The Saga of the Hot Water (Part 2)
Time’s Up
So now we have no hot water at all. The tank refuses to be lit at all. We take turns going to family and friends homes to take showers. This is harder than it would be for most people because Bryan needs to clean up after he gets off work at midnight. It’s crazy to get in a bed with those industrial chemicals on you!
The repairman calls soon and seems to think that a thermocoupler (he knew what it was!) is not a big deal at all and that the other company must just be fishing for a more expensive job. But we’ve used them in the past and had good experiences, never got that vibe from them. Not that things couldn’t change, just saying.
Well, he comes part in hand. Of course now it’s the weekend–and a holiday on top of that. Yikes! But less than an hour, it’s in and lights right up! Yay!
But Wait, There’s More
Now, did I call this a saga for nothing?
A couple hours later, no pilot, no hot water. Sigh. Call him back. He comes back. Well, apparently it needs a thermostat too. Can’t buy it until after the weekend but it will be done as soon as he can get the part. More days of traveling showers.
He arrives with the new part and . . . it doesn’t fit, won’t fit. Look at model number–they match. Look at part number–they match. But they clearly do not match! The tubing is nearly an inch too short to connect with the line.
Day of calling/visiting every parts supplier he can find in two counties. No one has the one that really fits. So he finds it online. For $467.83. !!! Okay, let’s try something else, how about getting a fitting to connect the tube to the line. Cuz the thermostat we have is only $54. There’s a million fittings at hardware stores right?
Day of calling/visiting every hardware and hardware-like place he can find in two counties. No luck. Problem is it has to be brass to conduct properly so the heat sensor reads it properly. And now he is backed up again since no one thought this job would possibly take so long as to run into his next scheduled jobs. He says it could be that the guy from the other company knew more than he was given credit for? If so, maybe if he explained it better . . .
Cold water.
By now Bryan and I have decided we just have to bite the bullet and get a new hot water heater. So first thing in the morning, we buy a tank. We’d searched and found one for just under $400.00. Yikes and yelp! The repairman says the job he’s on that day is in an area with poor cell reception, but he will be here as soon as he is finished. Encouraged that someone is coming to bail him out if he gets in over his head, Bryan began to take out the old water heater.
Jumping in with Both Feet
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| Yes, it also was raining! |
Little by little he progresses through the project with not one setback that usually happens in a project like this (such as the pipe is so rusted that it breaks when you try to unscrew it, or you don’t have the right sized wrench to tighten the new fitting). Three or four times he had to run to the hardware store for lines or pipes or fittings. Hours are going by and no word from the repairman. Bryan keeps making progress.
Finally, nearly twelve hours after we brought it home from the store, the brand new hot water heater is ready to light. And . . .
SUCCESS!
Didn’t hear from the repairman until the next day and he was still expecting to have to completely install the tank for us and was thrilled that Bryan was able to do it himself. It saved him time that he could catch up on his other clients and it saved us quite a bit on the installation fee.
Thousands of thanks to those of you who shared your hospitality with us but it’s soo good to have our own hot water again!
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