Mmmm, didn’t you have some furnace issues last year?  I have a co-worker who has just found that she has a hole in a copper pipe in her utility room, but her house is built on a concrete slab (as is mine) and she will have to have some jackhammer work done in order to fix the leak.  In the meantime she has water sporadically. I saw her this morning after she had taken a cold shower and she was not happy.  An upside is that the outside temperature here in Alabama today was right at 80°.

Yes, I had problems with the furnace last year, too. It’s a temperamental old thing. Even now, I’m not 100% sure that it’s completely dead because, like as not, it’ll just begin working again of its own accord when it gets good and ready. As it has done several times in the past 3 years.

I’ve had it repaired once in the last year. The repair guy said it has nearly outlived its usefulness, but probably can be coaxed along for a couple more years. Which is a good thing considering the ghastly cost of a new one.

Currently, I think the pump on the boiler is shot. It heats water just fine, but doesn’t pump it through the baseboards...which is probably a pricey proposition to fix.

The question is...just how much. If it requires $500-$600 to replace the pump, which gives the furnace another few years of life, then it’s well worth spending the money for the repairs. If, however, the pump costs much more than that, then it’s probably not a cost effective repair.

I don’t know that much about hot water heat boilers, so I’m prepared to be unpleasantly surprised.

If that’s the case, it’s gonna be wood heat for the rest of the season.

But, of course, finding a couple of cords of reasonably seasoned wood at this late date in the season is difficult.

Over the past couple of days, wood has taken a new significance in life. Having a couple of cords stacked out in the back would be equivalent to a room full of treasure, in my world view. It’s funny how one’s view of what’s priceless can change practically overnight.

Nevertheless, it could be much worse. We’re certainly not suffering with the inside temperature hovering around 76 degrees. On the other hand, if I have to depend on wood heat for the rest of the season, that means that I’m tethered to the house for the remainder of winter. Gotta keep that woodstove fed on a regular basis.

So I dunno what the final resolution will be yet. Sometime in the next two days, I should have my answers.

Have you had it looked at in the past? If you have, email me what the guy has told you. And any amount that he might have given you. I will send the email to my brother. It’s what he does remember. I am sure you could even call him. If you do get an estimate from a handyman or any one, do give him a call. He will tell you if its a good deal or not.

My wood guy came through for me. I’m just getting a full cord for now, to be delivered tomorrow morning. Good seasoned maple that’ll burn like a dream and make a beautiful bed of coals. I should be able to make a cord last through February if we can squeeze a couple more weeks, at least, of this mild weather out of winter. Looks like the rest of this week will be quite mild.

Interesting note...tonight the house is still maintaining a steady 75 degree temp and I haven’t fed the stove once today. It still has glowing embers from last night’s fire. Of course it was very mild out today...in the upper 40s. I actually had to open the back door for a while today and the bedroom windows last night. It was too warm.

That’s not a complaint!

No (72 degrees at 6:00pm) comment.

We’re warmer than you are, nyah-nyah nyah-nyah nyah nyah.

Yeah, but you’re in Hawaii! It’s *supposed* to be warm there. This is the (unseasonably warm) northeast where wearing a tee shirt in January is just plain unnatural.

No, that’s not a complaint. Let me be clear about that in case the furnace gods get the idea that they should smite me again.

Actually, our meteorologist (hey, that’s what our tv newspeople call her) said that with glee, meaning it was chilly.  She’s right, too.  Even for January, that’s cool.  Nowhere in the measured areas of the state did it hit 80 today; that’s rare if not unheard of.

The world is unbalanced. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Periodically we have these warm winters. It has been more frequent the past decade. Are you finding your winters to be turning cooler with the same frequency in the same time frame?

Unfortunately I haven’t kept good data, but I seem to be wearing my cable-knit sweater more often than in the past.