Week Nineteen was April Fool's week. Mark had some fun with us; the plumber had even more!
We're doing a tankless cold water heater system in the house. It's a demand system, which means there's no 40 gallon tank taking up space somewhere in the house. Instead, there's a small copper coil that's heated as water passes through. It doesn't start heating until it senses a demand, i.e. someone turns on a faucet and requests hot water. We'd originally planned on using an electric demand water heater, but Mark talked to a mechanical engineer friend of his, who said the electrical requirements for an electric water heater were phenomenal. Like about 120 amps out of a 200 amp service. Shut off all the other major appliances if you even plan on running the dishwasher at the same time you take a shower.
Mark suggested a gas heater instead, and after reviewing stuff on the internet, I concurred. (And I do mean "I," as Leisa is busy planning the wedding that's five weeks away and is leaving these details to me.) It's cool, as the heater can be mounted outside, and it won't take up any space in the house. Mark called me Tuesday morning and asked what I thought about the gas heater. I told him I thought it would be okay. He said this brand of heater is available locally, and told me that he was on his way to get one. There were two places in town that sold them.
I'm feeling pretty good about the selection, and the decision to go with a gas heater. Mark called me back a little while later and told me that the plumbing supply place wouldn't sell it to him--that they would only sell to a plumber certified by the manufacturer to install the thing. He told me he was going to go to another plumbing place, instead, and see if they'd sell it to him.
Mark called me back an hour or so later and told me that the only thing the second place would do was give him a list of plumbers who are certified to purchase and install the accursed thing. I expressed dismay at this revolting development. Mark then laughed at me and said "April Fool's!" They sold it to him, no questions asked. Mark has this total deadpan delivery into which I totally bought. Now I know how Leisa feels.
As Wink Martindale used to say, "turnabout is fair play." I figured I needed to pull something on Mark. Jim and I went over to the house at about 3:30 the same afternoon to check it out. We found the $1000 water heater sitting next to an open door where any of the homeless guys that wander the alley, searching the dumpsters, could swipe it for the $30 worth of copper it contained. We moved it into the shed. I had plans of calling Mark and asking where it was. I didn't get around to it, but the plumber did it for me. He apparently arrived at the house shortly after Jim and I left and started looking for the water heater. It wasn't where Mark said he left it, and he told Mark he couldn't find it. Mark was worried. The plumber said he'd look in the shed. Mark worried for a few minutes until Tony called him back and said that it was, indeed, in the shed.
That wasn't the only joke, though. The plumber played several more "jokes" on me as the week progressed.
Let's go to the pictures, now, shall we!