Shelby's Life and Whatnot

Hot Water!

Thanks to my wonderful husband and even more wonderful (sorry, honey) Grandfather-in-law, we now have very cool hot water. Haha, get it? Cool hot water? Cool as in awesome and not cold! Haha!

Yeah.

It all started last week when for some reason, Kevin decided to open the cabinet of the water heater. It's on the outside of the house and opens to the back yard. Good thing he did, since he found the drip pan underneath to be full of water. He wet-vacced it up and after some examination discovered that our water heater had just worn through.

We talked about how we wanted to replace it. We've been interested in tankless water heaters for a long time. A tankless water heater is basically what it sounds like. It's a unit that just heats up the water on demand instead of filling a tank and keeping it warm. The advantages are twofold--one, it uses less energy because it doesn't have to keep a big tank of water hot and fill and heat the tank over and over--it just uses the energy when you need it. Two, it offers an unlimited amount of hot water, which to someone who likes really hot baths and showers, is perhaps the most appealing aspect.

I'm so shallow.

At any rate, there was a definite price difference between the tankless and a new regular one, and even though we'll be saving on our gas bill, realistically it won't be enough to offset the initial cost. However, I have to say that I was really moved by the movie An Inconvenient Truth (which we finally saw--and if you haven't, please do) and the idea of having an appliance that is just better for the planet is really appealing to me. Financially we can swing the extra cost, so we decided to go for it. Al Gore would be so proud.

Unfortunately, the installation turned out to be harder than expected. We knew we needed some more power and more gas to the area, so Kevin called the Sainted Grandfather-in-law (heretofore known as Grandpa Lee), who is a retired electrician (among other things--the man has many talents). It didn't help that the product manufacturer left out a part in the packaging. Thanks. Kevin and Grandpa Lee turned off the hot water and went to work while I left the house and went to my work. When I arrived, Kevin and Grandpa Lee were very frustrated and hadn't been able to fully install it.

The next day I again went to work and arrived home to see a sad, bitter carcass of the old water heater laying on the grass, anchoring a piece of string holding open the door to the water heater closet. I went in to find a very frustrated Kevin who reported that they still hadn't been able to install it and that they were close to their wits' end. At that point I imposed upon the Sainted Grandmother-in-law to make a short visit and take a shower. Kevin braved a completely cold bath. But he's hardy like that. I am not.

The good news is that when I arrived home from work today, I found a very happy (and clean) Kevin! The installation was a success and we now have hot water again. I'm going to try it out tonight :).

Thanks Honey!