"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
12 September 2007Cold shower time"Oh, yeah?" I hear you ask. "New neighbor with disdain for clothing? High-definition smut? An actual, God help us, girlfriend?" None of the above. What I have is a massive gas leak in the back yard, and the flow has been shut off pending replacement of the line. How massive? This past month's gas consumption was 5.6 dekatherms. That's a December kind of number. This time last year, consumption was about 1.0. If nothing else, this explains the humongous-for-summer gas bills, which I attributed to, well, all those extra showers made necessary by a plethora of yard work — until I reviewed the water bills, which had not gone up despite actual sprinkler use. So I'm out mowing the back yard, and the stuff (actually, the stuff they put in it so you can smell it) hits me square in the face. I call the gas company, and they dispatched a chap who duly traced a direct path from the meter to the house and found no trace of gas. "It wasn't along there that I smelled it," I insisted, and eventually the truth of the matter was discovered: the gas line isn't where your geometry teacher would have put it, but dog-legged like the 12th hole at Southern Hills, if nowhere near as long. Next step: they dig up the old line, install a new one. (I have been told that the gas meter will be relocated closer to the house.) How long this will take is anybody's guess, so until then: cold showers. Posted at 7:00 AM to SurlywoodMy dad used to live in a trailer in western Oklahoma, and when the hot water heater would go out (which happened quite often) we'd boil water and fill the bathtub with 4-5 of the biggest pots we had full of boiling water, then wait for it to cool down and take a "bath." I was known to take the ladle in there and spoon water over my head so I could have a "shower." Good times, growing up in the country. Posted by: Nate at 10:51 AM on 12 September 2007Nate, how can Chaz boil the water if he has no gas? (I assume you use gas for cooking?) If you're not, I have 2 words for you: electric kettle. Plug in, boil water, pour in the tub. Repeat as necessary. Posted by: Tat at 4:01 PM on 12 September 2007I do, in fact, have an electric range. On the other hand, I don't relish the thought of carrying a couple of Dutch ovens full of boiling water into the bathroom, especially since I'm at best half-awake at that hour. Posted by: CGHill at 4:31 PM on 12 September 2007As of this afternoon: no discernible progress. Posted by: CGHill at 5:16 PM on 12 September 2007You don't have to wait for boiling water to cool down. Just fill up the tub 1/2 or 1/3 or whatever (you do the math) with boiling water, top it off with cold water from the spout, and make sure to mix the two thoroughly with a big spoon or spatula or something before climbing in. I've had more than one apartment in my life where I had to do that for brief periods. It's one big point in favor of having an electric stove and a gas water-heater or vice versa. Posted by: Dr. Weevil at 6:06 PM on 12 September 2007One of those rare times when it's bad to not have gas... Posted by: McGehee at 8:52 PM on 12 September 2007On the upside (what little there is): with the threat from leaking gas gone, I was able to finish mowing the back yard. Posted by: CGHill at 9:07 PM on 12 September 2007 |