We were going through a single of the coldest winters yet when our Heating plus A/C component started behaving weirdly.
The excruciating kind of weird.
I came beach house from a lunch meeting with a friend only to find our lake house freezing… So naturally, I switched on the boiler unit. It usually took less than 15 minutes before feeling the change in un-even temperatures. Today, it took 45minutes, plus even then the temperature was not moderate enough as I still had our jacket on. Some rooms were taking longer to hot than others despite having the zone control system; Just when our body was feeling the warmth fill up the house, the oil furnace shut down. The first thing I checked was the air filter, it was jammed with dirt so I changed it. Since I was using a ductless heat pump, there was no need to check for vent blockages. The temperature control also seemed to be working well. The heating contractor suggested the electric oil furnace was old plus needed to be replaced. The heat pump install had been done 25 years ago plus the central heating component was covered in rust. Because the component was old, the heating services it had once gave easily, it struggled to do. Occasionally, I had to switch on the gas fireplace to boost the temperature. The fireplace was a handy energy saving tip that I had picked up from our years of interacting with the dual fuel system. My boiler’s flame sensor was also corroded thus affecting the quality heating capability of the unit. The local contractor helped with the new install plus within no time, I was enjoying the warmth of our home. I was too gleeful about the new unit, the same way a single is gleeful about a new car.