The Wescott household now has a new water heater and a clean and newly lined chimney. The old heater's tank wasn't really leaking - for some reason all the water that was flowing in was just flowing right back out instead of heading itself into the tank or maybe the gauge that tells the tank it's full wasn't working and it was overflowing. So, the tank was full to the brim and, once disconnected, 40 gallons of water came gushing out of the darn thing! The repair guy was pretty fast, but not fast enough to avoid at least partially swamping the floor again. Thankfully, he cleaned up this time! Now, about the chimney: after the new heater was installed, the repair guy called us down to show us how to light the pilot and told us in about 30 minutes we'd have lots of hot water. Ten minutes later he called us back down to show us that there was a problem: the fumes weren't venting up the flue! Oy vey! This was actually a problem we had with the furnace two years ago so we had the chimney cleaned out, a new furnace installed, and the new vent changed into a sidewall vent. So, I called ten chimney people and finally found one who could come out tomorrow. Well, the furnace/water heater guy said tomorrow wasn't soon enough and we made one more call and got a really great group of guys to come out within the hour. They very quickly hauled out the old liner - and the squirrel nests (have I mentioned that I don't like squirrels - dropped in a new liner, replastered the chimney above the water heater flue, and installed a new chimney cap (which they advised hadn't been properly installed previously!) Michele did make it home for all this excitement so it's been great having help with the clean up. Thankfully, the clothes seem to be washing up very nicely, so really we only lost a few small appliances and a bit of my sanity. But I am proud of myself that I took care of it on my own yesterday. Challenges help us know what we can handle, though I'd be content with a an absense of calamity for the rest of the winter. Seems easier to handle emergencies in the spring, don't you think?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sanity, and Water, Is Restored to the Wescott Household
The Wescott household now has a new water heater and a clean and newly lined chimney. The old heater's tank wasn't really leaking - for some reason all the water that was flowing in was just flowing right back out instead of heading itself into the tank or maybe the gauge that tells the tank it's full wasn't working and it was overflowing. So, the tank was full to the brim and, once disconnected, 40 gallons of water came gushing out of the darn thing! The repair guy was pretty fast, but not fast enough to avoid at least partially swamping the floor again. Thankfully, he cleaned up this time! Now, about the chimney: after the new heater was installed, the repair guy called us down to show us how to light the pilot and told us in about 30 minutes we'd have lots of hot water. Ten minutes later he called us back down to show us that there was a problem: the fumes weren't venting up the flue! Oy vey! This was actually a problem we had with the furnace two years ago so we had the chimney cleaned out, a new furnace installed, and the new vent changed into a sidewall vent. So, I called ten chimney people and finally found one who could come out tomorrow. Well, the furnace/water heater guy said tomorrow wasn't soon enough and we made one more call and got a really great group of guys to come out within the hour. They very quickly hauled out the old liner - and the squirrel nests (have I mentioned that I don't like squirrels - dropped in a new liner, replastered the chimney above the water heater flue, and installed a new chimney cap (which they advised hadn't been properly installed previously!) Michele did make it home for all this excitement so it's been great having help with the clean up. Thankfully, the clothes seem to be washing up very nicely, so really we only lost a few small appliances and a bit of my sanity. But I am proud of myself that I took care of it on my own yesterday. Challenges help us know what we can handle, though I'd be content with a an absense of calamity for the rest of the winter. Seems easier to handle emergencies in the spring, don't you think?
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w.o.w. Welcome home to Michelle LOL. "Hi Honey, look at the MESS we have to deal with!". You're overdue for a calm stretch :)
ReplyDeletedid you get a high-efficiency water heater? it's a nice tax credit :)
ReplyDeleteglad everything worked out :)
I'm sorry I missed all the excitement, but I'm sure to get a blow-by-blow tomorrow morning. However, I am extremely proud that you handled it all quite well. For the record, she didn't even call Dad for any advice. My baby is grown, I tell you!!
ReplyDelete