Came home tonight from some pleasant conversation and coffee with a friend to find water spewing from the bottom of the Mobile Command Unit. I quickly open it up to find water pump running continuously and the water just pouring out of the water heater. I quickly turn off the water pump and assess the damage. It wasn’t too bad because it seems I caught it early before it used all the water in the fresh water tank (20 gallons) and just needed to soak up all the water. That is the good news. The bad news is that the seal on the water heater where the heating element is inserted has been deteriorating for a while and could no longer create a seal to hold in the water. After emptying the water that was left in the tank and removing the heating element it was easy to see that the threads on the element are totally worn away on one side causing the leak.
It does seem like there is just one thing going wrong after another…well actually that is what is happening, but since I have resolved to see this through to the end, short of the Mobile Command Unit burning down, I will let nothing stop me. However, it is still very frustrating that every time I think I have things under control, another thing goes wrong. But on the bright side I’m running out of things that can go wrong. So to summarize what has gone wrong so far:
– Had to buy a new generator to be able to power all the equipment in the Mobile Command Unit since the two generators I was using previously did supply enough power.
– Had to buy a new refrigerator because the compressor on the one I bought on Craigslist died after a month of use.
– 3 sinks need to be replaced with a 3 compartment sink to comply with Health Department Regs.
– All wood areas where there are pipes running through and work areas of the Mobile Command Unit have to be covered in FRP to comply with Health Department Regs.
– Had to buy and install a new water heater to replace the old one
Yes it does seem like a lot of things to go wrong for such a small operation but when it’s put in context against the diaster that is happening in Japan or turmoil in Libya or even with other people who have lost their jobs and homes, its a walk in the park. So with that said my heart goes out to the people of Japan and if you can please donate to the Red Cross by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 or go to http://www.redcross.org/ to donate.
