No Water............. Again

Water (or lack there of) seems to be the winter theme here. Actually, we have had water problem from the get-go.I must go back to our very first winter here and tell a lovely tale........

We moved into the living quarters shortly after I realized that I would go insane if I had to sit in the office/store for 12 hours every day. I began the chore of unpacking and trying to make the space a home. Back then the pump room was in the exact location that is is now, but to get to it, we had to go out a back door and into another door. I have since ripped out those walls and it can be easily accessed by walking through my kitchen (that used to be a huge laundry room). In this pump room were two huge galvanized steel holding tanks. When I say huge...... these things were about 7 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. They were sitting on this sort of rusted out ginormous pan thing, making me think that perhaps something had leaked at some point. Or maybe a slow leak, cause it was always damp in there.

So, being the observant one that I am, I pointed this damp situation to love of my life and he told me some lame thing about the pressure of the water coming into the room housing the tanks.....blah, blah, blah. Having so many other things to worry about and deal with pretty much kept me busy and out of the damp room, other than to walk through to get the laundry room that is now the kitchen. We had gotten through the first winter and survived the furnace breakdown and the massive rodent invasion. Spring was in the air and I was looking forward to having some revenue come in. Upon entering the pump room, laundry in my arms I notice that the "dampness" is even more pronounced. so much so that I hear a hissing noise and see a tiny spray of water coming from the tank closest to me. I put the laundry in the machine and summon he who plumbs to come take a look at the new water feature that has developed.

He stands pondering this new development, no doubt wondering how he is going to get that tank dry enough to have duct tape stick to it. He goes on-line to investigate the problem after admitting to me that perhaps the water I saw dripping down the tank wasn't "sweat" after all. He locates a miracle compound "guaranteed" to take care of any leak. He orders it. Tells me not to worry about the leak. The stuff comes the next day and it is some kind of epoxy, gooey, nasty smelling compound that he applies to the "weak spot" on the tank; after having the water off long enough to prep the area. Problem solved. Well, temporarily.

He who plumbs was a little worried about the tanks developing more "weak spots", since they were the original tanks put in when the park was built in the 60's. He wisely contacts someone about getting a new holding tank. A real plumbing person comes out and takes a look and it is decided to go with a fiberglass tank and that only one tank is needed to service the park. We order the tank and the real plumber gives us the specifications for the cement pad that will have to be poured to put the tank on. You may be wondering why we didn't simply put in where one of the soon to be empty and useless tanks were sitting. I did suggest this to he who plumbs and the real plumbing person. They both looked at me as if I were simple. They told me that the circumference of the tank was bigger than the 3 foot door and that the building had been erected around these tanks. They said that in order to remove them we would have to take a wall out (okay with me). The most obvious wall housed all the electrical boxes, so that wall was not a good candidate. The opposite wall has the public showers and all the plumbing........ and the last wall had the gas line coming in.

Love of my life poured the requisite concrete pad for the new tank and all was ready for the new holding tank. the delivery and set-up had been scheduled and the park was busy with springtime campers. We had a camping club scheduled and had a tent pavillion set up on the store side of the building for their use. It had been used the previous weekend for another group and left it up. This is important to the story. He who plumbs went off to his day job (gotta have that health insurance). I had mentioned that his black goopy repair job was weeping. I mentioned it and he took a look at it and messed around with it before leaving. This was the day before the scheduled delivery of the new tank.

I heard the pump coming on and staying on way to long. I go into what I have come to refer to as the wet room to see a geyser of water shooting out the side of the tank. I quickly summon love of my life home from work (I know you are wondering why I don't turn the water off myself......... I don't know where the cut-off valve is and there are so many power boxes on the wall that I have no idea which one is the one that will kill the pump. Labels, you say, he who plumbs does not do silly things like labels ) I did go out into the park and tell all my occupants to fill their water tanks before we turned the water off, though. My tenants have water..... I don't.

He battles this tank through the afternoon and into the evening. He mixes his magic potion that is guarateed to fix any leak and tries time after time to turn the water back on, only to have the hole continue to grow larger. I fill vessels of water whenever I can when he has the water on. I debate whether to offer assistance or stay out of his way. As the evening progresses I opt for staying out of the way, as it has becomne apparent to me that water will not be restored until thje new holding tank is dispensing it. At some point my man has removed his shirt and is bare chested with wet jeans on. It looked like maybe he forgot his shirt was no longer on his chest and he ahd tried to wipe that epoxy misture off.

He who plumbs is tired and defeated, the tank has won and I finally convince him at midnight to go to bed. He can't shower and he has this black epoxy mixture allover his hand and in his chest hair.