Sunday, April 28, 2013

Not in any hot water this weekend

Weather was lousy this weekend so we didn't get much work done on the roofing project.  I am planning a big blog post on this roof project soon.
We decided this weekend we were going to start deep cleaning a couple rooms to prepare for move-in.  Celia wanted to use hot soapy water to clean off the window trim and baseboards so we decided to light the gas water heater.  He have owned this house for over a year and never had the hot water heater running.  And of course, it doesn't work. :(  The water heater is dated 2003 so it is already 10 years old.  The pilot light works fine, but the main burner never kicks in.  A little research shows that the problem is probably the gas valve/thermostat.

WORKAROUND:
Being clever, we decided to use the Keurig Vue coffee pot to brew us some hot water.


REPAIR:  The parts to repair the water heater would probably be close to $150 dollars.  A 50 gallon replacement would cost about $425.  And this is a 10 year old unit...  It has lots of rust down in the burner compartment due to basement flooding.  I don't think it is worth the investment or effort to repair it.

REPLACE:
A low-end 50 gallon replacement costs about $425.  That doesn't include extra plumbing parts like new cutoffs and gas fittings.  Replacing it with the same tank-style unit also doesn't address the issue of flood waters.
I am also considering upgrading to a tankless water heater.   While more expensive, it will mount up off the ground.  And since we have to rework some of the plumbing anyway, it wouldn't be any more difficult to install it.

We have our eye on the Navien NPE-210A http://www.navienamerica.com/Product/Category-NPE%20Series/Page1/Details/8
Anyone have any other suggestions?

CLEANING PROGRESS
Using our coffee pot's hot water, we cleaned the master bedroom and attached sitting room literally from ceiling to floor.
Cleaned the crystal chandelier


Master bedroom fireplace.  Notice the new mirror that I purchased on craigslist last week.
Pocket door trim all clean

Windows looking pretty good too!




Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Eastlake Mirror

We picked up a pretty cool eastlake style mirror on Craigslist. It is the type that would have originally been attached to a vanity or short dresser.  We are planning to put it on one of our fireplace mantles.  I think it was a pretty good deal at $30.