Word to the Wise
Today I had a pretty good day at work-- the best one all week, in fact, considering the amount of drama that has been going on around there lately. I worked late, just trying to catch up on a few things, since DD was also going to be home late tonight.
As I drove home in this freezing weather, I thought about how warm and cozy I was going to get, curled up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Little did I know what was waiting for me at home.
I opened the garage door, only to be shocked by the gallons of water spewing from the burst pipe and the flood of water covering the floor. The only thing I could think to do through my panic was to run upstairs, grab a towel, and do my best to stifle the water flow, until I could figure something out. I fumbled around, looking at the pipes, trying not to get completely drenched, and trying to figure out if any of the two valves I had access to would turn it off...no luck. I hated to do it, but I went ahead and called my dad, knowing DD was busy at work and not able to get home anytime soon. Luckily, my dad was at home and was able to come over right away.
When my dad arrived, I was scratching around in the grass and in the dark, trying to find the water meter cover. A few minutes later, we found it, and tried desperately to get the cover off. As it turns out, the damn thing was still locked from when the water in the house was turned off while it was in foreclosure. Finally, my dad gave up and went into the garage to try to figure out where the valve was that would turn it off. And what do you know? He walked over, found the valve, and turned it. Then I said, "Oh." And we both laughed out loud.
Then he said, "One thing you should know about owning a home is that you should turn off the water valve that goes outside to the hose when it gets cold."
Good to know.
I vacuumed up the several inches of water that covered the back half of the garage, picked up the few items that needed to dry off and placed them away from the puddles of water, and made it upstairs just in time to get in my pj's, cuddle up with a blanket and chicken noodle soup, and watch my two favorite shows while I defrosted. It could have been a lot worse, and I can't even begin to say how happy I am that we still have hot water right now.
As I drove home in this freezing weather, I thought about how warm and cozy I was going to get, curled up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Little did I know what was waiting for me at home.
I opened the garage door, only to be shocked by the gallons of water spewing from the burst pipe and the flood of water covering the floor. The only thing I could think to do through my panic was to run upstairs, grab a towel, and do my best to stifle the water flow, until I could figure something out. I fumbled around, looking at the pipes, trying not to get completely drenched, and trying to figure out if any of the two valves I had access to would turn it off...no luck. I hated to do it, but I went ahead and called my dad, knowing DD was busy at work and not able to get home anytime soon. Luckily, my dad was at home and was able to come over right away.
When my dad arrived, I was scratching around in the grass and in the dark, trying to find the water meter cover. A few minutes later, we found it, and tried desperately to get the cover off. As it turns out, the damn thing was still locked from when the water in the house was turned off while it was in foreclosure. Finally, my dad gave up and went into the garage to try to figure out where the valve was that would turn it off. And what do you know? He walked over, found the valve, and turned it. Then I said, "Oh." And we both laughed out loud.
Then he said, "One thing you should know about owning a home is that you should turn off the water valve that goes outside to the hose when it gets cold."
Good to know.
I vacuumed up the several inches of water that covered the back half of the garage, picked up the few items that needed to dry off and placed them away from the puddles of water, and made it upstairs just in time to get in my pj's, cuddle up with a blanket and chicken noodle soup, and watch my two favorite shows while I defrosted. It could have been a lot worse, and I can't even begin to say how happy I am that we still have hot water right now.
posted by Bean at
10:25 PM
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