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Read Thread: Funny story

Funny story
Board: Home Improvement
Mar 5, 2007 7:56am
Thread (disabled) Board
I just had to share my weekend adventures in home owning, now that I can laugh at it.... and it's almost fixed.

Our bathroom is upstairs, we have a clawfoot tub and a seperate shower. We moved in almost 3 months ago and have not had HOT water upstairs... basically none in the shower and lukewarm in the tub/sink. We'd followed the lines several times and not found the problem, so someone suggested checking the elements in the water heater, even tho it's brand new.... that they may have dry fired it and we might need a new element.

We saved it for this weekend, considering we had to drain the water heater. Took out the top element and it was fine except my man mangled the end when he took it out and we still had to replace it. Replaced that and took out the thermostat, had that tested. It was fine. I reinstalled that.... but didn't screw down two screws properly, so they melted the protective plastic cover. In the meantime the tank water got lukewarm so we followed the lines again, this time playing in the bathroom with all the different nozzles and discovered that somehow the cold water was bleeding into the hot water through the shower line.

Then we had no hot water on Sunday morning. So we called a friend, he discovered the heater wasn't grounded properly and promised to come back after work with a new valve for the inner workings of the shower. When he came back there was still no hot water, he pulled it all apart again (I shocked myself in the process) and discovered the plastic was still melting on the thermostat and overheating it.

The only hardware store open in town had a replacement when we bought the element on Saturday, but someone shoplifted it before I got to it on Sunday. So we had to wait until today when the other hardware store and the electric store open up. It should be ALL fixed by the time I get home tonight.

Lessons learned.... play with nozzles first with someone else's head in the ceiling to discover problems, never assume that the power is off when you're showing someone how you screwed up by touching the screws, and ask for help from people who know what they're doing or at least have done it before. Oh, and it takes 3 hours to fill up a clawfoot to a point where you can put your body in water by boiling water on the stove in 4 pots.

moonduck (who managed NOT to cry at any point, even while washing her hair in ice cold water)
Re: Funny story
Board: Home Improvement
Reply to: #76049 by Moonduck
Mar 5, 2007 9:10am
Thread (disabled) Board
WOW!!! You were truly brave while roughing it. I would have already checked in to a hotel:)
Re: Funny story
Board: Home Improvement
Reply to: #76062 by Shoafsters
Mar 5, 2007 9:15am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I would have already checked in to a hotel:)


I considered it, but I have 3 animals too. The guy helping us told us we could go to the hotel he works at and for $3 each we could not only shower but use the pool and sauna too, but I was too frustrated. If I was going to do that, I was going to get a room, lol!!!

What's frustrating too is watching the dishes pile up and no hot water.... so my man heated some up and washed some of them yesterday, while I pouted on the couch (he wouldn't let me do them) but the pile is still there altho smaller. And I know I will be doing them tomorrow. Tonight is about "THE BATH." Finally, a real bath without carting extra water.... with candles and no sharing bathwater.... with the door shut and bubbles.

If it doesn't happen, tonight might be the point where I start to cry.
moonduck
Re: Funny story
Board: Home Improvement
Reply to: #76049 by Moonduck
Mar 5, 2007 9:18am
Thread (disabled) Board
Oh, the joys of home ownership. When I had my house, it was nothing short of a plumbing nightmare. Problems with the well - check valve in the well and the well pump. Had to reprime the system several times a day. Drain from the washer plugging up and coming out of the sink in the kitchen area of the finished basement. Hot water heater boiling over on Christmas day - enough to be greeted with water coming out the garage door when we got home that night. Flooded the finished basement once again. Broken piped in downstairs bathroom due to prolonged freezing temperatures and no insulation in the outside wall. The worst part - I miss it all. I no longer own a home and am forced to live in crappy apartments that have more problems than my house did. Oh, well. Life and livin'. Enjoy it while you can!!!

Fire Goddess
Re: Funny story
Board: Home Improvement
Reply to: #76065 by Moonduck
Mar 5, 2007 11:18am
Thread (disabled) Board
Tonight, enjoy that bath.
enjoy
enjoy
enjoy
Re: Funny story-update
Board: Home Improvement
Reply to: #76116 by pilgrimsinthisland
Mar 5, 2007 12:22pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I just got a text from my man asking me "is fire bad?" I freaked and called and he's just laughing. I'm almost crying. He apologizes and says, we just ran steaming hot water from the shower and the bath for 5 full minutes.

Tonight, I might take one of each! Because I can.... I've been walking around singing, "I'm gonna take a shower tonight for the first time since moving in 3 months ago!!" Luckily a lot of the people here understand why I'm singing that and that I HAVE bathed in that 3 month span. Someone asked me when my last actual shower was and I had to state that it was the morning after my appendix surgery, they made me take a shower before I could go home. And it made me mad at the time!!!

I'm already mentally rounding up all the candles in my house. Oh, I am so so so excited. I don't know if I can contain myself, I might have to go home early sick or something.... *coughcough*

moonduck