Just an addition to say I don’t have to buy a new hot water system. The plumber came at 7.30am (!) on Thursday and noticed the manufacture date on the label inside the inspection cover is 2007. I’m pretty sure the house was built in 2004, so he suggested this might have been a warranty replacement.

Anyway, he diagnosed a faulty inlet valve, so replacing that and another smaller outlet valve got it going. Total cost $275. Phew!

He also showed me how to turn the gas off if I don’t need hot water, and confirmed that my dishwasher heats its own water, so doesn’t need pre-heated water. That means I can turn the gas off until April or so. Since I almost never use my gas cooktop either, it’ll be interesting to see if my gas usage drops to zero on my next bill.

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The replacement battery for my Dell laptop arrived on Thursday as well, and I prepared to dismantle the computer to replace it. Uh oh, no go.  The base cover uses tamper proof screws and I’ve got a set of special bits for this. But the heads on the Dell are tiny star shaped sockets and nothing I have is small enough. There are a dozen to get out, so I need a good tool. I’ll have to visit Jaycar, who have set up a new shop in Clarkson, very conveniently. I’ll also look on-line. I have to get it done, because Dell want the old battery returned to them within 10 days or they’ll invoice me for the cost of the battery. I have to get it out.