and water problems are never a fun thing to deal with but I was so thankful that I did not come home to 40 gallons of water in my basement! There is always something to be thankful for, right!?
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