Wednesday, March 15, 2017

I'm Dreaming Of A Hot Shower

Seventeen degrees this morning! I suppose if I have to be sick, might as well be when I can't go outside. I am still recovering. The cough is almost non-existent and my nose and eyes have dried up. The headache lingers on. Not nearly as bad, but still annoying.

I have been napping every day, then having trouble falling to sleep at night. I have vowed to skip the nap today. My eyelids are heavy and I long to slip away into the bliss of a forbidden nap, but I will not! Doesn't help that it is very quiet here and all four dogs and the cat are napping along side me.

HeWho drives is on a mission. About a week ago, I reported the lack of hot water while doing dishes. Never mind that it was an excellent excuse to leave them sit awhile, I was perplexed at having no hot water. HeWho seems to be able to justify so many things, suggested that it was because some campers were using the showers. Let me just say that this is the slow season. I have had the campground packed with tent campers, all of them lining up for showers as all three washers in the laundry room are going and still had plenty of hot water at my disposal.

I broached the subject again that evening and was met with an exasperated sigh from my mate. It is true that after an hour of waiting, hot water was restored, but I thought it deserved further investigation. So, when I adjusted my shower yesterday to my normal settings and stepped inside to be doused in cold water, I wasn't all that much surprised. I had to turn off the cold water entirely before continuing with a warm shower. I am a big fan of hot water. I like mine just shy of a first degree burn. I want to leave the shower so warm that a glow stays with me all day. I was cold all day and along with being still sick, just miserable.

I layered on my clothes and dried my hair, then went out to the public showers to see if someone had left the hot water on, or a pipe had burst. Everything was normal. When HeWho no longer tows, but will unlock your car to retrieve the keys, came home I told him of my lukewarm adventure. He decided to launch an investigation and discovered that the pilot light to the water heater was out. He had difficulty re-igniting it and spend an hour researching the problem on-line before taking a trip to an electronic supply store to buy a part.

The part was cheap, but he drove quite a ways to get it. He replaced the part. Done. Problem solved. He took a shower last night after replacing the part and had the same problem I had. Another session on-line and he decides it is yet another part. But this part is spendy ..... over $200. So, he has gone to buy a new water heater. Has to be large capacity, since it services the laundry room and the showers, as well as our personal space. The kicker is that the water heater is not that old. The one that was here when we bought the place was old and still lasted quite a few years. 

Needless to say, I did not attempt to shower this morning. I coveted the remnants of warmth from my bed. I am looking forward to a nice scalding shower as soon as the new water heater is installed. It is good to have something to look forward to.    

5 comments:

Kathy G said...

I think hot water is a basic requirement,too. Hope yours is fixed soon.

Val said...

Every time we have that problem, and I suggest a new water heater...Hick wheels the old one out the basement door and opens up that little trapdoor at the bottom and scoops hard-water deposits out of it. He says that stuff gets around the heating element. I know nothing about water heaters, except that ours is electric, and it can't keep up with two adolescent-to-college-age boys and their hour-long showers.

Debby said...

Hot water heaters and furnaces always go out when it is the coldest outside. Likewise, AC always goes out when it's 105 degrees. I feel for ya.

Linda O'Connell said...

My daughter's does fills up with debris from hard water and once they vacuum it out, it's ok. Hope your problem is solved. I too like a red hot shower!

Stephanie Faris said...

UGH...cold showers are not an option! Our furnace was out at the beginning of winter...they came and fixed it, but they had to leave us without heat overnight. It was election night...I locked my dog and I in the bedroom and used a space heater until bedtime, then turned it off. It stayed pretty warm in there, actually!