The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!!!

The GOOD:

Plumber in attic:       Wow, you have a well built house!!
Nancy:                      Thank you!!  That's great to know!!

The BAD:

Plumber in attic:       Ohhhh, they didn't use the right type of flue material.
Nancy:                     Uh oh .....

The UGLY:

Plumber in attic:       That will have to be replaced, as well as the supply lines that aren't rated for this large a system (can you say flood in the attic?).  They also didn't put in a cleanout to service the unit.  If you don't fix that too, you will lose the entire thing in 4-5 years, about a $5,000 replacement.   Oh, and there are TWO heating units up here.
Nancy:                     Oh car-rumba!!  Well not exactly, but that's the nice way to put it.

The original reason for the call was this nice leak in the second bathroom.  Of course we know the explanation for this ... it's those lovely tablets that I use in the tank to keep from scrubbing endlessly on the bowl.  The tank portion of this I can replace myself ... the valve and water supply will be done by the plumber.  I plan on watching VERY closely to see if I can do this for the other two bathrooms should the need arise.  He did suggest that I use the latest and greatest gizmo that sticks a lump of blue goo on the side of the bowl.  His wife says it works good with no deterioration inside the tank.  I "could" use the tablets, but be sure and remove them if I'm not here for weeks at a time and plan on a toilet overhaul every couple of years.

The third problem was the reverse osmosis tank under my kitchen sink.  He said it needed to be replaced, as rusty water came streaming out of the bottom when he flipped it over.  Another $100.  The fourth problem, the bathroom shower faucet cartridge needs replacing.  Geez, nothing lasts like it used to!!  My house is only 10 years old for goodness sake!!!

I guess the problem I have here is how confident I am that this guy is not playing me, but what's a girl to do??  The company has been in business for many years, so I suppose they are being honest.  I hate being so distrustful, but once burned, twice shy.  I also plan on spending a lot of time on the internet looking up tankless hot water heaters.

To appease my stress from all this bad news, I dug out some of my cookbooks looking for high-sugar recipes.  There's nothing like two dozen pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to make a body feel better about bad news.

I know these aren't good for my diet, but I have a secret way to NOT overindulge.  Most go in Christmas cans in the freezer, unfrosted.  Since it's so time consuming to frost them, I usually eat them plain.  If I'm REALLY craving something decadent, I frost only a few at a time.  That way I can't get in trouble by eating an entire dozen!!!

I should have the estimate on the Ugly in a couple days ... I'll keep you posted!!