Our garage, for the most part, had essentially become a dumping ground for things we no longer had room for in the house or for things we were going to donate but never got around to. Finally, we had good weather (and a series of New Year's resolutions at our back) so she and The Ravishing Mrs. TB went into the garage with high hopes.
But, this is not a story about cleaning out the garage...
About two hours in I hear shouting from the garage - something about water on the floor. I come running out - sure enough, there is a little it of water coming out from under the closet where the water heat is located. I opened the door - sure enough, the bottom of the closet has water sitting on it.
I scurried about and soaked up the water on the base of the closet and then looked at the top - sure enough, there was water all over that as well that was sopped up. After a little bit of wrestling, I figured out how to shut off the water valve, kill the gas, and depressurize the tank so that the connection which was the issue would not continue to leak.
(Above, the culprit broken line)
But neither does the story stop there....
The Ravishing Mrs. TB finds a reference from our neighborhood group for a plumber. Very nice fellow, offers to come by and look at it Sunday for a possible repair on Monday. He comes by - super nice guy, looks at it, says "It is 24 years old, you will need a new one" - and then gives me a reference to a good replacement guy (he is 60 and no longer does water heaters himself), who happens to have a slot at 0800 tomorrow morning. So tomorrow, we should have a new water heater - out of hot water for about 48 hours.
So what does all of this teach us?
1) Cleaning is always a good activity. Who knows how much money it will save you?
2) God continues to look after us in unexpected ways. Who knows how long it would have gone if I had not looked at all?
3) Regularly check your water heater.
So what does all of this teach us?
1) Cleaning is always a good activity. Who knows how much money it will save you?
2) God continues to look after us in unexpected ways. Who knows how long it would have gone if I had not looked at all?
3) Regularly check your water heater.
All's well that ends well! It's sometimes amazing how things work out the way they do. Providence is something I am always grateful for.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to "snowbird in a house near where I live. She left at the beginning of September one year. I went by her house at the end of that month to check on the place. I go to out of the car, and heard the smoke alarm sounding. There was also a trickle of water coming out onto the driveway from between the wall and the slab of the house; not a good sign. Entering the house, I found the entire floor covered with water. There was mold running from the floor to the ceiling. Everything was soaked. All the furniture was ruined. In the hallway, I found a stream of water shooting straight up at the smoke alarm. The water heater was in a closet inside the house (insanity in engineering). The flexible pipe connecting the heater to the plumbing had cracked. The needle-tin stream of water had bored through the wall before assaulting the smoke alarm. The amount of water coming from the leak was akin to a continuous stream from a water pistol. I went outside to call my Mom. The old man next door came over and said "You know, I'm glad you came by. I've been hearing that smoke alarm for about a month now..." The old guy had our number, "just in case..."
ReplyDeleteAll said and done, the insurance claim totaled over $200K! It was a complete grip and rip from floor to ceiling, right out to the studs! And this was a 1200 square foot house!
Moral of the story; if you're going away for a while, shut off the water!
Glad you are all okay.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed week!
Leigh, I do not know what I would do without it. I have been blessed more times than I care to thing about.
ReplyDeleteWow Pete, that sounds like an awful story.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at the placement of water heaters here. There are many places that have them in the ceiling (Because somehow a heavy object with heated water above your head makes sense). Or in closets inside, as you note. Or out in the garage - but on the floor, or in the middle of the back wall.
I had a friend with a similar story: Water heater in the ceiling burst while he was away, came back to water pouring under his front door - when he opened it, it was coming down the stairs. The entire lower floor and stairway had to be replaced.
Thank you Linda. All in all, not the worst thing in the world.
ReplyDelete