My furnace is pissing me OFF.

[Madrone]

It's been working less and less every week ...

At first I had to go outside and into the cellar to reset it every few days. Then once a day. Now multiple times per day. Grrr. It was under 60 degrees when I woke up this morning, and after 10 minutes of fiddling I managed to make it go on. But it wouldn't stop. Finally it turned off over an hour later. I went to work, and stayed for 2 hours before coming back home. Furnace off again! Wouldn't start. I disassembled the thermostat and blew out a lot of dust and hair. Contacts look good.

Back downstairs with some wire strippers where I stripped the wires that connect the thermostat to the furnace and reconnected them. Turned the furnace switch back on and hit the reset button. HEAT. For now. The question is - did something I do fix it, or will it die again? I'm in hurry up and wait mode.

I'm going on vacation in a week, I CAN'T leave without knowing for sure there will be heat. This is SO not fun - I have other things I need to worry about before leaving besides the damned furnace.

Oh yeah, and when I got to work and went to turn off the car this morning I noticed the engine light was on. :eyes:

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Get a new thermostat

instead of wondering, worrying, and fiddling. :hi:

on edit:
Have you had the furnace burners checked prefessionally in the last year? Could need a burn level readjustment.

[Madrone]

3. Well, I thought about that.

I'm trying to figure out if that's the problem, or if it's something more sinister requiring an appointment and an expensive service call.



As for being professionally checked.... no. I'm a cheap-ass renter! ;)

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. Ummm...Don't know if you know this, but...

It's The LAW that your landlord MUST repair this, and MUST do it immediately! Have you called him/her? The landlord has to address this as it's about safety and maintenance for habitation. It's the standard for safe housing and landlord responsibility in every state.

on edit:
IF anything you've done has compromised the furnace/thermostat, and the company that comes out to check on it all discovers you caused some of the problem, your landlord can come back at you in a variety of ways financially. Best advice: tell landlord there's a problem--don't mention the things you've done to try to resolve the problem.

[Madrone]

6. I do know that -

But my landlord and I have a very mutually satisfactory unspoken agreement to leave each other alone! LOL I don't want him bothering me, and he leaves me alone. He's out of town a lot for months at a time, and I try to handle stuff myself instead of calling him for things.

If the service guys have to be called I'll call them, then send him the receipt with a written explanation of what happened w/ my rent check.

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. Oh...OK

:hi:

[lizziegrace]

2. Damn

I have no idea if the furnace is "repaired" or not. Time will tell on that one. You're incredibly resourceful. :hug:

Hope the car thing was just your imagination. :(

[Madrone]

4. It's not my imagination -

But 2 men have told me today that that doesn't usually mean "OMG PULL OVER AND TURN THE CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY AND DON'T DRIVE IT" in the same way an oil light would. I don't think I have time (or money) to take it in for service for awhile though.

[lizziegrace]

8. You're right

"right now" are the temperature and oil lights. Also, steam from under the hood or smoke. :scared:

My twin sister called me one day when we were in college. "What does the temperature light mean?" Me? "uh, pull over NOW. How long's it been on?" Her? "Two days."

We are NOT related...

:)

[Madrone]

10. LOL -

I was scared to death when I had to take my car in for repair after hitting a deer this summer. I had to drive almost an hour to get it to the body shop, and when I did there was smoke/steam pouring out from underneath the hood. I thought I fucked it up but GOOD - but I *had* to get it to the shop and I live far away from just about everything.

It was just a leaky radiator and nothing to be concerned with, but it scared me a bit!

(I did check everything out the best I could for leaks, fluid levels, etc. BEFORE getting on the road w/ it)

[SPKrazy]

9. Sounds Like A Day To Turn Back

and go to bed

but instead I'd listen to other posters here and not me!

:hi: