How my home sweet home left me shivering in the shower

By Edward A. Forbes

The Bulletin

Well, it’s another fun day in my household.

Took a shower, this morning all lathered up, sang (American Idol didn’t call), and the hot water shut off.

I didn’t know whether to call the plumber or 911. I managed to exit the shower in record time.

I needed to remove the soap, and I was not going to do it in the shower. I didn’t check the temperature of the water, but I can assure you it was VERY cold.

I went to the kitchen and put a four-cup Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave and an eight-quart pot on the stove to heat water. With warm water in the sink, I used a wet hand towel to begin removing the copious soap lather from my very cold body. I have more soap film on me than all my dishes combined.

Let’s see, yesterday my bank account was hacked; my old faithful pickup has a water leak (wet floor) on the driver’s side; an exterminator is coming; pressure washer people are here to give me an estimate on doing the house and carport.

I have water in the air intake on my tankless water heater. How did it get there, and how do we get it out? The code indicated a problem with the air supply to the gas burner, and the computer wouldn’t turn the gas on until the problem was resolved. The plumber took the cover off, looked for blockage and discovered there was water in the air-supply chamber.

The next problem was how to get it out. Too constricted to use a wet vacuum, so he took initiative and called his boss.

Part of being good at anything is being knowledgeable about your work and having resources you can contact about confusing and difficult problems. Well, his boss told him to call a  number and walk him through what he had done, step by step. He talked at length with the resource person.

After carefully walking the resource through his efforts to find the problem and being asked questions about his observations as he worked on the problem, he was told that the area had a drain for just such cases, as the high humidity caused a water build-up.

 There is a black hose that drains off the water. He found it and squeezed it, and when he did, a miracle occurred.

Whatever was blocking the drain cleared, and all the water drained out. He performed some additional work, and all was good. I now had hot water.

Meanwhile, the pressure-washing provider was patiently looking at the house and carport in a healthy rain. He has a relative that repairs concrete. That’s handy. I will need them.

The exterminator, meanwhile, cautiously completed his work and was, I think, relieved to have escaped the madhouse.

The old superstition says that problems come in threes, and I am there. I don’t want to know or hear about any more issues today or this week.

The American dream includes home ownership as an important part. The dream packet didn’t include the information that you never really own a home; you continue paying monthly long after the mortgage is retired. Taxes, insurance, and “ta dah” - maintenance continues into perpetuity.

My house suffers from my procrastination. I have carpet that is around 30 years old, and I have wanted to replace it with vinyl or laminate flooring. Like everything else in this world, it seems the more information I have, the harder it is to decide between the two products.

I have watched the You Tube gurus explain the difference in the products and the pros and cons of each. I am now terminally confused.

This works perfectly with my normal tendency to procrastinate. You can’t make an erroneous decision if you make no decision at all. I will dwell in limbo for a while.

(Email Forbes at eforbes1946@gmail.com or mail  comments to The Bulletin, P.O. Box 2426, Angleton TX. 77516.)