No Hot Water :(

We were having trouble with our hot water heater before we left on our trip.  The pilot light would always go out, so before anybody took a shower, Matt had to go re-light it.

We got home Saturday and everybody went to go take showers Sunday morning before church and Matt realized it was still broken. He went the basement three times sunday morning to re-light it!

Sunday afternoon he was determined to fix it.  He knew what was wrong and knew what part he needed, so we stopped at Menard's and got the part.  Once Matt got home, he went downstairs and started tearing the hot water heater apart.  He got the old part out and realized that there was just a lot of sediment on the old part, so he cleaned it off and put it back on. He thought that would work and then we could take the new part back to Menard's.

When he went to fill the water heater back up, something happened to the pressure valve and it was now broke, so he went back to Menard's last night to get a new one.  Once he got home, he put it on and something happened somewhere else on the water heater and yet he needed ANOTHER new part!

Knowing that he had to work this morning, he went back to Menard's at 6 am, so he could get it all put back together before work.

Guess what? Menard's didn't carry the piece he needed!  He called me at 6:45 so I could get him the serial number because Menard's recommended that he should go to a plumbing store.

He went to a plumbing store and yet again, they did not have the part, so they sent him to another plumbing store.  They again did not have the part! They said they would check and see if they had anything compatible and give him a call later.  They haven't called all morning!

Matt's conclusion: Just buy a new water heater!!!

So since we have gotten home, I have washed NO laundry, washed NO dishes, and we got showers yesterday morning, but none since! 

If all else fails, we can always take showers in the camper. The water heater in there works great, but showers don't do us any good if we don't have clean clothes to wear! And to remind you, the last time I did laundry on our trip was over a week ago! We're going to run out of clothes fast!