And the hits keep comin'
Feb. 21st, 2006 13:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mapsedgeWhen the furnace comes on, we're accustomed to hearing a little "squeeyeeyeeyee" sound. I go downstairs, yank the cover, tighten the grease fitting to pump a little more lubricant into the bearing, and away we go.
Here's a new one: BLUMPFTP. A few seconds. BLMUMPFT. Repeat three or four times. Finally, with a last jolt, the blower motor kicks in properly.
That, friends and neighbors, is the sound of the blower motor torquing without actually beginning to turn, causing the whole of the furnace to shake, the sides of that largely hollow metal box acting like a drumhead. Yes, it sucks, especially at 3:00 in the morning.
It's what a furnace sounds like that is, I believe, dying.
We've known it was coming. We were hoping to get a few more years out of the old machine, but I just don't think it's going to happen. Replacing a furnace and air conditioner is a relatively minor problem in most homes: disconnect the old units, connect new ones. In most homes, that's relatively minor. Most homes, that is. Minor. *sob*
In our case, it means replacing all the 5" ductwork (too small even when it was first put in) with 6", running ductwork up through the back of the hall closet to the attic so we can add proper heating vents and air returns to the north bedrooms, and redirecting the cold air return for the main part of the house.
Bottom dollar, that'll add another grand to the total.
A forty year old, 100,000 BTU unit only puts out about 1/2 that, no matter how much maintenance goes into it. The good news, and yes, there is some, is that our heating/cooling bills will drop some with a newer, more efficient system. Combined with the double-pane windows we've been installing, we ought to see some significant savings there. We'll be able to pay for it, though on credit, but the projects coming in this summer may cover it so it won't be there long. Plus we have a good relationship with the company that'll be doing the work.
And that's the news.
Here's a new one: BLUMPFTP. A few seconds. BLMUMPFT. Repeat three or four times. Finally, with a last jolt, the blower motor kicks in properly.
That, friends and neighbors, is the sound of the blower motor torquing without actually beginning to turn, causing the whole of the furnace to shake, the sides of that largely hollow metal box acting like a drumhead. Yes, it sucks, especially at 3:00 in the morning.
It's what a furnace sounds like that is, I believe, dying.
We've known it was coming. We were hoping to get a few more years out of the old machine, but I just don't think it's going to happen. Replacing a furnace and air conditioner is a relatively minor problem in most homes: disconnect the old units, connect new ones. In most homes, that's relatively minor. Most homes, that is. Minor. *sob*
In our case, it means replacing all the 5" ductwork (too small even when it was first put in) with 6", running ductwork up through the back of the hall closet to the attic so we can add proper heating vents and air returns to the north bedrooms, and redirecting the cold air return for the main part of the house.
Bottom dollar, that'll add another grand to the total.
A forty year old, 100,000 BTU unit only puts out about 1/2 that, no matter how much maintenance goes into it. The good news, and yes, there is some, is that our heating/cooling bills will drop some with a newer, more efficient system. Combined with the double-pane windows we've been installing, we ought to see some significant savings there. We'll be able to pay for it, though on credit, but the projects coming in this summer may cover it so it won't be there long. Plus we have a good relationship with the company that'll be doing the work.
And that's the news.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
& sometimes...
Date: 2006-02-21 21:17 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 22:30 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 18:25 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 23:52 (UTC)