When It Rains in the Basement, It Pours (Literally)

That happened last week, and while I would like to be sad about it all (and our wallets are definitely lighter) but, I have to say we are lucky the way everything turned out

Last Thursday, I had plans to meet two of my gal pals for dinner. When Brian walked in the door, he was greeted with hugs and kisses hello from the kids and myself. Then, on nights where I have to go out, Brian and I go over dinner for the kids, bedtime, and he usually asks me if laundry needs to be switched up before I leave (I’m one lucky lady). I was finishing up getting ready, and Brian went to finish switching up the laundry when I hear, “Erin, could you come down here for a minute?”

I walk downstairs to our unfinished basement and there is a line of water running along the drywall. UGH!!! We immediately go into panic mode, and begin the investigation of where it is coming from. After a few minutes of poking around with flashlights, and following water, we saw that it was definitely coming from the water heater.

We were actually both a little relieved that our basement wasn’t flooding and that getting a new water heater is one of those things that just happens with home ownership. We knew ours was getting up there in age, and it was probably time. Also, when you know (several) people who have had major flooding in their basement in the last year due to rain, you are thankful that you just a little dripping from an old water heater.

Despite the need for a new water heater we were grateful.

Brian insists that I go out to dinner, and that he will call around and figure out how to get a water heater here soon. I headed out for some much needed girly conversation. While I am out, and with the help of 21st century modern technology, Brian texts me that everything is taken care of and after reading reviews online, and calling around he was able to have Lowes deliver and install our new water heater sometime tomorrow. HOORAY!!!

I had a playdate scheduled for the next day, but we didn’t need hot water for that. Also, Brian said he would be home in time to meet the installers. There was no need to cancel our playdate. So, my friend, Colleen, and her three children came over for the day just as planned.

The next day, Brian got home from work early to over see the installation just as myself, my friend, Colleen, and our six kids sat down to lunch.

All was right with the world. Brian was coming home early from work to help with water heater installation. My three children were happily playing with three of their best friends. Colleen and I were enjoying spinach salad with berries and goat cheese (recipe coming soon). It was a great summer afternoon. I even had a craft planned. Sounds like fun, right? Sounds organized, right? Sounds… almost too perfect, right?

It was. The clouds were starting to roll in.

Brian lets the the Lowes installer in the house, and he leads the installer downstairs to our sub-basement. A few minutes later, Brian is standing in the dining room while we are finishing up lunch. I just assumed that the installer is down in the basement doing his thing. Well, you know what they say about assuming things, right?

That is when Brian says, “The installer is gone.”

There was a crack of thunder. “WHAT?!,” I reply.

“He said this is definitely a two person job, and they only sent him. He said he couldn’t do it all today, and that we should call Lowes to figure it out.”

Figure it out? Ok, minor setback. No worries. Brian calls Lowes, and Colleen and I start cleaning up lunch and trying to get the kids to take naps.

This is when the lightening started up. Needless to say, the kids didn’t nap. They were too wound up and excited to be together.

Then, more thunder. Also, after Brian talked to Lowes, they said, “Sure, we can send a two man crew out, as early as Monday.” Just to get you up to speed that is THREE days away. Three days without hot water, with kids in the house who need baths.

While, we probably could have waited it out, our real problem was with how Lowes handled the installation problem. Instead of the installer calling from our house and working with his supervisor to get a time later in the day or even tomorrow. He basically told us we were out of luck, and then left.

But, the clouds had started to clear up a bit. Brian calls Home Depot. He is on the phone for a few minutes, and our problem was solved. Home Depot said they can have a GE water heater out to us tomorrow. Brian calls back Lowes and cancels the previous order. Also, while the kids hadn’t gotten much rest, they were playing wonderfully, snacking on Goldfish crackers and taking turns with a craft I had planned for them.

Things are looking up, and it looks like a the sun may come out again. Colleen and I get the kids settled with a movie, and start cleaning up paint. Brian is in the sub-basement. I invite everyone to stay for dinner, so Colleen calls to order pizzas. Everyone was happy and content.

I take all the paint brushes upstairs to rinse them off. I am happily rinsing, thinking, “What a lovely day. Sure, the water heater is a bummer, but in the grand scheme of things it will be alright.” That is when I hear yelling. I can hear Brian from the basement yelling something, and Colleen starts shouting, “Erin, Brian says shut the water off!”

“Why, is everything ok?”

No, it wasn’t.

I run downstairs and it is pouring in our basement. This is not a metaphor this time. Literally, a full on storm in our sub basement. Brian is standing with a bucket directly under where our kitchen sink is on the the upper level. He is wet, and everything underneath the leak is wet. EVERYTHING! Boxes, bags of baby clothes, old toys, everything.

I start getting garbage bags, and dumping wet things into them. Brian has towels and starts wiping up the moisture.

We do our best to clean up, while Colleen helps with the kids who are starting to get a little unruly because of lack of sleep.

Brian does a little investigation under the kitchen sink, and finds that the sprayer on the faucet is completely shot and the kitchen faucet needs to be replaced. Basically, any time we would turn on the water it would rain in the basement.

So at this point in the day, we have 6 hungry and tired children, no hot water, and zero ability to use the kitchen sink. Needless to say, we cracked open some beers with our pizza that night!

After a long weekend of repairs, and cleaning up everything is alright. The hot water heater came the next day. Brian and I picked out a new faucet, and he installed it and so far everything is working fine.

We decided it was lucky that our hot water heater was broken and then the installer cancelled because then Brian might not have been in the basement when the kitchen faucet started to leak into the basement, and we might not have noticed for hours or even the next day that it was raining in our basement.(that is what we keep telling ourselves anyway).

However, sometimes when it rains in the basement, it pours… literally.