You put that little thingy where?

November 14, 2006 | General

Have you ever jumped into the shower and had ice chunks rain down on your naked body? I did last week and it was horrible.

We have this problem with our hot water heater and its venting system. The amount of wind has absolutely no effect on it. It’s the wind direction that matters. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to figure out what that direction is. So all you can do is flip the faucet and hope for the best.

And that’s just what I did last Friday without success. Freezing and swearing I grabbed a robe then stomped to the heater with my blow torch in hand, vowing this time I’d buy the new On Demand Water Heater no matter how much the damned thing cost.

Once at the water heater I saw our pilot was located about a half inch off the floor in the smallest laundry room any builder could plan. There’s not a lot of room for my 5′ 8″ to sprawl out, but I made it. Time after time I followed the re-start directions. Time after time the damned thing refused to light.

What’s a frustrated woman to do? Call Studs. I hate to bother him at work, but I was pissed by now and wanted a damned hot shower. We discussed the problem, one of us civilly while the other was cussing a blue streak. I’m sure you’ve guessed who was doing what. We agreed I’d go to the parts store and buy a new thermocouple and Studs would change it when he got home.

So on the way to the store I’m thinking, what would my heroine do? Francine is a feisty gal even if she is only 5′ 4″. Dammit! Francie would get down on the floor and fix the thing herself. Well, if Francie could do it, why couldn’t Sloane? I made up my mind right then and there I would.

The man at the store was a doll, not with his assistance – just with his gorgeous blue eyes with thick black lashes. Why is it guys always have long eyelashes? Anyhow, I digress. All this man kept saying was, “Follow the directions” and “Don’t force it”. Not much help in my humble opinion because I have a problem reading and deciphering the written word on stuff.

Back home, I ripped open the plastic packet and read the directions. I may as well have been reading Greek for all the sense it made to me. With the parts dumped on the floor and me flat on my back, I used my handy-dandy flashlight to figure out the removal of the old and installation of the new.

Hot Damn! I could do this and did in a matter of about 20 minutes. So for $7.93 I fixed the hot water heater, eased Studs burden on the home front, and got a great back rub for all my efforts. Did I forget to mention how extremely proud I felt at doing something out of my realm? Oh yeah, I was dancing on air.

Maybe this week I attempt the vacuum cleaner and figure out why the thing barely sucks!

Have a great week,
Sloane