If I Didn't Have...

...bad luck I wouldn't any luck at all!

But all's well that ends well...or so they say.

Everything in the previous post was wrong.

1. The gas was off for almost 24 hours...no hot water, no stove, no furnace on the last cold-ish night of the season (I hope).

2. I DID need a meter upgrade, but the Gas Company doesn't charge for that unless you have to upgrade the pipes, too. I didn't need that.

Here's the story.  After the gas man put in the connections to the generator, no problem there, he smelled gas. Went to all the outlets but could discover no leaks. So, he turned off the gas! And LEFT!

He left a few numbers of plumbers I could call, most were 50 to 100 miles away, though. I got online and started compiling more numbers for plumbers nearer, but it was already after 5pm and everybody was closed until the next day.

Seq way to a different issue: The kitchen sink drain was backing up. I called Mark, he came over but after an hour of snaking, climbing on the roof, blasting with the hose, he had no luck clearing the drain he gave up. He left a bucket under the sink to catch the drip he left and called a plumber he thought could clear the drain. He would come the next day at noon.

So, the next day was very busy!

Third call to plumbers who advertised they do gas work  (1. "We only do new construction work", 2. "We can send someone out tomorrow afternoon.") was to George Gas Repair and, surprise, he said he'd come right out. Had two jobs to do, but he'd look at my problem and see if he could figure it out first.

George, first said, "You need a new meter." He showed me that the generator manual said it needed 308 cf at full load and I'd need that to kick everything on. It would fall after every thing was up and running, but I needed the ability to hit full load. Our meter was rated at 175 cf max! Also, the meter was put in in 1957...62 years ago!...as was the regulator, so it was way, WAY, over due for replacement. He found the leak, yes there was a leak, but it was -at the meter- on the gas company side. So...

George said "call the gas company and tell them you have a new generator and need them to look at your very, very, old meter. Don't need to even mention the 'leak' they'll find and fix it. Turn the gas back on before you call, too. They'll probably do it today, and there isn't likely to be a charge, so don't worry about that." He was right! I called, there was guy out within the hour who agreed with everything George had said about needing a new meter and the switch leaking a little due to age...and a crew was there a couple hours later to do the whole job. No cost, no hassle, no fuss.

In the mean time, Richard the Drain man showed up. He was to be here at noon and he knocked on the door at precisely noon. Richard has to be 80 if he's a day and said almost nothing. He looked at the drain, got his equipment, got me to run our hose in to him and turn on the water when he had it connected to his nozzle. Within 30 minutes he had the drain clear and the pipes connected back with NO DRIPS. Yes, he charged $139, but he got the job done fast.

BTW, only when he was done and noticed our dog food and water bowls did he start to talk. He and I talked about pets for a few minutes, about losing our dog family members over the years, and stopped to pet and talk to our cat before going on his way. Seemed like a nice guy, but very focused when on the job.

Okay, so we had a clear drain and gas back on...hot water! All was good...until the water was cold the next day. The pilot light had gone back out. I called the gas company and they sent a guy out to relight it. No idea on either side as to why it went out after they turned it on the previous day. I just hope it doesn't happen again. I know how to relight it, but I just couldn't get it to light. The little piezoelectric thingy just wouldn't spark for me.

Okay, I'm not done! That night, sitting in my chair eating some Cheetos, my right lower molar shattered!  I felt a crunch and those large pieces in my mouth weren't cheese puffs they were pebbles! I got them out and had a couple of big hunks of crown in my hand.

Next morning early I call my dentist, he can't get me in until the next day (Thursday) at 1pm. Of course, I say yes and spend an hour there getting the broken crown out and a temp put in. I'll go back for the permanent one in a month. My insurance paid (or is estimated to pay) about half the cost, so I'm going to pay north of $800 for this replacement. Bummer!

Look, I'm going to be honest, I truly think it's clamping my jaws shut and grinding my teeth while trying to keep Mom from scratching her arms bloody that did this! I'm sure all the other "stuff" that's been going on hasn't helped with my frustration..and jaw clamping/teeth grinding...either.

On the up side, the inspector came Thursday before I went to the dentist and okay-ed the generator install, so Ronco will be out...next week?...to turn everything on. Oh, and we have clear drains and hot water, so that's good, too! :)

The Gas Man!

(read to the tune of The Tax Man, Lennon/McCarthy)

Well, the gas man arrived without warning this afternoon. He and his assistant went to work connecting our gas line to the Generac. The bad news is that City of Milton charges $125.00 for a meter upgrade. But the really good news is that I don't need a meter upgrade! Hurrah! :)

The gas is off, for maybe 15 minutes, the connections should be completed in under an hour and then it's time to schedule inspections.

Generator Story Continues

The techs from Ronco arrived and got the Generac installed. That went fine.

Ronco's "gas contractor" did not. I was told..."the 18th. " Nope, no show, call or email. It's frustrating to have to sit around the house all day just on the hope that someone will show up at some point to do something I'm paying for them to do.

I called Ronco this morning to see what was up and they didn't really know. They are contacting the gas man and seeing what's up and will give him my name/number for him to call me. Who knows...

Well, nobody's getting paid until the jobs complete and passes inspection so it's in their interest to get this done. I can't stick to the house full time either. I need to run errands, go to the store, once in a while. I also need to be able to get out and exercise.  Grumble! Grumble!

Waiting for the Generator...

...so, I'm up early waiting for the Ronco folks to get here. They said "between 7:30 and 8:30. It's now 8:30 and they aren't here. I didn't expect them to make it on time. Let's see how late they are...

Last night the copper piping under the sink sprang a leak. Had to call a plumber for an emergency fix.

If it's not one thing...it's another.

Whole Home Generator

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow Ronco comes to install our whole home generator. It's a 16 KW Generac running on natural gas. Our house has several natural gas appliances, so electricity is really only needed for the AC, dryer (which could be unused in emergencies) and lower power applications (lights, fridge/freezer, wall outlets).  I suspect the toaster/oven is the biggest draw after AC/dryer.  Anyway, when Ronco did the energy evaluation they came to 15.9 KW needed and that was with a 4 ton AC, we actually only have a 3 ton unit, so we should come in well below the 16 KW.

We have gas water heater, furnace and oven, so I'm hoping that we won't need an upgrade to our gas meter and all of the installation can go smoothly. I won't know until Ronco's Gas Contractor tells me.

If we need an upgraded meter then I'll have to call City of Milton and get them to come out and install that. Ronco says they (Gas Company) won't charge me for the 2 pound meter, but I have my doubts that anybody does anything for free. If that has to be done it will be some days before City of Milton gets done and the install gets completed.

Then Ronco will have to get the job inspected for gas and electricity, and that might take a week or more. Ronco says I can't ask for the inspections, they have to ask for the inspection once they're finished installing and then tell me when it is done, passed and posted.

Then they come out turn on the system and bill me.

I'm thinking end of April before this is all finished.

New Washer/Dryer Installed

Delivery was at 2 pm and they were installed and gone by 2:30! Everything went off without a hitch.

I've already washed a load of clothes. I'm drying them now. 😄

FELL!

Went for a walk and fell. The bottom of my shoe slipped on a curb and I went all the way to the ground. I have a graze on my left knee and a bruise on my left shoulder, but other than that I'm okay.

I really need to work on getting down and getting up. Getting down is easy when you don't want to, hard when you do. Getting up is always hard! I really need to practice that...

Got Water?

Yes! We've got water!

It was 7 pm last night before we did. I'd already given up for the night, but, well, once I through enough money at the right people, the problem got fixed. Fixed really fast, too!

Okay, here's the thing. Mark Pugh was here painting and we both looked high and low for the leak. The meter was running at about 3 gallons a minute, so there HAD to be a very big, and very visible pool of water somewhere!!!

Mark crawled under the house and even dug a hole next to the foundation looking, but he couldn't find anything. It had to be somewhere!!

Eventually, I called American Leak Detection. They had a guy there in 30 minutes with equipment to look underground. He made a pass from street to house...nothing. Then he asked, "Do you have a faucet out in  the yard somewhere?"

"Well, no." I replied, "There used to be a faucet way back in the 80's at the pump before we went on city water, but that's been gone since then."

Guess what? It wasn't. Okay, here's the thing. When my folks had this house built way back in 1959, they had a pit dug where the pump and tank could be placed underground to protect them from freezing. That pit has been covered with a wooden cap ever since with just a faucet sticking up through the cap. It's way back behind shrubs at the back of the back yard. I'd forgotten it was back there.

The ALD guy found it. That's where the leak was! Water was shooting though a hold in the galvanized pipe against the bottom of the wooden cap and was close to 6 feet up the 8 foot deep pit. Once the leak was found it was simple for them to cut the pipe and remove the section that had developed the hole and replace it with PEX (I think they called it).

Turned the water back on and Bob's your uncle! We now had water.

It only cost $500 to make this fix and get our water back. 

I have no idea what my water bill is going to be this month after all this, but I bet it's going to be through the roof!

Now, the continuing bad news. All the pipework is galvanized iron. That doesn't last forever...clearly...and it's all probably reaching its end of life. More leaks are going to start appearing in the underground pipe. We're going to have to replace the water line from the street to the house, at least. (The piping under the floorboards is probably still good, so that's going to be left alone.) It won't happen in the next few weeks...I hope...but soon we're going to have to have a trench dug and a new pipe laid...and new connections to the house's plumbing made. More $$$$!

Next week the whole home generator is being delivered and installed. I'm thinking I better check on the water line and gas line as I don't want them driving over either with heavy equipment when they move the generator to the back of the house.

More Problems!

Bad things happen in 3's, they say.

I don't know if this is 3, but more bad news!

I went to brush my teeth this morning and there was no water pressure. No water pressure anywhere in the house.

I went to the water meter out at the road and the meter was running at about 3 gallons a minute! That water was going somewhere, but it wasn't coming out any of the house's faucets.

Our handyman was here painting our utility room and the two of us have looked all over and can't find where the water is going. It's four hours later and we still can't find where the water is going!

It isn't under the house, we don't think. It's not inside anywhere. It's got to be the line from the meter up to the house, but where?

I really, really, don't want us to be without water for multiple days!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Lot's of things going in here this Spring!

We had the HVAC replaced last month.  The heating and air were pushing 25 years old and we were starting to have to replace parts/circuit boards every six months to a year at several hundred dollars a pop. Besides a 25 year old HVAC system isn't what anybody would call energy efficient, so both gas and electric bills have been going up and up and up.

We used Mooneyham Heating and Air. They were the folks that have been servicing the system for dogs years.  I'm happy with the job Mooneyham did so far, but, of course, this hopefully a decades purchase so time will tell.

A few days later I had a tree service company, Cody Dillard's Tree Service, out to cut down two really big oaks and a bunch of smaller trees/shrugs that were growing right up on edge of the house. He charged a reasonable amount, I think, and did a good job getting the trees down and out, however, his equipment really did a number on the yard so I'm going to have to replant grass sometime soon.

I've already posted about the dryer going out and us buying a new washer/dryer pair. As I posted, they came and went last Thursday. I wouldn't accept anything if any of it was damaged and one of the pedestals was, so it went back. This Thursday they'll be back, hopefully, with undamaged everything and can get the units installed and the old ones hauled away. Luckily, the old washer was still working so I was able to get Mom's clothes washed over the weekend...hung them on a clothesline and eventually they got dry.  Dang! I really hope the delivery and install goes right this time!

Today, I have a plumber out to repair several faucets: two outside and three inside that were dripping. While is at it, we're replacing the kitchen tap assembly with a new one. The one in the kitchen is so old it is being held together by tape, putty and glue. It's about time it gets replaced.

Next week, Ronco Generators will be here to install a whole home generator. I've been wanting to get one installed for years. When a storm comes through here our power goes out for weeks on end and I don't think Mom could survive without air conditioning, or  heating in the winter. She isn't on oxygen right now, but she might be before long, so that's a consideration as well.  IAC, we have gas heat, oven and water heater so we only have to have a big enough unit to run the central air, fridge/freezer, and lights. Again, I hope the install goes well. We'll be tapping into the natural gas line to run the generator, and I'm hoping with all the appliances we already have using gas our current line will be adequate without  needing to get the gas company involved.

After all that, I want to get someone out to look at our roof. Mom had it replaced in 2004 after Ivan blew through. That was 15 years ago and I think it needs an inspection and maybe some work.  I hope we don't need a replacement, but I wouldn't be surprised as the work was done by a group that came in from somewhere or other after Ivan and then went away again.

Down the road, I think we're going to have to have a ramp put in for Mom. She can still walk up and down the front steps...with help...but that may not continue. The steps do keep her inside more than I'd like as it's "an operation" to get her outside. If the ramp could include a small porch under our eves where a chair or two could be placed that would be really nice. I've pushed this down my list of things to do, though, as other things took priority.

Our front doors need work/replacement. The storm door is warped and the main front door is starting to de-laminate at the bottom. That might wait until we do the ramp...be part of that project.

Synde wants to look into a bathroom and kitchen remodel, has been talking about replacing/removing the indoor carpet, and brings up widening the doorways for a transport chair (if/when) Mom needs that.  Those are "in the future" and not soon...I don't think.

As I said, busy, busy, busy!

Tax Cut My ASS! Rant! Rant! Rant!

Pardon my French, but a pox on all Republicans and their contemptible billionaire owners...I mean donors, no I mean owners!

I'm not rich. I'm retired. I live off a pension and social security. I worked long and hard to earn both, so don't anyone try to tell me they are entitlements or government handouts!

I put off doing my 2018 taxes until April because I just knew Trump and his cronies were going to screw me and yes they did! Royally! I went from a thousand dollar's up on my 2017 taxes to two thousand dollar's down on my 2018 taxes. That's a THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR change...you bastards!

"Clearly you should have had more withheld monthly to avoid this bill. So it's your fault." say the parsimonious millionaire Republicans, while they get money back from the Republican Rich Persons Tax Cut law they rammed through Congress.

"Damn their eyes!" say I, "It's all us middle and lower class suckers fault for not throwing every one of those parasites out of office." 

Yes, I'm vindictive, but okay, it's time for retribution!

A 90% top marginal rate on the millionaires!

Close every loophole anybody making more than $1,000,000 can get, every one of them!

Make ALL income taxed for SSI and Medicare, all of it! Institute Medicare for All!

Corporate Welfare, shut it down, and don't let them move money out of the country to avoid taxes, make them pay!

Up the Unions! Down with Corporate Greed!

If we can't defend ourselves with half the money we're shoveling into the DOD, we don't deserve to defend ourselves...so cut defense spending in half!

Hell, go look at Andrew Yang's Platform. He's got...er...forgive me for this, but he's got a "Chinaman's Chance" of getting elected, but I can get behind almost all of his platform points.  I'd like to see almost all his policies implemented no matter who ends up getting elected to Congress and the Presidency.

I'm going to donate some money to his campaign!

Eris' Portal To Sites: Well, I guess I should have worried!

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