Lucky 4 Leaf CloverLast Thursday, Holly and I woke up to find that we had no hot water. I figured that it was nothing more than the pilot light on the water heater that needed to be re-lit. Unfortunately, as I went into the garage to light it, I discovered water flowing out the top of the water heater, all over the garage floor and down the driveway into the street. This was just the beginning to a very long few days.

That day I had several client site visits to make, not to mention proposals and other deliverables due. I slammed as many of them as I could before leaving that morning, saving time by not taking a shower. I simply threw on a baseball cap and figured I’d explain my dishevelment to my clients when I saw them. I made quick work of my client visits and at the last one, I asked my client if he knew of a good plumber. Since my client runs a property management company, I figured if anyone knew of a good plumber, he would. Recommendation in hand, I was out the door and on the phone.

The person I called came highly recommended and after a quick conversation, he told me that what I would need is a new water heater. 45 minutes after my first call, someone was there at the house to take a look and see what the problem was. The problem was simple – I needed a new water heater. 2 hours and $850 dollars later and I had a new gas water heater installed and heating away. I was absolutely stunned at how fast they got it done and was quite pleased with myself for how smart I was in choosing them. 😛


But Wait… There’s More
Tired and a little stressed out from all the excitement from the day, I walked inside the house and noticed that it wasn’t all that cool. The air conditioning was just cranking away, but I checked the thermostat and it read 87ºF. Crap. The air conditioning was out. This happens every year and after a charge of coolant, we’re good to go for the most part.

Someone did some work for us last year, but didn’t finish up and so we have a credit with him. I called this person first in the hopes of getting a refill for free. After not hearing back by the next day, Holly got on the phone to call around and find someone that could come out that day. It was Friday and the temperatures were reaching the low 90’s, so I was ready for some relief.

One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating ended up coming out. I ran though the litany of how our system “operates” and after a few tests, it turned out that compressor was bad. Our system was hanging on by a thread as it was, so sinking more money into buying a new compressor didn’t make much sense. So we had no other choice but to bite the bullet and get a new system at the tune of $6500.

More Elbow Grease Needed
Pretty tough couple of punches over a two-day period, I must say. We thought the water heater was bad, but the heating and air conditioning system blew that right out of the water. Which, speaking of water, I still had to clean out the garage due to the river that ran through it on Thursday. Things had to be dried out and since the garage was a huge mess to begin with, it meant having to truly clean it and not just move things around.

I got things dried out on Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday, I made good headway in actually getting it cleaned. Of course, this is all on top of Holy Week, getting our taxes done and helping Holly with her children’s choir, “Kidz Jam”, as well as all the various and sundry tasks that have to get done each day.

Excellent progress has been made thus far, including getting a new shelf installed, peg board in place and my work bench back in order. There’s still plenty to do though, but it’s mostly organizing and putting away. All the cleaning and project type stuff has been finished.

With my tax forms completed today, I’ll be able to turn my focus back to the garage to wrap things up over the rest of the week.

Still No Air Conditioning
On Saturday, the installers arrived around 3pm and although they made every effort to get everything installed, there were some unforeseen snags that kept them from doing so. Our old concrete base wasn’t big enough and the duct work needed a new part, just to name a few of the problems they ran into. They were very apologetic about not being able to finish, but promised to come back today.

So I’m now on day 5 without air conditioning and I’m ever so thankful for the ceiling fan in my office. To hell with the designers on Trading Spaces and their habit of always removing fans. If I didn’t have mine, there’s no way I would have been able to get anything done. Every afternoon the sun just bakes the back of the house, where my office is. It’s a real scorcher. 🙂

I’m also happy to report that at 11am, the One Hour Air guys showed back up this morning and have been working ever since to finish up the install. The condenser unit is all setup and they’re in the attic now putting in the heating unit and reworking the vent and ducts. I don’t think I’ll be complaining about the stress of my job after seeing these guys work their butts off like they have today.

Still Looking On The Bright Side
There’s no doubt that the past 5 days have been very stressful, but at the same time, Holly and I have managed to keep a smile on our faces and take it in stride. We’re thankful that we either had the money, or the credit to get the work done and that the right people for the job were there to do the work.

Last night we were sorting through statements for our taxes at 2am and making each other laugh with the stupid stuff we say to each other. I figure if we can still laugh we’re doing all right. There have been a lot of blessings that have helped ease the burden and it gives me pause to realize just how lucky I am. That’s right – I’m lucky.