Hot water at last...ahhhhhhhh

Our hot water heater broke last week-end--all over the basement. The carpet in the halls, Dave's room and his closet was soggy. We emptied the other 30 gallons from the old, rusty tank, pulled the carpet back, removed the dripping pad, put the fans on and waited until Monday morning when someone would come and rescue us. Everything went as planned, except the actual plumbers could not come until Wednesday. We were without hot water for 4 days, which resulted in a dishwasher full of dishes, piles of laundry, and cold showers for those of us who dared. The plumbers worked for 14 hours, installing all the necessary equipment and plumbing for a tankless water heater AND soft water. Our basement looked like a war zone. After cutting 8 new holes in the basement ceiling, 1 new hole through the brick on the west side of the house, removing one shelf in the closet to replace the shut-off valve, running new pipe and lines everywhere, and some major reconstruction in the little furnace room, the job was finally complete at 10:30 pm. We had instant hot water--such luxury! Now the water is soft, my skin is already less dry, and we no longer have to empty that big bucket when the air conditioner runs. We love you, Rinnai. Oh JOY!