not in hot water

Why, you ask? Let me tell you, my friends, it is because our hot water heater was not working. Well, technically (as my loving husband likes to point out) it was working, but it was leaking out of this pipe-thing sticking off the side. You could look at it and see it was 20-25 years old and so I figured that it would be smarter to just, you know, replace the water heater instead of just that little pipe thing. I had support from my dad who agreed that we needed a new one because the old one was, well, old. And from my step-dad who said that it was probably 50% full of sediment and stuff. And really, how hard can a water heater be to replace? A Saturday project at best one would think.

Clearly, I have no idea what I'm talking about since I don't even know what that pipe-thing sticking off the side is called.

So the original project for the weekend was to replace this little log type low retaining wall on the back patio that oozes dirt every time it rains with some lovely landscape block that my aunt and uncle so generously gave us. 2 years ago. We are a little slow on the home improvement thing. Well, it ended up raining all week and was just too wet to be trying to set in landscape block. So I chime in, "Hey, how about you replace the water heater?" My dad and J. agree and head off to Lowe's. I suggested that they go to Menard's (a locally owned chain), but they went to Lowe's because it is closer. We really didn't do any research about hot water heaters and such, just the prices. Which were all about the same. One would figure that you would get the same type of quality for the same money at any of the major home improvement stores. WRONG.

So they come home with a lovely shiny new Whirlpool FlameLock water heater. I won't go into details about the numerous trips to the neighborhood hardware store to buy this or that as they were trying to install it. Or even about the little blowtorch that engulfed in flames (also from Lowe's) and almost killed my step-dad. Or that despite using the liquid copper sealer stuff as well as sodering with a new non-flame-engulfing blowtorch, the thing still leaked water from several places. No, let me just focus on the true crime here. This particular brand of water heater. Oh, People, please google this thing before buying. I implore you. It is insanely heinous that Lowe's even continues to carry a product that has been causing nothing but grief since the beginning of this decade. This is exclusively sold at Lowe's and was the only kind of water heater available at Lowe's. NUTS, I tell you! I don't know how with good conscience I am going to be able to continue to shop at a store that sells something it knows is a PIECE OF CRAP. HOW?????????? WHY?????????? Do they have no morals? I think not.

Orange is my favorite color anyway. Guess where I'm going to shop from now on?

There is more to our Saturday, but I will have to post that later. I give you a teaser though ~ Mommy freaked the f*ck out.