Yesterday our water heater sprung a leak.
It took me a few minutes to trip to the problem. I heard the pump going, but I’d just flushed a toilet and the washing machine was running. But the water kept going. I went in the bathroom to check the toilet, but it had stopped. I stood at the top of the stairs to listen for the washing machine, and it was in spin cycle. But the water was still running. So I went downstairs, and found a small lake forming on the basement floor.
Of course, it chose to do this right around the time I had to leave to pick up my son from school, so I couldn’t spend a long time tracking down the source of the flood. I turned off the house water, piled up old towels to form a dam around my new pond, and ran to grab my kid from school as quickly as possible. When I got back, the lake was slightly deeper and seeping out around the towel-dike, but it definitely originated from the base of the water heater.
So I did what any damsel in distress would do—I called for help.
Less than half an hour after the distress call had been sent, Al rode up in his trusty white steed.
He quickly determined that my water heater had become incontinent, and ran my garden hose from the still-draining tank to the back yard. Then he called for some more valiant knights to help him dispatch the beast and remove it from my dungeon.
Alas, they were unable to capture a new water heater before dark fell. Heroic Al promised to return early the next day with a new one. And like all good knights he was true to his word, and showed up early this morning with a new water heater, ready to be harnessed and put to work.
His job done, our gallant hero declined fanfare and ceremony, and was soon off on his trusty steed to assist others in need of rescue.
