Monday, March 3, 2008

Gimme that hot air.....

This morning when I woke up my furnace blower was blowing cold air through the heat registers. That woke me up in a panic as I figured my furnace had finally turned up its toes and died. I turned the thermostat up and in a few minutes hot air was coming through so the furnace was working. It was the blower that was acting up again and I had just gotten that fixed, or so I thought. Its just not shutting off like it should….but its hit and miss. Sometimes it does what its supposed to do, sometimes it doesn’t. Tell THAT to a repairman and you will get the rolling of the eyes and that little sigh that just YELLS out…”um hmmm, sure lady”. I made up my mind to get a quote on a new furnace now since I know this is basically their slow time. This is the time to buy a new furnace…this is when you can take advantage of a good sale because warm weather will soon be here.

I got my quote tonight after he checked over my existing furnace that I’ve had for nearly 30 years. Its given me excellent service but its time to replace it. He confirmed that something is cracked…can’t remember what he called it now but he said it could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning if it wasn’t replaced soon. He also knew why my blower is doing what its doing and its not the blower’s fault at all; it’s the fault of some little sensor gadget. He said eventually that will completely fail and then the blower won’t run at all.

Since this furnace has served me so well, I asked about getting another of the same brand. He said that now parts were hard to find for that particular furnace, that there is only one distributor that carries parts and they are an hour away.

So, I hope I picked the right brand name. He said it was a good one with a warranty that can’t be matched by any other one on the market. The parts are easily obtainable, if needed, and that’s a plus for me. It will be installed either tomorrow or the day after. He will call me and confirm later on. I will be without heat for about 4 hours while they are installing if all goes well. And we all know…..that OF COURSE all will go well, won’t it?

I’m glad I had the money stashed but that stash was for something else. It was for a new computer but I guess I will just have to wait on that for a while longer. After all, a furnace is far more important than having an updated computer system. And just maybe the computer will be even cheaper in another year. I’m just so effin lucky I can’t stand myself.

12 comments:

Brad said...

Hon - Partner & I own a HVAC business. Clearly I can't help from here but I can check the bid to make sure it's in line. You have a cracked heat exchanger and thats not good. You've probabally had an issue with the furnace for a while but If your getting headaches that go away after your out of the house that's a big sign that you need start letting more fresh air into the house if possible. I'd be glad to take a look at the proposal to see if the pricing seems right. The square footage of your house's heated space would be valuable to quantify it. Hopefully this is someone you know and trust. If not let me help - there are a lot of sharks out there.

Brad
bpcrane@comcast.net

Moohaa said...

I just love you. You know that? I love your writing, your attitude, your smart alec comments, all of it.

I hope the change over goes well and your hiney stays warm the rest of the winter!

Anonymous said...

really..you got some real good sense there...wish i had it...computers...they update every month..it's hard to keep up... the furnace..yeah i'd say..it's COLD where you are!

fiwa said...

awww... i just love our Brad.

Val, I know exactly what you mean about being so effing lucky to have the money. We're spending about 2k on some dental work that we had put aside for other, more fun thing. I think somehow the fates know when you have $ stashed. I KNOW my car knows when the income tax check comes in...

I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

lovins!
fiwa

Karen said...

I’m just so effin lucky I can’t stand myself. You crack me up you little firecracker!

Hope all goes well with the changeover and let Brad check it out for you. What a sweetheart looking out for you like that.

Smocha said...

LOL
That's a great line.

The pilot light on our heater used to go out EVERY time my husband went out of town and I was home by myself.

Cuz I'm effin lucky too. :)

Happy day to ya!!

SOUL said...

i swear you came from my bloodline-- your sarcasm is just contageous...
but really--you are lucky to have the cash.. good lawd. that stuff aint cheap. our heater here is crap too-- but we rent-- therefore -- we are stuck using emergency heat-- and paying a 400.00 electric bill because of it. it's enough to make me cry!!!
cuz i'm effin lucky that way too. and ya know-- one of things we talked about moving into this place? "oh it'll be soooo much more energy efficient"
ya right babe.... we are US remember?

anyhow-- hope ya get fixed up quick and cheap--

happy tuesday-

Mama Llama said...

Yeah, warmth is a good thing.

To be honest, when I read your blog title I thought, "Ok, who opened their big mouth now?"...

Be warm, stay warm, sending warm thoughts your way...

boneman said...

Well, the only thing I know for sure is, burning wood for heat is a plus/minus relationship, to be sure.
Since I can still get out and crack a rick in a day (more on a good day, less when I'm feeling m'age) I like the idea of not having to worry about paying for heat.
Well, except ol' Steve still gets to ordering wood to the house when he doesn't think I'm chopping fast enough.
Since I've been primarily working on getting pictures painted for the two shows early on he bought some more last week.

Just in time for the ice storms, I reckon....

Jamie said...

Great attitude Charlotte, most of us wouldn't be feeling too lucky under the circumstances. And I suppose you're right, a new furnace has to be more important than a new computer, but not nearly as much fun!

Hope your week is good, happy Wednesday!

boneman said...

There are alternatives, y'know.
A really good space heater, a couple afghans, some hot coffee and two sweaters.

Leaking Moonlight said...

It's March, I swear.

My hot water heater went into death throes and finally died. And my car developed a crack in one tiny piece that could only be fixed by replacing an entire system.

Just this week. (Sound of forehead smacking wall).

Hope your installation is as painless as can be, and your toes are warm and toasty soon.