At it again...

Being physically disabled, I'm highly limited to what level of home improvement I can do.  Living int he county I do in PA, I'm even more limited what I can do due to codes.  So when it came to repairing portions of the plumbing, I had to hire a licensed plumber.  That was an expensive job...replacing years of shoddy work, popped soldered joints, and leaking drains.  Then came the terra cotta main drain line that collapsed...now all new from the back of the house to the street.  

After that came the big upgrade in electricity.  The 60A glass fuse system was unable to power what I needed to operate in my home.  If my wife was using the vacuum, my daughter was unable to use the microwave.  If the window A/C was turned on, my son couldn't use the hair dryer.  And if I was trying to use the saw to cut a piece of lumber, nothing else could be used.  It was a mess, and hampered household daily production.  So, I hired an electrician to upgrade our system to a 150A breaker box.  I now have plenty of space to add more circuits for future projects my wife can find for me to make happen.  

I helped my wife and daughter get the basement back in order on Saturday, only to have it torn up again later today. It seems that my furnace finally decided to give up the ghost, so to speak. I can't blame it, really...it was installed in 1956, and was well past it's prime.

59 years in service. 59 years! That's a testament to the quality of items made in America. I'm sure the furnace was serviced and maintained through the years, and the gas valve replaced in the mid 60's with an updated and safer one...everything must be serviced at one time or another if you expect it to last, but I'm surprised that it lasted 59 years. My parents replaced the furnace in their house in the mid to late 1980's, and again a few years ago.

While I know my old furnace wasn't efficient, it was reliable. The new furnace is extremely efficient...95% efficient. This will be a huge welcome to our monthly budget.  With the new furnace comes central air conditioning.  I'm very happy to know that heavy window units will no longer be lugged up and down the stairs each Spring, and my wife won't have the fear of me or my son dropping one out of the window on the second floor of the house.

I doubt it will last 59 years, but I hope it lasts long enough to see true savings.

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