Burning Down the House (almost) and the Bank Account

Ouch!
What a weekend.
It started Thursday night and just continued on. The hot water heater was on its way out but I figured it would make it until Saturday when I had a new one coming. This proved wrong. Thursday night I noticed a dimming of the lights which is nothing unusual for this old neighborhood., but it did seem more tham usual. I stood at the sink washing dishes when there was a pop and sparks came flying out of the cabinet where the heater is kept. So much for the hot water heater lasting. I flipped the breaker for it and went about my business. The lights went out and then came on after a minute. This continued for quite a while so I called the electric company and they said they would be by in the morning.
Morning!!
I could have ashes by then!
I contemplated the situation and we flipped the breakers for everything but the fridge. In the morning I called and electrician. He showed up around 10AM and went to work. Progress Energy came out and replaced the arrial connction to the house it it was melted. Hmmm that sounds good. After 5 hours the electrician found a UPS system going bad which had started sending surges back through the electrical system and eventually burned out the breaker for that section of the house. He began his repairs and once completed we sat around for 30 minutes with all the house lights on….. not even a flicker. I was thrilled so I wrote a painful check and away he went. Night came and as I watched tv I noticed a dimming in the lights….. 45 minutes passed and nothing. OK it was my imagination and I was being parinoid, so I relaxed once again. Oooops, lights out. More like SHIT!!! So once again when we went to bed everything was turned off at the box except the fridge. I got up early on Saturday and tried the electrician. No answer , so I left a voice mail. After an hour there had been no call back so I called another that said they worked Saturdays at the regular rate. While I was waiting on him to arrive the plumber showed up to put in the heater. I had an uneasiness about him….he was dirty or odd looking, and no strange quirks, he just didn’t make me comfortable. Well he worked on getting the old one out and when he attempted to put the new one in it didn’t fit. Not a problem he says, I’ll just get a smaller one. So I went from a 40 gallon down to a 30 gallon. The second arrived and it did not fit either.
OK,….. DAMN!!!
So he took this one back out to his truck and says…….sorry there is nothing more I can do for you today and states he will have the office call me on Monday to set up an appointment for later next week.
HUH!!??
He says he capped off the pipes and with that leaves.
Now I am a little upset at this and go to rinse out a glass. As I turn on the water it comes spewing out from the suposidly capped pipes
NOW I WS REALLY MAD!
I called Home Depot installation and tried not to yell as it was not that poor persons fault. But let them know that I was not happy, was really pissed off and wanted to have them remove the charge from my card as I had no hot water heater at my house and nothing was installed. Home Depot, NEVER AGAIN! (A previous attempt with H.D.) At this point the new electrician showed up and he went to work on finding the trouble and I called a plumber that my mother usually used. He was kind enough to come out and properly take measurements and then capped off the lines correctly. He apologized that he could not get me a heater until Monday, but promised he would get prices and give me an estimate on Monday and if someone would be home, would install it that day as well.
Well that was certainly better than the next weekend. I thanked him and he left.
Then the electrician tells me he believes he has found the problem and that he can fix it easily.
Thank God!
It was the main breaker. While the first electrician had bee correct is his diagnosis, he did not find all of the bad parts. A newly installed main breaker and another check and I am fixed, well except for no hot water.
Electricians total???? $652.38 and I still have a hot water heater to buy and a plumber to pay.