teresa

Well I have plenty to update the universe about, but I am going to focus my energy on our recent problems that got us into hot water.

You see our shower was working fine but slowly overtime the availability of hot water was less and less.  About a week before Krista was coming to visit it plain ran out of hot water!  It was funny because on Friday we could barely get any hot water but neither of us thought it was a major problem, we just thought our neighbors had gotten up early and done all of their dishes and enjoyed a bath.  So we went out of town for the weekend.  On Monday morning I got up to take my shower and there wasn’t a drop of hot water.  At this point I realized we had our own hot water heater and it indeed was not working.  I called the emergency maintenance number (we live in an apartment so all of this stuff is part of our over priced rent which is nice) and a man answered as if he wasn’t out of bed yet at 7am.  He said he would come but he was in Livermore so it would be 20 mins.  I dressed and waited for him.  He relit the pilot light and said it was probably the thermostat.  I would have hot water if I gave it a bit to heat up but it would likely again stop working.  I took my hot shower, went to work, and he did come back and replace the thermostat, but the hot water has never been quite right.  About 1/2 way through the shower you have to turn the valve all the way over to hot to get any hot water.

So Elliott and I lived with it functioning poorly the rest of the week when I realized Krista was coming and as house guest would probably not be as excited about the hit miss hot shower.  I called the maintenance department and they said they would come by while we were at work.  When we got home there was a note on a “Notice of Entry” stating “checked all of faucets for hot water, all are fine and water heater too.”  Well that wasn’t very nice.  I call and say its not working, they come by and say, yes it is.

We got through the weekend ok, with the valve turned all the way over.  Although I Krista thought where am I staying, in fact she said that out loud once when she realized we didn’t have a coffee maker.  On top of that, no TV…. 

Monday we called maintenance again.  This time I asked the lady to please not let the guy just leave me a note that says its working, because its not, perhaps he should try showering to see what it does.  I think she understood my frustration.  So the next “Notice of Entry” says “tested all faucets and water heater, no problems was found.  Please call me @ 555-1212 (number changed to protect the innocent) if any more problems.  Note I set the water heater t-stat on hi”.  The changing of the t-stat temp was my idea, which was a nice touch. So now what, the shower is really really hot before it turns cold and we have to turn the valve all the way over to hot half way through the shower.

So… we are signing our next year lease, yes we have been here 1 year, crazy, and have committed to stay in this apartment another year, crazy.  And the lady asks how is everything going?  I tell her what an ordeal we have had with the shower.  She says our head guy will be in tomorrow I will send him over.  So 5/13 “Notice of Entry” says “replaced the bath shower mix cartridge, replaced A/C filter and fixed the front lock.”  The filter was a nice thought.  The lock we asked them to look at as well.  The mix cartridge, have no idea what it is, but apparently it has something to do with letting water leak out of the faucet when it is turned off, so I have relocated my tupperware to the shower so I can collect the leak as evidence.

This morning it was barely leaking, right now, one drop drop after another.

Can’t wait to see what the next notice of entry says, but I have a feeling we may get but another mix cartridge.