catastrophic failure

yup

it’s quite the story.

we got up at 4:30, in the hopes of being out the door to go to the arts & crafts festival by 5:15. everything seemed to be going well, then, just as we were about to leave, i remembered i had printed out an inventory last night, but never got it from the printer.

the moment i got to the basement door, i new something was wrong. i could smell water. down the stairs i went, and there, at the foot of the stairs, was water. lots of water. lots and lots of water. it was just a bit over inch, but it was across half the basement. the water heater had suffered a catastrophic failure, and was hemorrhaging water. i ran *splashed* to the main water shut off, and closed the valve. i called doug down.

we moved a few things, though really there wasn’t much at floor level that could get damaged. mostly we moved plastic bins just to be safe. the padded mats around my cutting table were floating. all i could think was “well, i wanted to be a home owner, and you are not truly a home owner until you have an exploding appliance story.”

we had to leave, now more then ever we needed the money. so off we went, with the water in the basement. i called the plumber. the answering service answered, and i left a message. the plumber called back, and we made a plan. after helping me set up at the festival, doug would stop at home depot, buy a wet / dry vac, and go home to dry out the basement. he would then call the plumber back and the plumber would talk him through shutting off the water heater so he could turn the water back on to the house. we would only have cold water, but the toilets would flush and we could wash faces and hands at least. they would also set an appointment for the plumber to come and install a new water heater. thankfully, they had been at the house a few months ago and had looked at it and given me an estimate for replacing it, as ours was from 1997, and therefor had long outlived it’s lifespan. we were just hoping we could wait until doug got a contract.

so, the plumber will be by tomorrow morning. here is the estimate from a few months back:
50 gallon gas water heater ~ 6 year warranty $1400.00
3″ to 4″ flu increase (for code) $251.15
permits (never use a plumber who doesn’t get permits) $100.00
grounding kit $75.00

you do the math. i can’t bring myself to say it.

so…on with the festival.

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well, the girls had a good time.

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the other vendors near us were very nice and fun.

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the food was cheap.

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the turn out was abysmal, and those who did show did not spend.

the other vendors said this festival is normally better then it was today. non of them did well either. most of us didn’t even make enough to pay the table fee. i certainly do not take any joy in others not doing well, but it was nice to know the problem was not with me.

well, i still have reservations for 2 street fairs, and the next one is one that the other vendors were saying is the best one of the summer, so we will see.

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we did end up getting home in time for a late dinner. though vada had played hard and was hard to roust for food.

so what do i take from today? remembering my major depression disorder, knowing i need to not fall into the abyss, what do i take away?

thank the lord i forgot to get the inventory out of the printer until this morning, and that i already had found a great plumber and had already gotten an estimate for a new water heater, knowing this one was on the cliff’s edge. thank me for putting things in the basement in a manner so that if it flooded up to several inches, nothing important would be damaged. thank me again for having a dehumidifier. i have over a month before the next street fair, and i have plenty of inventory  so i can focus on my patterns, and not have to make more inventory. i have tons of stuff to put for sale over at insanitea! we did have a fun day (once we got to the festival.) i am so glad we were able to get the water back on in the house, even if it is just cold.

oh, and i really wish the paterson board of ed and the paterson education association could come together and get us a contract already!

it could be worse. it could always be worse.

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