So the hot water heater finally gave up the ghost.
Yay for discovering an unplanned indoor pool in the basement! And waiting around for the plumber to replace the ruptured hot-water heater! AND the $800 it cost to install the new one!
On the up-side, we didn’t all die in a fiery hell-splosion! As it turns out, this was a real possibility, as the emergency pressure-release valve on the heater was jammed shut, but since the remainder of the heater had also rusted out, the rust gave way just the way the valve should have..
Ironic that our house nearly blew up on 9/11…