My hot water heater started acting up recently. I like to luxuriate in the shower so when I realized that the water was getting cold much too quickly, I was irritated that I had yet another home maintenance issue to address.
A couple of weeks ago, when a fuze on my HVAC system blew, I asked the guy who fixed that system to take a look at my hot water heater while he was up there handling the HVAC. He told me that the water heater is “about to go” and that I need to plan to replace it. The cost would be about $400 to $500 for the water heater and about $200 for the labor.
The old me would have decided pretty promptly to go ahead and get the thing replaced. If I didn’t have the cash, I would have just put the water heater and associated labor on a credit card.
The new me, however, makes decisions more intentionally and thoughtfully. I knew right away that, since I hadn’t budgeted $700 in November to fix a hot water heater, and it wasn’t an emergency (after all, the water was still getting hot, just not as hot or for as long as I like), I wouldn’t be spending the money right away for the water heater. I’m working on my credit sobriety, so the use of a credit card isn’t an option.
(Don’t get me wrong – I’ve taken cold showers before. When I studied abroad in west Africa, a hot shower wasn’t even an option because there was no hot water in the home of my first homestay family. I can tolerate a cold shower; I just really, really don’t want to have to take one.)
Last weekend, because the water in the shower was getting cold so quickly, I decided to wash my hair in the kitchen sink. Then, after I washed my hair, I did something in the bathroom (can’t remember what it was) that caused me to run the water in that sink as well. I was concerned that my use of the water in the kitchen and in the bathroom might infringe upon my available hot water for my shower.
To my surprise, the exact opposite occurred. I ended up having plenty of water to luxuriate in the shower. I even ended my shower when I felt like it, with the water still being hot. I’m assuming that this had something to do with me having already had the water in the house flowing from the other faucets. I assure you, prior to this weekend, the cold water was truly an issue for me.
I’m not sure why this is happening, but I’m delighted. I had a guy look at my dishwasher about a year ago (doesn’t it seem like my whole house is falling apart?) and he noted that my dishwasher water doesn’t get hot unless I first run the water in the sink next to it. When I did a quick Google search, I learned from an article by thekitchn.com that “Especially in the winter, the pipes in our homes can get cold even if the water heater is working. Running hot water will clear out any cold water from the pipes and warm them up, which helps any appliance in [the] home get hot water faster.” Maybe that’s what’s going on with the water heater/water in the shower.
Now, whenever I want to take a shower, I first turn on the kitchen and bathroom sink faucets and let them run for awhile. Then, I have more than enough hot water.
If I can delay the replacement of the water heater, I can focus on pulling together the $8,000.
~ Single Girl
The reason this discovery is such a big deal for me is because having the hot water reduces the level of urgency for me with regard to the replacement of the water heater. Yes, I know I need to get it replaced and am working that into my plans. I’m also in the face of an $8,000 HOA assessment. I need to come up with that money by February. If I can delay the replacement of the water heater, I can focus on pulling together the $8,000.
What makes me happy is that I’m being thoughtful in how I solve these unexpected money problems instead of engaging in knee-jerk spending. This is different for me. Looks like the girl is turning over a new leaf.