I am not ignoring you people, I could have been blown up..

[GoinBackToCali]

So, my gas bill has been astronomical, and it should be around $25 this time of year. The kid that reads the meter is kind of an a**, he has been mouthy and kicked at my dogs, instead of honking and asking me to out them away. I assumed he had taken to being lazy, and not reading the meter, just guess-timating.

I called the gas company to have someone come re-read the meter. So he did and apparently the meter was correct, so he checked for a gas leak.. next thing I know, he's yankin my meter and tells me *tough luck, you have to call a plumber, get a permit, get it inspected, then have us come turn it back on. The process can take about 2 weeks.*

I have no hot water and I cannot cook on my stove.

So we have been working with Ty's daddy, a contractor, who has been redoing everything. Originally, we were just gonna switch from gas to all electric, which would run around $1000.. because we were gonna have to rip up my floor and all that other jazz. So I called my friend Gary because I wasn't diggin this rewiring, and 10/2 and double breaker bull. Gary is an electrician, who dabbles in plumbing.. among other things. So we go back and forth for about 20 minutes, he tells me to get Rick on the horn..

They talk for about 45 minutes.. Me, Rick, Greg the contractor, and cousin Eddie the construction worker are all idiots. We were so consumed with NOT ripping up the floors that we were gonna spend all that money to rewire everything. Gary's solution? Leave the line we have now where it's at, cap it, run a new one, through the attic, for around $300 and spending a couple of days with Manual Labor...

We're idiots.. the whole lot of us..

Freezing well water showers are quite invigorating..

 

[seniorcats]

I feel your pain.... We run off our own gas well that's on the 'back 40'. The well was dug in the 1920's and had steel pipe running to the house. One deadly cold January the pipe collapsed - rusted from age. If I had walked down the road and lit a match, I could have blown up a few things. We had no gas for heat or cooking for over a week in one of the coldest winters on record until a temporary above ground line could be installed. We had to rent a pile of kerosene heaters to keep the pipes from freezing.

Trying to wash in water heated in a microwave - well, let's just say it doesn't work. Various neighbors took turns feeding us hot dinners for which I am eternally thankful. Paying for over 1,200 feet of new pvc pipe back to the well head was hard on the pocket, then there was the 'little joe', various safety regulators for pressure fluctuations and so on. I guess i can't complain too much because use about 150,000 cubic feet of gas a year and pay nothing for it. The cost of the new pvc and safety gear more than up for the free gas for about 2 years.

Hope you get the problem solved soon and get a good plumber who deals with gas issues.