OK, so it’s above zero out – just – something like 3°. But it’s 55º in the downstairs and 64º up. Yesterday when we got up, Mark’s furnace – the 2nd floor one – wasn’t working. We coaxed it back on, and the upstairs returned to normal temps. Then, around 5:00 in the evening, the 1st floor furnace died. I consulted with the furnace guy, and he said it wasn’t worth an after hours visit – stuff wouldn’t freeze that fast. We moved upstairs, and first, I kept the oven on for awhile. We had nachos for supper, using the bag of corn chips bought for the cookie party, that dived off the top of the fridge and got somewhat smashed. I baked a graham cracker crust, with the last of the Moravian ginger thins along with regular grahams, for a banana cream pie. It got a little too dark while I was on the phone with the furnace guy. Then I roasted the neck of the last butternut squash from my CSA box, cut into cubes for a savory tart, along with the bulb to puree. I ran the dishwasher and the oven cleaner when I went upstairs to bed. We have electric baseboard heat in my room – which is an addition, with no insulation in the floor – and the basement – and those are all on. It was still 57º when I came down this morning.
But then at about 8:30, the 2nd floor furnace stopped. Mark fired up my mom’s gas fireplace, but that just made it too fume-y up there for me. I am in the downstairs kitchen with hot coffee and a space heater, and Mark’s retrieved the one of my mom’s that been in his go-to-Goodwill pile since probably September.
Both furnaces are about 20 years old, and we’ve been nursing them along. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to replace both at once, but I guess I might have to, now.
Hope the furnace guy gets here soon – they said this afternoon. Might have to turn on the oven again.
Banana cream pie – can’t tell the crust is too dark from here
Dead furnaces – all quiet
So, one furnace had a mechanical problem and the other electronic. They patched them up with about $600 worth of new and used and reconditioned parts. They will be bringing us a new circuit board on Monday for the electronic problem. I am going to have to replace both furnaces at once, but at least they’ll credit me for the patch up parts – and I may get a slight two-fer deal.
