We have no wood heat in our cabin because of some problem with the chimney. Why is another story. I went to our cabin yesterday to help move that solution along. When I was outside I was fine, but even with water boiling and a small electric heater, I never felt warm in the cabin.
Another task I had was to put the cover on the chipper we brought from servicing the previous week. I forgot to bring the cover then. The hopper was filled with snow and I thought I would blow it out before covering it.
I started up the chipper but the snow didn't seem to go down. And then steam started coming from parts I didn't expect it and the engine started shaking. Holey moley! That's not steam. That's smoke. Then I see flame coming from the belt housing. Throwing snow at it doesn’t help much. I fetch the fire extinguisher from the cabin. I takes me awhile to figure out how to make it work. I aim under the housing and a cloud of noxious yellow stuff comes out. Finally the flames are out and the extinguisher is empty.
Looking under the cover I could see the belt hanging down. Now I'm going to have to take it back to have the belt replaced and any other repairs done. I don't relish another 40+ mile drive at 40mph!
When I get home my wife reported that the furnace is going on and off and not giving any heat. She also reported that with a loud bang the outside spigot started spewing water into the back yard.
We left a message with the plumber who installed it years ago. We set up our one heater and started a fire in the fireplace. My wife decided to stay downstairs and keep feeding the fire all night.
This morning the plumber came and checked several things but couldn't find anything wrong. He then followed the gas line back to where it enters the house. The valve near the wall was turned off! I couldn't see how anybody could bump it and turn it off.
After the plumber left my wife looked at the valve and realized she had thought it was a water line to another outside faucet. She had turned it off in case we had the same problem with faucet.
We did better than the old joke about a plumber charging $100 to fix a furnace with a single whack with a hammer. One dollar to hit it and $99 for knowing where to hit it. The plumber only charged us $40.
Showing posts with label fireplace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fireplace. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2014
Sunday, December 13, 2009
How dumb can I get?
When I went to bed last night my nose was a bit stuffed. I looked for the nasal spray in my toilet kit and couldn't find it. I couldn't believe I had left the nasal spray on my dresser at home. I did have an inhaler and used it. Now I could go to sleep a bit more comfortably.
This morning when I was ready to put my contact lenses in I found the nasal spray. It was on the counter where the lens solution should have been. The lens solution was still in my toilet kit! At least the nasal spray is saline solution and doesn't have menthol and other stuff that would make my eyes burn.
I used the lens solution liberally before putting the lenses in. No problem so far.
I wear old felt boot liners as slippers in the cabin. One seemed to catch as if I a carpet square was up. I'd move my foot and it wouldn't catch again. But this kept happening. Finally I saw that there was a thread coming out of the liner. I pulled the thread up. It was stuck under a box. I moved it out from under the box. It was wrapped around a chair leg. I untangled it from the chair leg. I followed the thread. It was under another chair leg. I picked up the chair and the thread; finally I had found the end. I pulled off the slipper. The sole and upper were not joined from the big toe to the arch! The thread wouldn't break; I had to cut it with scissors. I hope my wife can fix the liner; they are cozy in the cabin.
This morning as the inside temperature dropped quite a bit, I started another fire. But why was it so smokey? Ah, yes, the air intake was partially closed and the damper was shut. Smart people pay attention to details.
Oh well, I took a walk this morning on a trail we haven't kept up for a few years and I remembered all of its twists and turns. I exaggerate a bit. It was the third time I've been on that trail this fall. A few weeks ago we walked it with some friends. Even though several landmark trees had fallen; deer and other animals had used the trail enough to give me a sense where the trail was.
Last week my wife and I walked it and placed yellow flagging tape at several places. Today when I walked it, I couldn't always see the next bit of tape. That was because I had walked forward to pick a place for the next bit. I could see where we had placed the last bit, but I didn't think we might not be able to see the next one from the previous.
I did spend a bit of time noting how the landmarks had changed. For example, I knew we had gone through a thicket of alder, went past a couple of large balsam, stepped over a fallen tree, and then bore left into a grassy area. Animals had changed the path to go above the alder, and the two balsam had been uprooted. Today I was able to identify that place by spending a bit of time looking around.
Am I an expert woodsman. Far from it. But when you do certain things over and over again, you can retain memories long afterwards. Now if I can only find the old trail that went east from where this trail turned west.
This morning when I was ready to put my contact lenses in I found the nasal spray. It was on the counter where the lens solution should have been. The lens solution was still in my toilet kit! At least the nasal spray is saline solution and doesn't have menthol and other stuff that would make my eyes burn.
I used the lens solution liberally before putting the lenses in. No problem so far.
I wear old felt boot liners as slippers in the cabin. One seemed to catch as if I a carpet square was up. I'd move my foot and it wouldn't catch again. But this kept happening. Finally I saw that there was a thread coming out of the liner. I pulled the thread up. It was stuck under a box. I moved it out from under the box. It was wrapped around a chair leg. I untangled it from the chair leg. I followed the thread. It was under another chair leg. I picked up the chair and the thread; finally I had found the end. I pulled off the slipper. The sole and upper were not joined from the big toe to the arch! The thread wouldn't break; I had to cut it with scissors. I hope my wife can fix the liner; they are cozy in the cabin.
This morning as the inside temperature dropped quite a bit, I started another fire. But why was it so smokey? Ah, yes, the air intake was partially closed and the damper was shut. Smart people pay attention to details.
Oh well, I took a walk this morning on a trail we haven't kept up for a few years and I remembered all of its twists and turns. I exaggerate a bit. It was the third time I've been on that trail this fall. A few weeks ago we walked it with some friends. Even though several landmark trees had fallen; deer and other animals had used the trail enough to give me a sense where the trail was.
Last week my wife and I walked it and placed yellow flagging tape at several places. Today when I walked it, I couldn't always see the next bit of tape. That was because I had walked forward to pick a place for the next bit. I could see where we had placed the last bit, but I didn't think we might not be able to see the next one from the previous.
I did spend a bit of time noting how the landmarks had changed. For example, I knew we had gone through a thicket of alder, went past a couple of large balsam, stepped over a fallen tree, and then bore left into a grassy area. Animals had changed the path to go above the alder, and the two balsam had been uprooted. Today I was able to identify that place by spending a bit of time looking around.
Am I an expert woodsman. Far from it. But when you do certain things over and over again, you can retain memories long afterwards. Now if I can only find the old trail that went east from where this trail turned west.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Why plumbers aren't on time
One of our society's standing jokes is that plumbers never come when they promised. This weekend we got a lesson on why.
About two weeks ago we would briefly hear a noise now and then. One time we thought it was a diesel locomotive horn. Others we thought somebody was running something in the neighborhood.
Last week we were sure that the noise was in our house, probably in the furnace. Of course, if we went downstairs and listened by the furnace when it went on, then there was no noise. I did hear it enough to believe it was a fan on the furnace.
Yesterday evening, the noise occurred several times each time the furnace came on. I was able to stand by the furnace and determine that it was the exhaust fan. The noise sounds like a bad bearing. The exhaust fan is probably needed to draw fresh air into the furnace; both the intake and exhaust pipes are out the side of the house rather than in openings around doors and up the chimney.
We called the plumber's office and left a message.
We turned the thermostat all the way down, lit a fire in the fireplace, and put an electric heater near the thermostat to fool the furnace into not coming on. My wife got up several times in the night to put more wood on the fire, bless her. Without a special trip to the cabin, we now have no more wood for this season.
I talked to the plumber several minutes ago and someone will come by later this morning. Of course, the noise won't be there when a plumber comes.
Our little emergency means that the plumber can't go to somebody else's house for some routine job. Of course, we don't know how many other emergencies the plumber might have, like a leaky pipe spraying water all over the basement.
Meanwhile, my wife will do some baking to provide a bit more heat.
About two weeks ago we would briefly hear a noise now and then. One time we thought it was a diesel locomotive horn. Others we thought somebody was running something in the neighborhood.
Last week we were sure that the noise was in our house, probably in the furnace. Of course, if we went downstairs and listened by the furnace when it went on, then there was no noise. I did hear it enough to believe it was a fan on the furnace.
Yesterday evening, the noise occurred several times each time the furnace came on. I was able to stand by the furnace and determine that it was the exhaust fan. The noise sounds like a bad bearing. The exhaust fan is probably needed to draw fresh air into the furnace; both the intake and exhaust pipes are out the side of the house rather than in openings around doors and up the chimney.
We called the plumber's office and left a message.
We turned the thermostat all the way down, lit a fire in the fireplace, and put an electric heater near the thermostat to fool the furnace into not coming on. My wife got up several times in the night to put more wood on the fire, bless her. Without a special trip to the cabin, we now have no more wood for this season.
I talked to the plumber several minutes ago and someone will come by later this morning. Of course, the noise won't be there when a plumber comes.
Our little emergency means that the plumber can't go to somebody else's house for some routine job. Of course, we don't know how many other emergencies the plumber might have, like a leaky pipe spraying water all over the basement.
Meanwhile, my wife will do some baking to provide a bit more heat.
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