I'm cold!

Yesterday I was on the computer around noon working on some things when I noticed something odd.

 I was really cold! My hands were shaking because they were so  very cold.

 I checked to see if someone had turned down the thermostat, but no, it was still set between 65 and 70 degrees. The actual temperature, however, was about 55 degrees!

I told Steven what was going on, and checked the pilot light on the heater and made sure the switch was on. I had heard the heater earlier making an odd buzzing sound, I knew the gas was going on and the heater was running off and on, but there was no warm air blowing through the vents.

 Finally we decided to call an acquaintance who owns a heating and cooling company. He agreed to come check it out when he got a chance, since he already had several appointments already scheduled for the day. He arrived around 5pm to take a look.

 He determined that the fan motor was shot and needs to be replaced. For the time, he was able to start it up by manually reaching in and getting the fan moving - the motor was able to keep it going once it was started. He told us he would get the new motor in the morning and if the heater stopped between now and then, just reach in with a gloved hand and start the fan turning again.

The heater ran for about an hour and a half, raising the temperature from 50 degrees to about 60, and then it shut off again. We tried to get the fan moving again, reaching into its toothy maw and spinning it by hand, but the motor just didn't have enough power to get it going.

Last night we slept with extra layers, extra blankets, whatever we needed to keep warm. This morning the thermostat read 45 degrees. It was hard to get out of bed. I'm still waiting for a call to tell me when our friend will be able to come by with the new motor. Meanwhile, I've got the oven going and pots of water boiling on the stove to get a little heat in the house. Thankfully, it is still much warmer in here than it is outside - when I walked the boys to school this morning, the electronic sign said it was 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Update: It is 12:30 and the repairman just left. The motor has been replaced, the heater is running and the thermometer says the temperature is rising. It's almost up to 60 degrees! Yay!!!!!