And it's done both today, literally. The rain part was what preceded the sleet and was very light. The pouring part? Well, that was not good. It also wasn't outside.
Bill got up early and he was just getting out of the shower when I got up. He commented on how the hot water didn't seem to last, but it was very cold outside and he thought that maybe the water just didn't have that much time to warm up. I went to let the dogs out at that point, it was about 5:15 a.m. I opened the dog door flaps, then I happened to glance to the other side of the garage. Which is when I noticed that there was a whole lot of water running from the inner end of the garage to the outside. From the closet where the hot water heater is. Sometime after I blocked the dogs in at about 9:15 last night and between 5:15 this morning, the water heater apparently developed a leak.
Bill immediately started clearing the area in front of the closet, which was filled up with pachinko machines. The machines were ok, they were sitting on a board that kept them up off the floor but they did get a little wet on the bottom sides. The water did get to the area where he had some boards stored, most of which are scrap pieces so he probably didn't lose too much of his cabinet frame wood although he might have some that is damaged. I filled up a few containers of water in case he had to shut it off completely, then I started helping him move things out of the way. We put the box fan in the garage and aimed it at the area that was the most wet, and I grabbed just about every towel we own to use.
The weather front was slowed down overnight, which is a Blessing. We looked online at a few companies such as Home Depot, Lowe's and Sutherlands. We found one that is a good brand, affordable and the right size. The store in our small town did not have it in stock, but the neighboring small town store had 7 or 8. The streets were still good because the ice storm hadn't made it yet, so we got in the El Camino and got there immediately. We got the new water heater home and since it weighs 118 pounds, Bill got the dolly and brought it in the living room. We figured out that we did need a couple of things, such as a 2" deep drain pan to sit it in in case of leaks and a couple of misc. things. The weather front was on it's way but not here yet. Bill's dad said he would come over and help, so we left Otter at home to wait for Grandpa and we went back to Lowe's to get the stuff we needed. We took Bill's impala for the second trip, and it was just barely raining. We were only in Lowe's about 20 minutes but the rain was transitioning over to sleet when we came back out. By the time we got home, it had gotten even colder. Between Bill and Grandpa, they got the old heater out and the new one installed. Bill got the gas line hooked up to it and the water, checked it multiple times for gas or water leaks (none) and then Grandpa left because he was trying to beat the weather front while the roads were still in decent shape.
I finally got to take my shower about 2:00 this afternoon! I ran the dishwasher last night but didn't get it unloaded until after Bill got finished with the installation. I have been able to do laundry since I use cold water for that, and Bill never had to turn the water off to the house itself just at the water heater.
Yes, I am still sick. I was really feeling cruddy last night and had just a touch of fever so I was really afraid that it might actually be flu. I woke up with a tremendous headache this morning but I felt a little better so I'm now thinking that it is "just" a bug and not flu after all. I was going to call in anyway, but Bill had planned on going in to work. Obviously, his plans where changed.
In spite of having to spend $400.00 we didn't anticipate this morning, we still consider it a Blessing. For one thing, the weather held off long enough. Grandpa was able to get here and home safely. We were able to get the old heater removed and the new one installed without too much trouble. We were home when it happened, not off on vacation or gone for several hours so we discovered it pretty quickly and didn't lose as much water as would could have. And nobody got hurt. So yes, it was a Blessing.
But I did overdo a bit, even though I tried not to and Bill tried not to let me. But there were some things he needed me to help with. But I didn't overdo it too much. After I got out of the shower, Bill had a nice fire built and the living room is very warm and toasty. He did get up in the attic while he had the machines out of the way, since the attic access was unable to be reached due to the pachinko machines stacked in the way. He got one of the Christmas trees down and what I think are probably boxes with ornaments, stockings and the things I wanted. He also got the wreath down. I'm not in a hurry to get any of that stuff out of the boxes. We were going to get it down this coming Sunday. Bill's attempting to sort pachinko machines as he puts them back in place, Otter is now moved to her bed & blanket (she's hibernating today due to the weather) and I'm on the couch with two blankets and a beagle foot warmer.
We'll see how it is in the morning, we are getting less ice than was forecasted but we are getting some. It's probably going to transition to snow. It's very cold and will be well below freezing for a few days. But I fought the Wallyworld crowd yesterday for the last minute things we needed and we already had everything else we need. So we're fine. One of Bill's buddies was short of firewood, so he came over yesterday and we gave him enough to get him through the next few days. Now, I think I'm going to see what's on tv and rest for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I am tired! But I might get a little crochet in, I started a new hat for myself with the "chili" yarn I got last summer. I made a scarf then, but I decided I wanted a hat as well. It clashes with my red hair, but I am not really concerned as long as it's warm to wear it!
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