Friday, November 27, 2015

Bad Timing. Furnace Fails.

I like cold weather well enough.

But gosh darn it, today I noticed it was getting colder and colder in the house.  I thought I better turn up the thermostat that maybe I forgot to turn it back up this morning.  I turn it down for the night.

Then I remembered it seemed cold and quiet in here last night, when I got home.  I was gone much of the day.  Turning up the thermostat didn't have any affect.  The fan wasn't working either, but I could hear the heat pump outside going strong.  I went into the garage, and not a sound was the furnace making, except some strange clicks. I put my ear against its metal side, to listen and all I heard was an ominous low hum.

Uh oh.  Regardless, I flipped the circuit breakers on and off and changed the batteries in the thermostat.  Still, nothing.  I called my brother, who is still up in Washington visiting his daughter.   He said I better call a repairman.  So I tried.  I went down the list of those listed for Albany.

Numbers disconnected.  No answers.  One was closed til Monday for the holiday.  I finally got one answer.  They came right away.  The news was not good.  The blower motor is frozen up and there's a coupling bad too.  I asked why and he said "old age".  The furnace is 40 years old, original with the house, which was built in the early 70's.

I can understand things freezing up with age.  I can understand that concept real well.

However, the timing is certainly not the best.  Accuweather says tomorrow the high will be 41 degrees and the low 24 degrees.  24 degrees is pipe freezing weather and without heat, that's all I need as add on--frozen broken pipes.

My brother said to get the cats to lay atop the pipes to keep them warm.  Sure.  Right.

I'll just pile cats on me, wear them as heaters.

The heat guy said he might be able to get a new motor on Monday, he's not sure.  I said "see you then".  He says, "I hope you can keep warm."  I said, "No worries," and slapped my stomach, "body fat."

These things happen.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:30 PM

    Damn. I recall something about 7 cats being needed to warm one human. Forty years is a good run for the furnace. Good luck with the repairs.

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    Replies
    1. Seven! Well, I'm covered then. I think the furnace may have been replaced in the early 90's. So it may be much younger,. Closer to 25 years old.

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  2. Yes, that is a long time for a furnace to run and run well. Must have been a good one to begin with. All things fail in the end.

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  3. Hiss and spit. And sigh.
    I hope the repairs happen promptly on Monday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too, it's freezing. At least I have lights and electricity and hot water.

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  4. We once had our furnace stop working on Christmas. Like you, we just noticed the house getting colder as the day went on (although the fire in the fireplace helped somewhat). Called the furnace company we have a relationship with after the company left, who said they'd be there some time the next day. Pulled out every blanket in the house and wore three layers of clothes to bed. Wore those same three layers the next day until the technician arrived and fixed the furnace.

    BTW, if you have your faucets running a steady drip of water you shouldn't have a problem with frozen pipes. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did drip the faucets in both the kitchen and bathroom, no issues with the pipes and it was 19 degrees out this morning. The furnace motor has to be replaced. Very expensive and I hope they can even find one, as the furnace is quite old. Won't hear further til Monday. I asked how much and he said it'd cost $500 to $600 if they find one.

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    2. Christmas is the worst time for a furnace to go out!

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    3. Before I moved here though, in a house my brother owns, I lived in a slumshack where the average temp inside in winter was 40 to 45 degrees. So moving here, I couldn't even tolerate heat at first. Now I'm spoiled rotten!

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  5. Bless your heart. You have endured so much, I can see why you are so stoic about this. Still, it stinks. Best wishes on the furnace getting fixed soon.

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    Replies
    1. Yes it does stink and its getting old but oh well, these things happen and tomorrow? Yay, hopefully it will be fixed. I will certainly appreciate heat more.

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