Well, the plumber actually called. And actually showed up. (He had been working on a job almost an hour away - one of the curses of living in a low-population-density area is that the good workmen get stretched thin).
And I do think this guy is a good workman. He listened to my concerns about whether the new heater would fit or not, and he said, "Oh, I can work around that." And he told me there were only a couple things that needed to be done to bring the situation up to code - putting in an overflow pan and an emergency cut-off valve (both things I needed anyway). I told him, "Yes, I know, it will cost more to bring it up to code" and he kind of laughed, I suppose Lowe's has been beating that into people's heads.
He agreed that calcium deposits probably were what killed the old heater.
He seems pretty competent and not easily ruffled. I had a fearful mental vision ("The Fillyjonk who Believed in Disasters," remember?) of the plumber recoiling in horror and going, "That heater is TOO OLD to be replaced! You will need to have the entire house re-plumbed, both for water and for gas!" or "The heater you bought will not fit! None of our heaters will fit! You'll have to start from scratch and put the heater somewhere else!"
He also reminded me a bit of my cousin Chum, which I find reassuring, even though I know that's a totally irrational reason to feel reassured. A few of the workmen I've hired in the past have kind of skeeved me out, but this guy seemed familiar - almost even familial - because of the way he looked and talked (and the way he DIDN'T look at me...I mean, he looked at me, but he didn't LOOK-look at me, if you know what I mean), and I found that kind of comforting.
The only downside? It'll be Thursday afternoon before the heater's in. That's because I would NOT cancel classes tomorrow; I didn't even raise that as an option. He told me he'd be here Thursday afternoon; the install might be after 4 pm again (He's working on a house up in Ada, he said - which is like an hour away from here). But I don't care. Just knowing that a heater CAN be installed - that I WILL have hot water again, eventually - helps.
4 comments:
Reading about your hot water woes reminds me of growing up in what was called a cold water flat. We had no hot water unless we heated it on the stove. Baths were taken in just a few inches of water because the hot water came from a big bucket heated on the stove and carried carefully to the tub. It took too long to heat a bucket so waiting for another bucket so you could soak in a fuller tub was not in the picture. It was in the tub and out again. Mom did the laundry in our wringer washer after heating a big wash tub of water on the stove. Took all four burners going under the tub and I have no memory of how long to get the hot water for the washer. I do remember how carefully she moved that tub to the washer and tipped it in. Dishes were done in a pan in the sink in water heated in the teakettle. Hair washing was also done in a pan in the sink with water from the teakettle.
Thanks for reminding me of the blessing of hot water from a tap. How easy it is to forget that this was not always the case.
Charlotte
I'm glad that he's a nice guy and that it sounds like this will all work relatively soon.
I'm so glad this will soon be resolved for you. It's so easy to take modern conveniences for granted. We have well water and a few years ago the pump broke and it took 36 hours to get it repaired and let me tell you those were the LONGEST 36 hours. No water at all in my house (couldn't even flush unless we poured bottled water into the toilets).
-- Grace in MA
i truly understand your pain. when my younger daughter was a baby (over 20 years ago) we moved at the beginning of winter. we had had energy assistance in the old place, all set up, but in the new place, it did not even BEGIN to cover the heating expenses, and they refused to review it because we'd moved so my then-husband could take a job that ADC had required he get. oy. anyway, they shut the gas off in early march. fortunately, we were able to keep the lights on, and lived with space heaters for the month and a half it was too cold, but bathing was a nightmare. bathing kids was even worse.
*hugs*
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