Today marked the first time in TEN years that we had our furnace serviced. And since my wife's parents have been on us like white on rice to get it serviced, we caved and determined now was as good a time as any. First of all Poorman's HVAC service was prompt, exemplary, and the technician first rate.
Now...on to the "beast in the basement..."
Our furnace is one of those studies in contrast.... "The Beast" was built around 1969, the house a couple decades prior, and the A/C unit was added on the early 1970s. So let's say that our furnace should qualify for SOME type of federal funding due to it's "historical" nature. This bad boy could be loaned to the Smithsonian for their "History of HVAC" exhibit...lol!
It's big, sort of loud (but it's quieter now), and ALL STEEL (think built like a Bradley Fighting Vehicle), but is still getting the job done that it was designed for after ALL these years....then again what could you expect from a company (Williamson) that basically built themselves out of business? So much for old-school technology, eh? Build things to LAST and build them in AMERICA, unlike today's "can't fix this foreign POS, so just toss it and get a new one" rhetoric. Even the tech said that getting close to FORTY YEARS out of this furnace was remarkable!
We had the motor lubed up (30 weight oil is better than 3-in-1), and the V-belt changed on the motor pulley (you wouldn't want what came off on ANY car at ANY time...trust me). The furnace IS showing it's age (aren't we all?), and is a lot less efficient than modern ones...that's a given, so we've decided to "get creative" and offset the cost of using those compact fluorescent bulbs in the house by wasting energy through the flue of the furnace.....it all balances out at the bottom of the page anyway. Besides, it's nice to take that income tax check and "redistribute the wealth", as it were. All I can say is that we're doing OUR PART for the local economy...so there...!
Still, after all was said and done, it did cost a little over $300 (way, WAY less than a new unit), and will be around for a few more years (as we hopefully will be as well). The tech even got the humidifier to work again (it was blocked more than a presidential bill for troop spending in Iraq), so I won't be playing "shock the monkey" with the cats (or the wife) anytime soon.
Will we get a new unit? If this one gives up the ghost, definitely. But if we're moving away from the ghetto here (a distinct possibility, should the right property become available), let it stay...it still works.
But there's still that matter about the A/C condenser unit needing a good clean...
That's another story for another time.
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