Do you know what a thermocouple is?
I do.
I even know how to install it.
Do you know how to light a pilot light?
I do.
Does that mean it stays on?
Absolutely not.
If only ours looked like this.
Yesterday was the coldest day in four years and, wouldn’t you know it, the day our furnace died.
My husband texted me while I was at work: “I just got up and it’s 56 degrees in the house.”
“That’s funny,” I texted back. “Everything was fine when I left.” (I leave EARLY. Coffee shop, remember?)
An hour later I get another text: “Pilot light won’t stay lit. Already late for work. Turning on space heaters.”
I spent the rest of my shift researching furnaces.
When I came home, one space heater was trained on the open sink cabinet (to keep the pipes from freezing) and one was happily spreading heat around the dining room. The house was actually still 56 degrees- a testament to old construction and new insulation. Thankfully, our dog is a lab/mastiff mix (mastador) whose roots go back to the coasts of Newfoundland and the battlefields of England. He hasn’t even noticed the colder temps.
What’s a furnace?
I was in the basement for, like, three hours trying to fix/light the furnace. Nothing worked. By the time my husband was out of his litany of meetings, I was pretty upset. After all, with no internet at the house I had no way to research any more furnace stuff and with no car (he had the car) and -12 windchill outside (yes, that’s negative twelve) I was not walking to the library. My husband did a little research, made a few calls, and got a repairman to come this morning.
So last night I released myself from all reading/writing/editing duties! Instead, I snuggled in a blanket, slurping soup and munching grilled cheese, watching “The Taste” and alternating between drinking tea and hot chocolate. For bed, I bundled up in fuzzy socks, sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt and a hooded sweatshirt (hood up!) under three blankets.
And you know what? It was kind of fun. 
January 23rd, 2013 at 1:18 pm
I’m glad it’s fixed…but I have to say, I think the cold can be fun too
ONLY if you have the option to get warm somehow though…otherwise, it can be downright miserable.
January 24th, 2013 at 8:07 am
Exactly! I was so upset until the moment that I knew somebody was coming the next day. Then I settled in for a cozy night.
January 23rd, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Awe! The wonders of furnaces. Our propane one used to go out when we lived in our apartment–my hubs would fix it, though. In the house we have a furnace…which caught on fire the same year the hot water heater was replaced, the basement flooded because the sediment filter snapped and the well went dry so we had to have it fraqued. The fire wasn’t so bad–the furnace has a handy dandy kill switch…the guy came out and fixed it right quick, but the well–ouy…that was a pain. We had to cut down our woods!!!
I think I shall have some hot cocoa now!
January 24th, 2013 at 8:08 am
Wow! That is a crazy lot of stuff! I’m so glad our furnace issue was just a little fix. A fire… wow. I’m glad you made it out all okay, even if your woods didn’t.
January 28th, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Grrrr. Furnaces drive me crazy. Ours is some cheap version and its ten years old. I just know it’s going to go out at any time now -and I’m sure it will be in the dead of summer or the middle of winter.
At our old house, we had this old furnace that was like 20 years old and it was awesome. They don’t make ‘em like they used to!
January 29th, 2013 at 8:23 am
They don’t! When the guy fixed the broken part, he said that he sure hoped it worked- they don’t make that part anymore!