"I would have made a terrible pioneer."
That is the conclusion I come to every time we have to go without power due to a storm or whatever. The reason I don't go camping with Keith any more than I do (which is very rarely) is because I do not like roughing it. When I do go, my one rule is that the campground has to have a shower and real toilets.
In other words, I don't like going without water. So, guess what?
We still don't have water!!!!!!
It's a long story, but it's part of the perils of living in a 100 year old shotgun house that you bought from the family that had been there practically since the beginning who added the whole back end of the house on themselves some time around 1950. Or 1970. Or something a while ago.
The new water heater won't fit into the little closet, in part because the old one won't fit through the door to come out! Yes, in this family there is something that is stuck in the closet. Ironic, isn't it? I have a theory that the closet was built around the hot water heater after it was installed.
Oh, yeah. It's also not up to code, since there is not enough space around the water heater. Since the family did it themselves, they never had it inspected, which is how they got away with that. I'm still pondering how that did not get caught when the home inspection was done before we bought the place, especially since several other of their DIY jobs were identified and had to be corrected.
Keith is filling buckets of water at work so we can flush, and we're handling everything else with gallons of water from the store and no rinse cleaning products, which make my hair all stringy and itchy.
We're running through our friends now to find someone who can take the walls down for us, so the water heater can be installed. We're trying to avoid the expense of a contractor for such a small job. Hopefully, we'll have water by the weekend, next Monday at the latest.
In the meantime, I'm starting a club for reluctant, irate, and slightly incompetent pioneers.
7 comments:
Poor baby! I mean seriously. I'm not quite to the point of "roughing it = slow room service" but I'm close!
Way too many days without water and way way too many days without hot water. This is mean! Sure hope you can find someone to remove that old water heater and enlarge the space for the new one ASAP.
Hugs.
Joy
I agree with the camping thing. No water or toilets? Count me out. I hope you can find someone to help you get set up again. Those older home have lots of surprises inside the walls, don't they? I'm always afraid we'll be opening a can of worms whenever we do any remodeling.
I love primitive camping BUT NOT IN THE HOUSE!!! Your neighbors won't let you run a garden hose from their house to yours so you can at least take an outdoor shower? When we had a plumbing disaster years ago, I took showers at the gym and once at a truck stop. I'm with Clamco above - be very careful with opening walls in an old house. Do you know a welder to cut the water heater up? Can you install a tankless water heater outside? I'd give you a hug but I am afraid of germs.
oh the joys of owning an older home! I do not like roughing it at all! No water, flushing toilets with buckets of water, ugh! I hope it's fixed soon. Unlike Donna I'm not afraid to give you a hug but then I have a shower at home that works! :)
hugs,
Linda
UGH. That is awful. When we had a big ice storm and didn't have power for days I went NUTS. I need a hot shower. I need all the comforts of home. I'm sorry you are going through this and I hope it is fixed SOON. I guess it's a dumb question to ask why you can't turn the water off at the hot water heater and still have water in the rest of the house? Hang in there!
Water is never appreciated enough until we don't have it. I feel for you and old house woes. Once we went without water for a week. Horrendous! We showered at friends and neighbors, thankfully. Hope you get through this soon.
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