LOOOONG fuckin story.
Like a week ago My steam boiler blew up! Like literally shot a couple pipes off it and the water level gauge. When I bought the house the inspector told me it would need to be replaced sooner than later because it was waaaay too rusty and the owner didn't take care of it. Plus it was from the 70's! It was literally a hazard IMO. But short sale...I'll wait until it blows up. And it did!
Put in a half of tank of oil, so it's the 1st fire up after a bleeding for the winter. It's been unusually warm here in Massachusetts thank goodness. I'm putting a load in the dryer, and something seemed off with the way the boiler sounded, so I walk over and BOOOOM! There's fuckin steam everywhere. RED scalding water is shooting out! My fire alarms start going off! Cats and Dogs living together! I was scared shitless.
MY dumbass moves toward the boiler thinking I can shut it off. That 1st hot water hit my black ass and I backed right the fuck up! I finally got to thinking straight, and turned the waster off at the main, and flipped the breakers for the whole fuckin house, since I couldn't see shit. Open the basement door. I'm fuckin stressed outta my mind at this point because I know how much a new boiler costs.
Fast forward a couple hours. I can get in the basement again after going out the basement door. It looks like fuckin Freddy vs Jason down there. Come to find out rust has been building up throughout the boiler and a secondary hot water tank. So rust water, which I thought would be brown is red. Looks like I murdered someone down there. I'm about to have s stroke I swear.
Bare with me here...
Fast forward a couple days. I get a few plumbers to come by to see if they can "fix" this shit. They all laugh at my ass. The lowest price was 9k if he can work after hours. Most expensive was 13k. I went with the 9k. Duh. And boy did I regret this. Not in the way you think though!
Plumber comes by to start cutting pipes etc. He brings his 10 Y.O son who is special needs. He's his helper. Cute kid. Speech impediment and you can tell there is something slightly off. But cute kid. So the plumber and his partner and the boy are down there a few hours. I go to check on them. His partner left so it's just the plumber and his son. Son asks me to use the bathroom. Off the living room kid. Wash your hands.
20 minutes later the boy has not returned from using the bathroom. Plumber calls his sons name thru the floor. "Let's go Billy!". The son responds "I'm trying!". Weird response but OK. I head upstairs. The boy shoots past me on the stairs. As I am walking upstairs I can smell the little bastard tore my bathroom up! I'm going to let that cool off a bit before I go clean the toilet after him. (I can't stand people using my toilet).
I head to my bedroom. An hour has passed. Plumber and son are long gone. BUT! The smell isn't going away. I head to the bathroom, but before I can get there...From my KITCHEN to the living room to the bathroom there is a trail of SHIT on my floor. It was a scene out of Daddy Day Care in my bathroom! There was shit on the floor! Shit on the walls! Shit on the sink! Shit on TOP of the toilet! Shit everywhere! I have the lowest of low constitutions, and run to the kitchen sink to throw up! Disgusting I know. But it's what was there.
I can't clean this up. Call my mother from upstairs, and show/explain. She can't stop laughing and says I am on my own! She comes back with bleach, gloves, mask etc. I can't call the plumber directly to have him clean up this shit, because it's through a service. I'm on my own.
Two hours and two bottles of bleach, rolls of paper towels later, I am done.
I have been shot. I have been stabbed. I have had meningitis. I have had a spinal tap. I even had someone try and cut my throat! This was more painful than all of those!
The next morning the plumber calls me, and says he left his wrench somewhere over my house. I say I will look for it, and let him know if I find it. I say NOTHING about his son shitting all over my house! Why you may ask? My daughter is special needs, and when she was like five Y.O, I had a similar situation. She made a mess in an ex friends bathroom, and he went nutzo in front of everyone. It's an embarrassing situation to be in. I wasn't going to be an asshole. Plus there was zero reason to mention it since I had cleaned up. Thoroughly. PLUS I know he had to have known his son made a mess. They were in the same truck! If my house was any indication, he knew his son had made a mess. PLUS he was clearly fishing my response with the lost tool thing. Come on.
He calls me again to ask me about the tool like a couple hours later. "Nope, didn't see it". He then stutters and says he mean to say he found it! Come on. He comes back that night with his partner. No son. He's a little awkward when I let him in the basement at this point. I still say nothing.
They finally get the old boiler moved after a third guy comes to help. They just start cleaning up, and will order the boiler soon as I give them the next deposit.
That night the plumber calls me. Tells me if I don't mind, he has a boiler that is less than 6 years old. Will sell it to me for 1k. Work installing will be another 3k. He uses some of the piping. I'm skeptical. But I say let's see how good/bad shape it's in, and I will decide. PLUS I don't pay him until it's running a week. He brings it the next night. It's smaller, definitely a newer model. How old I have no idea. Well compared to the old boiler, it's from the future! He says he will give me in writing 5 years of him replacing/fixing the boiler. Cool! They install it next day.
Been a week, Small leak that I can see. I THINK the new Amazon thermostat isn't the right type of thermostat. (I just snagged an old analog thermostat to replace the Amazon). I have to set the temp like 4 degrees lower than what I want in the house. According to the thermostat, it's 71 in the house. It's definitely hotter. BUT my god. It's been running a week, and my oil gauge hasn't moved! Plus the radiators are 100% filled with steam. Quiet as a mouse, and just seem to be...working better all around. He's coming today to install the new thermostat/look at sensor and fix the the leak.
I know some of you guys are plumbers. Worth 4k?
Here's the old boiler after the aftermath!
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