Getting into hot water

Our water heater burst Tuesday morning, which was bad because:

1. We like hot water. It is good for skin and laundry.

2. When water leaks, it tends to go somewhere, usually down. On the ground.

However, the situation was not made worse because:

1. Gym memberships come with free hot showers. They should advertise that.

2. The water heater is set aside in a closet-like room with a concrete floor. So the water damage is fairly limited.

3. The damn thing is covered under a home warranty. The local plumbing service replaces the unit for free and all we pay a $45 dispatching fee.

Well, almost. Reality (and the law) set in Wednesday afternoon when the service provider explained to me that in the city of Las Vegas, you need a permit and earthquake straps before you can have a new water heater installed. (Earthquake straps? Really? Are they still worried about Lex Luthor's dastardly plan from the first Superman movie?) The service provider said that he could do those things that day for an extra $350. We said no thanks, see ya tomorrow, we'd take care of that ourselves.

Off to the nearest Clark County Building Department office. Yuck. Not as intimidating as the DMV, or as depressing as the Social Security office, but certainly the most confusing, with the sheer number of differently-purposed counters -- each with its own line -- and an unattended info desk tucked away in the corner. Equally intimidating were the other applicants, most of which were carrying blueprints and other detailed information for their projects. (I didn't even bring a pen.)

My father and I trusted our instincts and got into the 2 necessary lines, so that he was in front of the issuing line by the time my application was ready and approved. We hightailed it out of there and picked up the earthquake straps from Home Depot. Total cost: under $34. Just remind me never to go into construction law.

Today was a comparative breeze. The service provider waived the $50 disposal fee, probably because a broken water heater has aftermarket scrap value, and installed a newer, more efficient water heater. We probably got the value of the annual home warranty premium off this one incident. And I'm loving the fact that I can shower at home again. In fact, I'm showering right now.