Heat, heaters, frosty mornings and my naivete
These frosty mornings we’ve been having usually last until midday at my house (in the front yard shadow of the house at least!!)
Two nights ago, the fan on my heater seized. “Oh bother,” is not what I said. I had one of these die on me in my first house and even back then (15 years) it cost near on $500 to repair. Anyway, I thought I’d have to bite the bullet today and max out my credit card … again … (basically spend it and run for cover gasping and panic stricken).
And I rang two gasfitters.
The first one said “yes, I can fix that but I might be a little while before I can get there”.
“Um …” I said. “What do you mean ‘a little while’? Er 3-4 hours?”
He burst out laughing. “No, 3-4 weeks!”.
He did offer me some comfort though with the advice that I can run the heater on low without the fan without damaging anything on it except the cheap, brown vinyl contact facade.
Second guy said 4 weeks minimum.
heavy sigh.
Now I look at the frosty mornings and think … “damn, in 3-4 weeks I probably won’t need it nearly as much! But the frost is pretty, maybe I’ll just dash back inside and get my camera.)
So now, I’m about to head out and buy more hotwater bottles (they’re actually quite nice to cuddle). Ironically, I think, the heater in my car has sprung a leak too!
Shanina Conway
Oh no! it’s been freezing too…what about a little $20-$30 blow heater just to take the chill out of a room….and piles of hot water bottles..love mine;)
Anne van Alkemade replied
yes, was thinking about doing that. just a little worried about the electricity bill. At least I can run one bar on the gas heater to keep the chill at bay. Will have to just do for now. :o)
Tania Rose
get a polar suit from the opshop. You’ll be toasty in no time and can also buy your camera!
Anne van Alkemade replied
Good suggestion, will need two, one BIG one for me and one little one for Robyn.
Soxy Fleming
scarf, socks, boots and hat…..and camera!
Matsumoto
I’ve got these wonderful thick blankets that are about an inch thick. They’re made in China and are great! Also, a ceramic blow heater for around 40 dollars and it works great in a room up to 8×10. Total cost for both around $120.00. I use the blankets all year round as they are quiet comfortable.
Anne van Alkemade replied
I’m wearing my Reject Shop poncho and Reject Shop fleecy made in China blanket right now. :o)) Who needs heaters. LOL.
Tania Rose
yeah i reckon you can find a way to have your cake and eat it too :)
Tania Rose
hey Anne, you might like to ask an electrician to come and fix the fan…they might be able to and get to it quicker
Anne van Alkemade replied
No luck with them either Tania. Waiting list a mile long. When tradies are so hard to pin down, I just wonder why there’s unemployment. Must be something to do with the Stonecutters, I reckon.
Anne van Alkemade replied
sorry, Simpsons reference!
Tania Rose
pity you cant just go down to the employment office and hire a tradie who’s outa work….or maybe you can
Anne van Alkemade replied
I think out of work tradies are a bit like unicorns, Tania. As much as you think they surely must exist, the reality is they just don’t! :o)
roybarry
how long??????
Bloody Hell-look out Aussie tradesmen, i’m sending some Brit fitters to come and show you all up…......
Lawford
Rip the heater out of the wall. Go outside and chop down a tree (sorry to the greenies) and take it inside and burn it. That way, as my dear old dad used to say, the wood for the fire will warm you twice.
Anne van Alkemade replied
grew up with open fires! Would love to rip a hole in the wall!!!! Then again, my daughter almost managed to burn our house down one morning when she put a pillow up against the gas heater!!!! Now, she won’t let anyone stand anywhere near it and 2 years later still tells everyone she meets “you burnt the pillow”. sigh. Can you imagine the ‘fun’ with an open fire?
Elaine van Dyk
Oh noooo….that’s a disaster! What’s that organisation one can ring up and get people straight away?? They used to advertise it all the time….....any time you need a tradesman, just pick up the phone and they’ll give you all the names of tradies you want, and those tradies will come out quickly – if not they get struck off the list of recommended’s. Perhaps it didn’t work, because I don’t recall hearing the ads recently.
Anne van Alkemade replied
LOL me neither. I guess they had to strike everyone off their list!!!!
Chanel2
3-4 weeks!! That’s unreal!
Just reading your comments, and my daughter did the whole pillow on the small electric fan heater too, when she was four, while I was in the shower(ofcourse!). I had it blowing down the hallway and she put her pillow on it and sat on it, when I came out there was this awful smell and big burn mark in the carpet! It was a rented house and we paid dearly with the bond when we left! Still, it could have been more disastrous!
Hope it’s sorted soon for you Anne.
Anne van Alkemade replied
Thanks Cathryn. With me, it was pre treatment for my sleep apnoae and I’d fallen asleep on the couch in front of the heater. I woke when Robyn said “oh dear”, two of the words that fill me with the greatest of trepidation. Anyhoo, looked down next to me and there was the pillow, billowing smoke and bright red in the middle the size of a dinner plate. It was quite pretty in a way, like looking into the deep red embers of an open fire. Oh wait, I was. I grabbed it and ran outside with it. Could have been much worse. No burnt mark on the floor (polished boards) and it’s my own house so at least if there had been damage … no bond, just a repair bill. But it didn’t happen. You’re the first to tell me it happened to you too!!!! I’m really rather relieved to know I’m not alone.
Anne van Alkemade replied
PS: just bought myself a little electric blower heater. So we’ll be a little warmer tonight. :o) And even got an RACV $5 discount on it. I’ve never done that before. Yay.
deliriousgirl
Seeing as how it was 99 degrees here yesterday with humidity at about 80%. . . just reading about a frosty morning makes me get up from my desk and stick my head in the freezer.
but, I do sympathize! Once, in my misspent youth days, I got stuck in Boston MA for a winter and I thought for sure, friends would find me frozen solid in a snowbank when the spring thaws came
Anne van Alkemade replied
honestly, I’d sooner the frost than the heat! I’m a winter person, but I worry about Robyn more so than feeling frosty myself. Especially as, at 6, she is inclined to disrobe regardless of the temperature!