This past Wednesday night was the coldest of the season so far. It was -4F when I checked early Thursday morning. What makes this noteworthy (maybe) is that our furnace decided to crap out Wednesday evening.
It was about 8:30pm when Magnum noticed the furnace wasn't kicking on when he adjusted the thermostat.
After fiddling around like the non-HVAC technicians we are while the inside temperature continued to drop, we decided to call someone who might actually know what they're doing.
Long story short, our furnace was back, hobbled but on the job, by around 10:30 for a "small fee". While it sucks to lose your heat source on the coldest night of the year, I'm quite happy with how things went down because
- we noticed it before going to bed. Had we not, we and the pets would surely have died in the night... Okay, maybe nothing that dramatic. BUT the house would've probably dropped into the 30s or 40s, pipes would probably have frozen, etc.
- the technician was able to find and band-aid the problem - dirty/corroded contacts on the gas valve. Initially, he thought we might need a part that is no longer stocked because we have a geriatric furnace.
- it wasn't a total shock as we've been chipping away at projects/upgrades to our previously neglected house since we bought it a couple years ago. Might as well do the heating system next.
2. Write about your most recent purchase.
11 comments:
We've been in our house 34 years and have had four furnaces/central air units. They don't make them to last forever like they used to. You might be looking at replacing what you have. We have a Carrier system now....
John, this is our 4th house we've owned and will be, I think, our third furnace purchase in 30 years.
We bought a Trane at our last house, and the one coming next week is a Bryant.
I think the one we currently have was made shortly after man discovered fire.
being observant can be a life saver- good that you noticed before your long winter's nap!We are slowly "upgrading" out house innards and are finding that indeed they do not make things like they used to! Shelf life is brief for everything.
Linda Sue, it was a big *whew* when I realized what might've been, another *whew* when the technician said he could be here in about 30 mins, and final *whew* when the old furnace cranked on again. Probably once we're "finished" upgrading, it'll be time to start at the beginning again.
Wow, glad you got heat back relatively quickly. Lose heat on coldest day and lose air on hottest day, it never fails.
A bird fart, funny!
I'm glad everything worked out as well as it did but why did I have it my mind that Magnum is/was a HVAC guy?
We have 2 furnaces that were original equipment from when the house was built in 1959 that we had to replace a couple of years ago. Oof!
Why does it seem that the furnace or air conditioner goes out on the coldest or hottest day of the year? Glad you got up and running! I honestly feel for the HVAC technicians here in Phoenix. Most units are on the roofs and they will come night or day to fix them. You won't find me on the roof in the middle of the night (or anytime really lol). We take these things for granted until they stop working and then we want them fixed immediately (at least I do). Let's hope it warms up for you soon! I'm eyeing next Saturday/Sunday when we are supposed to be in the high 70s. I'm really looking forward to that!
betty
Peggy, yep, never fails. I recall a fridge of ours crapping out during the hottest part of summer one year. Kids' juices quickly turned to hooch!
Herb, TWO furnaces from 1959? I think ours is from the 1980s.
Magnum's been a few things, HVAC guy isn't one of them.
Betty, I imagine rooftops in Phoenix are hot hot places in summertime!
Stay warm!
Paula, thanks. That's the plan!
I like my house on the colder side so that I can bundle up and be lazy...but not THAT cold! So glad you found the problem before it became a disaster!
Post a Comment