I have no hot water.
In the middle of the weekend, my hot water tank broke down. I called the energy company and was on hold for almost two hours. When I finally got through to someone to troubleshoot my problem, all he told me to do was unplug the tank and plug it back in again. Then he told me to wait an hour and call back to make an appointment with a technician if it didn’t work. I refused to do this (after being on hold for so long already), so I made an appointment right there.
The technician came today and told me that the pipes were leaking water, and the black area under at the bottom signified a carbon monoxide leak1. The entire hot water tank has to be replaced.
The good news is that my hot water tank is rented, so any repairs or replacements are covered by the energy company. The bad news is that the ventilation pipe that connects the tank to the outside of the house is no longer up to code, and needs to be replaced before the hot water tank is replaced. The worse news is that my ceiling is finished, so it needs to be ripped open for the new piping to be installed then patched up again when it’s done, by an outside construction company. The cherry on top is that neither the pipe installation or the destruction/construction is covered by my condo or the energy company, so I’ll have to shell out more money at a time I can’t afford it.
Until then, I can’t shower2, I can’t shave, I can’t do my dishes, I can’t do my laundry, I can’t rinse my mouth without using painfully cold ice water.
But I won’t after this.
I stand vindicated on my last comment about the luxury of Plumbing! Oh ya. Remember that? (February 10, 2007 at 10:45 am)
But anyway, I can’t comment on the financial pains of home/condo ownership; my sympathy there. Doesn’t this mean you should spend Christmas away? like now?
Holy crap, that was a long time ago…I can’t believe you remember that.
I’ll be spending Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day away, but other than that, I’ll be stuck at home. It just so happens that it’s a long holiday too, which drags things out even more.
Well as we increase in age everything just goes a lot faster.… seems like a week ago to me…
Ack! that IS a long time to go without it. Good luck.
I wonder how the technician found out the vent pipe (or exhaust pipe?) was no longer up to code when it was concealed in the ceiling?
I’m phobic about embedded pipes. A tiny problem would end up with a major renovation. I always prefer pipe shafts with access panels.
Apparently it’s quite widely known about the pipe codes. I’ve asked several people (in the heating industry) and they all knew what I was talking about. It goes from the hot water tank to the ceiling, so quite a bit of it is showing.
And this is exactly the situation where you’re right to be phobic of embedded pipes. If it wasn’t for the pipes and how they’re hidden, I would have hot water by now.
I also rent a water heater for my home and it has been replaced three times in the last 20 years. The last time they brought a new one this Spring I found out that the codes had changed and they didn’t want to install the replacement unit till I had upgraded the breaker. I had to hire an electrician to come and do that and it cost almost $100. for something that took less than 5 minutes to do.
If it wasn’t safe to install the same size unit on the old breaker, what made it safe to operate the old unit for almost six years. Do “changes in code” benefit anyone but the electricians?
I heard that the changes in code are something of an overreaction, as the failure rate should be “acceptable”, though I’m guessing perhaps they change to avoid lawsuits or loss of life.
I also found out that the last code update (aside from the one last year) was over 15 years ago, but who knows when they’ll get updated again. It certainly helps the sustainability of the heating and cooling industry, much to do lightening of our wallets.
Jeff,
I can’t make light of your situation. Technology failing in technological times is rough indeed. There are things you come to EXPECT in modern living.
In one, seventh month tour in Iraq I showered one week every month, and not once in 52 days. Discomfort and convenience and relative.
Two words: Baby wipes!
You’re totally right about discomfort and convenience being relative. I think of the people in the ice storm we had back in 1998, how people didn’t just go without hot water, but electricity (and so heating) too, to remind myself that it could be worse.
I’m off to buy some Baby Wipes now. They won’t cover the hair, but they should get ride of the smell!
Damn that sucks
and worst timing too.. now you probably have to wait extra business days just to get a hold of everybody you need to to get everything done..
Just look forward to your very first hot shower:D