When warm waters flow
The inevitable has happened (that’s what they mean by inevitable, so I’ve used an oxymoron; sorry). Our trusty hot water tank, finally old enough to go out in bars in any of the states or provinces, has decided that the solution to that overly full sensation is to let the excess run out the bottom and onto the basement floor. Thankfully the builders had the foresight to place a drain just beside, so there’s no sense crying over spilt water. Not even worth trying to mop things up. When warm waters flow, you take your wallet in hand and head out to the shops to find a replacement.
Now, tanks aren’t a dime a dozen. Try more along the lines of 46,800 plus applicable taxes and installation charges. Thankfully, I only want need one for the household, although some mornings, after multiple long showers by those who remain nameless, a second would come in handy. No, the catch is that we’re in a holiday period, and emergency pipework is worth more than gold. Based on a quote vs time required, those people are making upwards of $1500 per hour. Enough to retire AND buy a physician. But I exaggerate; they obviously don’t work all the time, else how could all plumbers with the exception of the emergency guy be on vacation until the second week of January. Those who think that teachers have long vacations should look around. See anybody with a Stiltson wrench? No? I rest my case.
The personnel at the hardware store were, to a man, commiserative. Unless the flow starts to make us dream of a hydroelectric installation in the cellar, we should wait things out. Ten days isn’t that long in terms of the electrical bill, compared to sending some guy with a blowtorch on a world cruise. But I exaggerate, barely.
So here’s the plan. We’re going to place a watch on the water tank. Perhaps a webcam, perhaps a boy. If the water level starts to rise, my SCUBA gear is already down there. In about two weeks, after we’ve moved the freezer and the old skis and a few boxes of whatnot, a truck will arrive and our hot water service will be restored to full capacity. In the interim, we’ll try to “go easy” on the shower times. Hear that, oh aqualads?
