Wednesday, June 3, 2009

#@$%^!!!

Well, good news and bad news.

Good news: Al the Propane Guy actually showed up early. He installed all the propane line, and it's all pressure-tested and ready to go, and now I can cover up the frig gosh-darn trench beside the barn that's been an unwelcome element in my life for nearly a year.

Bad News: Al the Propane Guy actually showed up early. He then told me about yet another thing I have to do with the water heater before he'd agree to leave some actual fucking propane. GAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!

I'm no contractor, as you may have noticed. But I spent two decades - parts of three, actually - as Mr. Prosperous Suburban Man. In that time I've installed probably five or six water heaters, here and there; it's not rocket science. And in all that time I have never - not once - been required to vent the water heater to the outdoors.

Never.

Not once.

I really hate that guy. He could have mentioned it before; he seems to take perverse pleasure in coming all the way out here and then not delivering propane.

Good news: One of the stakeholders is due Friday afternoon, answered his phone on the first try, and agreed to buy and deliver the vent pipe and (yet another) hole saw I need for the installation. So I can have the venting done this weekend.

Bad News: Al the Propane Guy is going on vacation next week, so the earliest I can conceivably hope to finish this Project That Does Not End is the week after. What new legal requirement will I trip over then? Damned if I know: Stay tuned.

3 comments:

The Landlady said...

Damnit! (heavy sigh)

PintofStout said...

While sewer lines were being installed in my town last summer, the contractor hit a big gas main and we were all shut off. When they had it repaired and came door to door to turn it all back on, we were out getting dinner. So I had to call the gas company, wait for two or three hours in the morning for them to arrive (while losing hours at work) only to have him tell me most of my gas connections in the house were not up to code (go figure, my house is about 125 yrs old - older than the gas service) so he tagged everything and wouldn't restart a few things. I promptly started everything up and cussed the man and his mother before leaving quite late for work. Moral of the story is I know where you're coming from...figuratively speaking.

C.M. said...

Once upon a time my DH was a Gas/Oil Heating and Air conditioning Mechanic. When times were slow his boss would tell the service guys if they wanted more work they should go thru their maintenance agreements and while at the yearly check up find stuff that isn't up to snuff, shut it down at their discretion and offer a "discounted" price for equipment and installation.

He didn't stay in residential very long, to much of a racket....