When we thought things couldn't be worse than no heat on the coldest day of the year so far, we woke up yesterday morning with no heat AND no water. I called our water utility company who didn't seem concerned and then confirmed with our neighbors that they all did have running water. The assumption was that there was a frozen pipe somewhere outside and we would just have to wait for it to warm up enough to thaw. Luckily we have a water cooler so had plenty of 5 gallon water jugs sitting around.
The furnace was thankfully replaced by late afternoon so we finally had heat again. We still did not have water so we were trying to make plans for the next few days. Since we assumed that the frozen pipe was outside, we were thinking about staying with my parents until Monday. We decided though that we'd stay home one more night just in case it came back on. Definitely a good decision!
A couple hours after the heat came back on, my parents took Ellie out to dinner. Lori and I were sitting on the couch with Audrey when we heard this loud noise and then a huge rush of water. We jumped up knowing that the water must be coming back and then suddenly water started pouring out of our ceiling and vents! We turned off the water to the house and unplugged the electric appliances nearby while just watching water pour into our living room and dining room.
My parents got home from dinner right before the fire department arrived. We watched the firemen tear down parts of our ceiling until they found the burst pipe. Such a tiny little crack! Once they found the pipe and could confirm that there was no electrical risk, they told us it was okay to stay here for the night. The plumber is coming this morning to repair the pipe and then we'll have a contractor out to do the ceiling repair. The carpet is soaked so we don't yet know if it will need to be replaced. We will call our homeowners' insurance carrier as soon as they're open and see what we need to do.
It was hard to believe this in the moment, but we are very lucky. We happened to be home and sitting in the room when the pipe burst so the water was turned off within 30 seconds. We had few things sitting directly under the water. Ellie wasn't home when it happened. My parents were here to help with everything. We have amazing neighbors. Most importantly, no one was hurt.
So what we though would be a nice three day weekend with no major plans has so far included no heat, a new furnace, no water, and a burst pipe. Remind me, what are the benefits of owning again?!?
Hope your weekend is going better! :-)
7 comments:
Hang in there! You're right: things definitely could have been worse. You are all fine, if traumatized, but fine. The bed you sleep in is warm and dry. Thank goodness!!!
Holy Waterpipe, Batman!!!
Wow, like you said, 'good thing everyone was where they were.
I hope your insurance will cover it all.
We'll all stay tuned.
Love,
Dad/Grandpa Clark
Thank goodness for homeowner's insurance...
And yes it could have been so much worse. Hope the rest of the weekend treats you better :)
Ahhh, getting ready to go to bed and we have heat and water!
Very adventerous, to say the least. Thanks everyone for your help and support. You know who you are. (That includes our neighbors who let us fill up 5 gallon water jugs so we could operate our toliets, and who offered us blankets and food, etc.)
We are going to sleep well tonite.
Lori
Wow, considering the circumstances, it sounds like everything else went right (you were home, no electrical fire risks, parents around to help out...) Hopefully you can your house back in order quickly!!
Yes, it could have been MUCH worse. These are the moments that aren't fun to live through, but make good stories to reminisce upon.
Wow - thank you. Like your writing too, great family you have.
Cheers and nice to be introduced to you.
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