FYI: Where I'll be...

[JERRY2KONE]

Hey BG any chance you can re-locate your furnace and hot water tank some place other then your basement? I moved our natural gas furnace to a closet on the first floor, and I converted the hot water heater to an electric one and it is now in the garage 24" off the floor. Just a thought. Plus I did it all myself. If no garage you can even build a small out building on your house for placement pretty cheaply. It may cost a bit more to relocate things, but compared to having to replace it every two years or so it usually saves money. I was even able to install a digital timer on our hot water heater (for $75 at the Home Depot) so the heater only draws electricity a few hours a day. 2 hours in early morniing and 2 hours in the evening. That way you can limit how much damage is done if water gets into your basement again. Maybe even try talking with your insurance company for assistance, which will save them money down the road. Sometimes they are willing to help $$$$ when it can benefit them on future claims. Good luck with that.