Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Woo Hoo...brrrr...Woo Hoo

Woo Hoo....Dewey and Johanna just pulled in the driveway (it's 9:30 Wednesday night).

Last night the heat pump went out.

For normal folks living in the regular world who have things like furnaces and such as we did up north, the heat pump is down here is part of our central unit. It does what it says in its name...it's our heat.

Well, it was our heat.

Last night at 9 pm we had great heat pumping through the vents. Good thing when it was supposed to be around 20 degrees overnight. Good thing, that is until about 10 pm when the temp was dropped to 64 in here and there was a definite cold flow of air coming from each vent.

Jennifer and I battled that thermostat, checked breakers on the pole and in the unit. We got nowhere. LOL...not surprising, seeing as we don't know anything about that kind of stuff. We finally called Dewey and woke him up. My dear husband was fast asleep and not in the mood to be awake it seemed. He fell back asleep on me during the first call. I hung up.

He called back several minutes later and asked why I hung up.

I was tired, I was getting rather chilled. Let's just say the pretty picture of a happy wife and contented husband wasn't what we had going on. He was testy...I do suppose I had a hand in that attitude...and I was rather testy. I was asking questions, he didn't have a clue with this style thermostat, he told me to find the wiring diagram in the paperwork and we'd go over it...over the phone...

I'm about as electrical-minded as I am an architect, folks. I'm looking at the diagram, he's asking me this and that, and I'm just staring at it. It's not color-coated, so it was all Greek to me. I was looking at the wires telling him what color this one or that one was. He needed to know what the diagram said this or that was.

I imagine it was about like the scene after God confused the languages at the Tower of Babel.

Needless to say though, my dear husband is now home and tomorrow we will pick up the wood heater, the man will be in the morning early to deliver a full cord of seasoned, dry wood, already split for me, and we will start tearing out the window and building a wall and installing some much desired heat ;o)

I love my husband :o)

Even if he can't explain electrical stuff to me :o)

6 comments:

Homegrown Family said...

Good Morning on this Brisk Mississippi morning. I am in southern MS close to the coast. Not on the coast as we were for katrina but close.
Heat pumps can freeze with extreme cold. If your unit was blowing cold air the hoses outside might have been frozen and won't thaw till it warms up. I know that stinks. I have seen it happen before with a woman on the coast and their was nothing she could do about it. I am not sure why this happens and I am not sure if that is what is wrong with your unit. Gen maintence helps cleaning it regularly but that costs and like everyone else the extra $$ to have someone clean it is not easily found sometimes.
But this is only a suggestion since I have heard of it happening before with a friend. And since the unit was blowing air well that was first thought.
Hope you have a blessed day setting up your wood heat! :0)
Erika

Anonymous said...

I'm glad your husband is home and that your getting the wood heat installed asap, especially in this weather. I know for us, I'm in Northern Virginia the wind chill is supposed to be around 0* today and -8* tomorrow.

I do so miss wood heat!! Enjoy it!!

Dana

Trixi said...

Of all times, I can not believe your heat is going out on the coldest week of the year. However, I am glad you are getting that wood heater in. I can not stand the smoke smell but I love to stand by ours to warm up. So it's a give take relationship.LOL

On A Hill Homestead said...

Sorry to hear about your heater giving you problems.
You'll love the woodburner. I so enjoy a fire in the evenings. I'm odd I guess because I love the smell of our wood burning in the stove, it makes you feel warm. lol!
So glad your husband is home to help with projects. Have a blessed week.
Peace, Kris

Anonymous said...

We are inching closer to that wood heat...and he is working out a surprise for me in the process he said :o)
LOL...WARM AIR is plenty enough for me :o)

As to the unit freezing up, yes they do that. Older units are more susceptible, but even in the middle of 100 degree summer, the unit can freeze up -- literally, with ice coating the fans and all.

We clean ours ourselves, regularly, keeping the grass cut back around it, hosing out the unit itself (fins and such) clearing the fins of anything that has made it's way through the shell, etc. But, it's just hit and miss, and with this much cold, those heat pumps just aren't able to keep up. He got us a bit of heat last night but chugging along, it barely kept above 49 in here.

GRRRR and BRRR...
Deanna

As Simply As We Can said...

Hi Deanna ~ Thanks for the kind words. And no, he doesn't do any electrical stuff unfortunately. Beleive me, my mind had already gone there thinking it was too bad cause he could head up your hubby's way! It's just a wait and see game at this point. And we've been through it many a time before, it just comes with the territory. But I do have to admit the timing pretty much stinks this time.

We've really been wanting to go to wood heat too. Already have a big brick hearth for one in the living room. But we know (hope, pray) that we won't be living here more than another year or two and don't want to go and fix it how we want it only to have to leave it or move it in that short of a time.

Hope you all got cozy warm!!

Jer.6:16

Jeremiah 6:16
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

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