Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
No Flood This Year (I hope)
This will be a short one, since the hot water heater man is coming in a few minutes. Yes, I’m getting a new hot water heater. It’s not the most satisfying purchase in the world, but like tires, totally necessary. I wasn’t so sure about this until the time I waited too long to replace my hot water tank (which was at least 100 years old, I think) and it simply gave up the ghost, gasped its last and spilled 25 gallons of water into my laundry room. Can you say Sad Panda? Oh, I was. And not only that, this was the day before one of our few social outings-the Lion’s Club Crab Feed. When our kids were small, we never got to go out, so this was big. Very big. I had a new dress (one of the few) and didn’t want to show up smelling gamey.
I went to the plumbing place and was uber charming and I got the heater that we couldn’t afford installed that day. I was so glad I’d bought my dress first, or I wouldn’t have had a new dress.
This time I recognized the warning signs of hot water heater failure:
1) Is the tank at least 100 years old? Check.
2) Is it dripping increasingly large amounts of water out of the spigot at the bottom? Check.
3) Do I have a major social function or vacation coming up, which would not be enhanced by a flood in the house? Check.
Since I answered Yes to all of the above, it is indeed time to replace the appliance. It’s the first one I’ve ever replaced prior to an explosion or engine freeze. I’m so proud. I also sprung for the 50 gallon model…and then it occurred to me that water weighs 8 lbs. per gallon, so this will be 400 pounds when full. And it is upstairs….
I wonder if perchance I have a new adventure in the near future? Thank goodness my daughter is a structural engineer, eh?
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Nice to beat the game :)
Hopefully you have headed disaster off at the pass... did you check out the new tankless ones? We looked at them, but it seems like you need two for them to really be useful? I don't know that the technology is as developed as it could be yet... still, an interesting option.
Sam
Since I don't have the power
Since I don't have the power on full time, I have to have a propane water heater, which pretty much takes away a lot of options.
When we got our new pressure tanks (after the old ones got rusty and awful and not a moment before), we had to get four in order to hold enough water to last us when the pump isn't pumping (again that no power thing). Interestingly, a 100 gallon pressure tank only holds 25 gallons of water. The rest is...pressure.
I have all kinds...
of broken appliances. A dishwasher and washing machine, both of which have water in them. This was after the great toilet flood. Sigh. Money needs to fall from the sky some years. Hoping that green mannah pays off your water heater.
Dee
(who also had one replaced this year, thankfully, it's one of those smaller, under the cabinet kind, forgot about that.)(but it still sucked.)
How do appliances know when
How do appliances know when you've managed to save a little extra money? Or are about to go on vacation? It's a mystery to me, but always seems to happen.
just like cars do!
Its the same as when your carsknow that your putting momney back to go on a big family vacation in about three weeks and the transmission goes out of your van. So part of the vacay money goes toward rebuilding the tranny. Then you vow to go to the beach no matter what, bills will back up. oh well it wont be the first time huh.
It wouldnt be so bad but this is the first time that my whole family has been on vacay since we were maybe thirteen or fourteen. (Been at least a year or two) and mom would have a cow since she'd already booked a house on the beach for all 15 of us! woohoo, look out beach here we come!
I wish all you working appliances and running autos!
jody
Ah, the wisdom of appliances!
I had an extremely old, but working dishwasher when my aunt offered me her newer (just 3 yrs old!) dishwasher.
I very unwisely tempted fate, and said, "Sure!"
Installed the new one. Discarded the old one.
Two weeks later, the new one broke. Couldn't be fixed. Had to buy newer new one.
That's karma, baby.
Good lesson, Diana. I think
Good lesson, Diana. I think the old standbys are the best. My dryer is over 20 years old. I've replaced the belt twice I think and it still drys clothes. A new dryer would be cool, but I'm going to hang with this one until I see flames.
Yep.
Catastrophes lie in wait until the moment when it would be most inopportune for them to rear their ugly heads. Right before National the dh's car decided to take a dumper. That was a hot $250 lopped off the top of my National cash. Then when I returned, the washer had belched and dribbled a ton of water, flooding the kids' room. Monday, they're tearing up the floor and it's uninhabitable at the moment, which means the boys get to sleep in the living room and the baby...gets to sleep with me. WAAHHHH! Oh, and it ain't cheap that bill. And birthdays are coming. All three kids. Baby girl wants pink for her 4th birthday. Pink what you ask. Pink everything. It's going to be a Pepto Bismol birthday. Quite possibly literally after spending a day wrangling eight 4-year-olds. My oldest is turning 16 so the dh is going to take him and a friend to Great America for the day and my younger son who will be 14 wants to take a friend and go shoot things. Extra cash? Uh...what's that?
And I need a new washing machine but that's gonna have to wait. And wait.
Glad you got your new water heater, hope it doesn't cave in your top floor! :-)
Hey Kim! Hugs and good
Hey Kim! Hugs and good wishes. I don't know why these things happen when they do. This is the first time I've replaced an appliance without a major castastrophe. I wish it had been a more fun appliance, like say a cool new fridge, but no. Water heater. But I'll be the first to say I'd hate to live without one.
Good luch with the pink party, lol.