Day Forty-Two: Smelling Heat Again
I had to go to Syracuse today for a meeting, so I was making calls about the house while I was in Onondaga County over the course of the day. I called Dave in the late morning to find out if the heating contractors had arrived, and they hadn't, but they had told Dave an hour before that they were on the way. I called the heating place in the early afternoon, just before I left Syracuse for home, and they hadn't yet, but the woman said they were finishing a job and would be at our place next. I kept Nancy informed of the progress by phone.
I talked to Chris the electrician today, and he told me that National Grid had been to the house and switched over the electrical service. I had hoped that that would have allowed Chris the chance to take out the old subpanel in the basement today, but he told me that he decided not to work on that right away because he didn't want to have to turn off the electricity before the heating contractors arrived--since they'd need electricity to work on the boiler. I also reminded Chris that I was trying to get a light into Tim's closet, and he said he remembered. Nancy told me she saw Chris working with tons of wires in the electrical box today, and that wall where the box sits is now in place (covering up the wires), but Chris hasn't used any more of the fuse positions yet, and less than half of them have been used. Unfortunately, Chris didn't take out the subpanel today and didn't work on Tim's closet, but he apparently did a lot of other electrical work.
On my way home, I called Dave again and found out that the heating contractors were there. Since Dave and John were leaving at 3:30, I asked Nancy to go home, so there would be someone home with the heating guys, and she made it there before Dave and John left.
When I arrived, the two heating guys (Darren and another Dave, the apparently more expert son of the owner) were there working on the boiler, and things did not look good. The boiler was filled with carbon that was keeping the heat from moving through its mechanisms. Darren had cleaned the boiler from the top and the bottom, and Dave had used his snood (at least, that's what I thought he called is) as much as he could to clean the machine from the inside. But there was still something wrong with the system. The machine can push no more than 1400 BTUs through when it should be pushing 2400. This means either that the machine is too clogged to clean and will need to be replaced or that there's something blocking the flue. Dave and Darren will be back on Monday to check the chimney, but in the meantime we finally have some heat in the house.
We found out tonight that tornados have crisscrossed my old neighborhood in Tennessee. Goodlettsville and Hendersonville have been hit hard. City hall, the K-Mart, and a church were damaged in Goodlettsville, and it's possible that our old home on Rosehill Drive was hit. I finally heard from my father near 10:30, and he said he plans to check out the old house in a couple of days. Nini's house in Goodlettsville is okay, but she was stuck at school till seven or eight o'clock until all the children went home. Jacquie was among only a small group of people left in the hospital because she was working in an operating room. There was extensive damage in Hendersonville, including the destruction of many homes. I saw video of the damage on television, and many homes were completely flattened. The damaged homes were near Nicholas' school, and debris from them was blocking the road, so Nicholas was quite late getting back from school. But everyone is okay.
Now, to a review of the day's progress.
The Furnace with its Top Off
Here's a picture I took just after midnight of the furnace taken apart. Note that its top is off. This was how Darren left the furnace yesterday.
The New Connection for the Electrical Service
The good news today was that National Grid came today and moved the electrical connection to the new service. This means that there is no longer that weird connection between the old service and the new popping into the kitchen.
The New Electrical Service beside the Old Service
Unfortunately, Chris the electrician didn't take down the old electrical line stuck to the back of the house. But now that this can be taken down, Dave and John should be able to put in the new windows on Monday. We are really looking forward to the new windows now.
The Remains of the Old Meter Box
The old meter box is now an empty shell, and the dead wire hangs from the back wall.
The Box for the New Hardwired Smoke Alarm
This is one bit of Chris' work from yesterday that I didn't notice until this morning: a nice neat little box that will someday soon hold a smoke alarm. I saw John and Dave for a little bit this morning as well, and John told me that Chris was working up in the attic today, so I assume Chris is working on getting a fire alarm on the third floor as well.
Wiring for One of the New Basement Outlets
One of Chris' small electrical accomplishments today was the wiring of the two outlets he added to the basement this week.
One of the Holes Cut into the Top of the Boiler
To remove the top from the furnace, Darren needed to cut it away. He says they will fix this as well as they can after they are done, but I don't think the furnace will ever be as neat as it is again. One good piece of news about the furnace is that its safety features kept it from exploding. The inability of the furnace to turn on was actually a safety feature. The boiler, by the way, clogged up because one of the flame bars (I forget what the real name is) twisted on its axis and against the pilot. This caused the flame to burn too hot and release carbon that clogged the boiler, section by section. I asked Darren how long it would take the machine to clog like this. He said, "About a week."
The Wall for the New Pocket Door
Today's other big news was that the pocket door for the bathroom arrived today. With the door in hand, Dave and John built this wall to hold the pocket door today.
The New Pocket Door Leaning against a Wall
This is the pocket door itself: a simple wooden door that we will have to finish ourselves.
The Pocket of the Pocket Door
And least exciting of all: the pocket where the door will soon rest.
honi soit qui mal y pense
I talked to Chris the electrician today, and he told me that National Grid had been to the house and switched over the electrical service. I had hoped that that would have allowed Chris the chance to take out the old subpanel in the basement today, but he told me that he decided not to work on that right away because he didn't want to have to turn off the electricity before the heating contractors arrived--since they'd need electricity to work on the boiler. I also reminded Chris that I was trying to get a light into Tim's closet, and he said he remembered. Nancy told me she saw Chris working with tons of wires in the electrical box today, and that wall where the box sits is now in place (covering up the wires), but Chris hasn't used any more of the fuse positions yet, and less than half of them have been used. Unfortunately, Chris didn't take out the subpanel today and didn't work on Tim's closet, but he apparently did a lot of other electrical work.
On my way home, I called Dave again and found out that the heating contractors were there. Since Dave and John were leaving at 3:30, I asked Nancy to go home, so there would be someone home with the heating guys, and she made it there before Dave and John left.
When I arrived, the two heating guys (Darren and another Dave, the apparently more expert son of the owner) were there working on the boiler, and things did not look good. The boiler was filled with carbon that was keeping the heat from moving through its mechanisms. Darren had cleaned the boiler from the top and the bottom, and Dave had used his snood (at least, that's what I thought he called is) as much as he could to clean the machine from the inside. But there was still something wrong with the system. The machine can push no more than 1400 BTUs through when it should be pushing 2400. This means either that the machine is too clogged to clean and will need to be replaced or that there's something blocking the flue. Dave and Darren will be back on Monday to check the chimney, but in the meantime we finally have some heat in the house.
We found out tonight that tornados have crisscrossed my old neighborhood in Tennessee. Goodlettsville and Hendersonville have been hit hard. City hall, the K-Mart, and a church were damaged in Goodlettsville, and it's possible that our old home on Rosehill Drive was hit. I finally heard from my father near 10:30, and he said he plans to check out the old house in a couple of days. Nini's house in Goodlettsville is okay, but she was stuck at school till seven or eight o'clock until all the children went home. Jacquie was among only a small group of people left in the hospital because she was working in an operating room. There was extensive damage in Hendersonville, including the destruction of many homes. I saw video of the damage on television, and many homes were completely flattened. The damaged homes were near Nicholas' school, and debris from them was blocking the road, so Nicholas was quite late getting back from school. But everyone is okay.
Now, to a review of the day's progress.
The Furnace with its Top Off
Here's a picture I took just after midnight of the furnace taken apart. Note that its top is off. This was how Darren left the furnace yesterday.
The New Connection for the Electrical Service
The good news today was that National Grid came today and moved the electrical connection to the new service. This means that there is no longer that weird connection between the old service and the new popping into the kitchen.
The New Electrical Service beside the Old Service
Unfortunately, Chris the electrician didn't take down the old electrical line stuck to the back of the house. But now that this can be taken down, Dave and John should be able to put in the new windows on Monday. We are really looking forward to the new windows now.
The Remains of the Old Meter Box
The old meter box is now an empty shell, and the dead wire hangs from the back wall.
The Box for the New Hardwired Smoke Alarm
This is one bit of Chris' work from yesterday that I didn't notice until this morning: a nice neat little box that will someday soon hold a smoke alarm. I saw John and Dave for a little bit this morning as well, and John told me that Chris was working up in the attic today, so I assume Chris is working on getting a fire alarm on the third floor as well.
Wiring for One of the New Basement Outlets
One of Chris' small electrical accomplishments today was the wiring of the two outlets he added to the basement this week.
One of the Holes Cut into the Top of the Boiler
To remove the top from the furnace, Darren needed to cut it away. He says they will fix this as well as they can after they are done, but I don't think the furnace will ever be as neat as it is again. One good piece of news about the furnace is that its safety features kept it from exploding. The inability of the furnace to turn on was actually a safety feature. The boiler, by the way, clogged up because one of the flame bars (I forget what the real name is) twisted on its axis and against the pilot. This caused the flame to burn too hot and release carbon that clogged the boiler, section by section. I asked Darren how long it would take the machine to clog like this. He said, "About a week."
The Wall for the New Pocket Door
Today's other big news was that the pocket door for the bathroom arrived today. With the door in hand, Dave and John built this wall to hold the pocket door today.
The New Pocket Door Leaning against a Wall
This is the pocket door itself: a simple wooden door that we will have to finish ourselves.
The Pocket of the Pocket Door
And least exciting of all: the pocket where the door will soon rest.
honi soit qui mal y pense
posted by Geofhuth at 9:39 PM
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