Well yesterday I smelled gas every time the furnace fired up. This, understandably was worrisome. So early this morning I turned off the heater so it could cool off so I could fuss with it. To make up for the lack of heat I dragged out two heater fans, turned them on and tripped the fuse. So maybe just one heater fan.
I cleaned the furnace. Got my hands really messy. Put everything back and turned it back on. No more gas smell. Instead it was replaced by the odd aroma of burning plastic. An improvement in my mind. The smell went on for a few minutes when I decided to check the furnace out again. Hey, were those wires fused together before? Maybe that was the burning smell? Two wires fused and one very crispy.
So to the hardware store to pick up some electrical tape and maybe those twisty together the wire thingies. On the way there I ran into Lem the neighborhood handiman. He said he could fix it and will be over around 2. Lem means well. If he isn’t here by 3 I’m going to try to fix the wires. Anyway he told me to pick up a thermocoupler. It’s cold so I walked over to the closest hardware store, the one at 6th and FL, Best Price Hardware. It is sort of like a small RI Ave Home Depot (sans lumber) where they have hardware stuff but not necessarily the exact thing you need. I figured I should take my chances. Nope. So I then went to Logan Hardware. They had it.
Just in case I did secure an appointment for a guy to come out and look at it later on this week. Hopefully if Lem comes, or if the wire fixing thing does the trick and does not kill me, I can cancel it.
5 thoughts on “Furnace troubles”
Comments are closed.
Hey, sometimes it is great to have the Home Warranty. If interested I can help you by referal, it is a great piece of mind to have. Boris@borismiric.com
No I’ll pass.
My aunt kept extending her home warranty and I don’t like what I observed, on her part and on the warranty people’s side. It didn’t help that the warranty company would scrutinize her problem. But the thing I really did not like is how my aunt approached each house problem. I like to fuss around with things and see if I can fix them myself. If and when I meet a challenge and successfully solve it, it builds up my spirit. When I screw up, I ask for help. The couple of times I did call the warranty people, when I had one, I got charged for some of the work. If I’m going to get charged, even partially so, I want more control over the process.
Anyway Lem came through, however the problem is not the furnace but the vent. Something is blocking it. And until he can get on my roof, put a tune through it and get it cleared, I won’t be using the furnace, lest I risk CO2 poisoning.
So I am reliving my impoverish Florida childhood where we didn’t have central heat in the house. NORTH Central Florida, where it does get cold. We had those portable heaters that burned your skin but never seemed to properly heat a room. I can have the 2 heater fans on provided they aren’t on full blast. Also my kitchen was installed with a electric radiant heat under the tiled floor.
It’s going to get down to the 30s in G’ville, FL. Highs in the 50s.
The funny thing is 30s in Gainesville might as well be 20 below, because your blood starts to thin out down there. You make it through all those 80 degree days in October and then it sneaks up on you. Then I moved back up here and had to have the heat cranked up in my office for the first winter and all my co-workers thought I was insane. Wait they still think I am insane.
Pretty much. When it got down in the 60s it was just horrible! I had to find something warmer than my jean jacket.
Now the 60s are just balmy enough that I like it, sometimes the high 50s are bearable.