Polar Bear Shower Club

I would just like to start this post by saying how absolutely fantastic our new landlord is. I'm not being sarcastic, either. He really is great.

On Monday, when I got up to take a shower, the water was freezing. I let it run for a minute or two while I brushed my teeth, figuring it just needed to heat up since it hadn't been used all night. It was kind of strange though, because the first shower I took was boiling. I had to put the water temperature turner thing on the cold side, just so my skin wasn't covered with burn welts. In fact, I burned my hand during the first load of laundry I did, so I knew the potential of the water heater. After I was done brushing and flossing, the water still hadn't warmed up, so I woke Jon up and asked him to see what was wrong. The water heater had a really weird timer on it that we couldn't figure out exactly how to work, so I hoped Jon could fiddle with it enough to give me some warm water. I began to wash my hair, teeth chattering all the way. Still freezing. Long story short, I ended up taking a really cold shower. It turned out that the water heater kept popping the circuit breaker.

So that night, we left a message for our landlord, who we knew was on vacation, so we didn't expect to hear back from him for a few days. We didn't really mind because if we had to, we could go back to the mold box that we used to live in and shower there. Plus, this is Arizona in summer, it's not like a cold shower is the most horrible thing that can happen to you. Not 10 minutes later, the landlord called us back, at night from his vacation and told us he had called a plumber and they would come between 5:30 and 6:00 PM the next day!

Unbelievably, the plumber came at the promised time! Apparently, the water heater is 23 years old, and the plumber didn't have any replacement parts in stock. A quick call to the landlord later, and we are getting a brand new water heater installed today!!! We have to pay the plumber $65.00 today, and then, I can't believe this part, we are supposed to just take $65.00 off our next month's rent! If this had happened at the house we just moved out of, our water heater would have gotten replaced three weeks, 7 phone calls, and 1 letter stating the rental company was in violation of the Tempe Tenant/Landlord Act (which they would probably refute because the rental office isn't in Tempe) later, with a used water heater made in 1984. Actually, not only the house we just moved out of, but any place I have ever rented from in the past. This new place is seriously the best place I have ever lived in since moving out of my parents' home. When stuff breaks there, they fix it like this wonderful landlord does! Geez! He's even on vacation!!!

If all goes well tonight, I'll be taking a nice warm shower tomorrow, which is good because it looks like the shampoo I'm using really needs warm water in order to rinse out all the way. I wish I could report we have had this kind of luck with cable and internet, but you know Cox. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up soon.