Let's talk about the weather! It is in all the news.
Wild Wicked Winter Weather.
What a perfect time to be without a heater!
We saw Dan from a company called 608 Plumbing [&heating]. He said he could get a motor to fix the intake fan and inspected the heater. He says it is in excellent shape and it is too bad we got a bum fan motor.
He presented us with another idea. I'd never heard of a Mini Split before. I knew about Heat Pumps from years ago when my mom and dad built their retirement home and had one purchased for their house. At that time I think it was brand new technology. They had a heat pump and a furnace for those very frigid winters.
A Mini Split would probably save us gobs of Money over using our old window air conditioner that only fits upstairs in a room we don't use. We use fans on the stairs to blow cool air down on hot days. It has worked for years for us, but I've never felt it was very efficient.
However, the Mini Split would cool down the house where we actually live! And until it gets extremely cold, it would heat us too for far less than what we are paying for now.
A huge draw back is the price. However, I'm looking at rebates, efficiency, and tax credits [I am aware of the limitations on all of these--but hey, it is a selling point]. Plus this company will maintain the system.
608 Dan looked the house over and then made said this:
"Here is what I want to do for you Rich, I want to make you comfortable in the winter AND the summer and save you money in the long run. How's that sound?"
I laughed and replied, "That is a pretty good sales pitch. Make the man of the house comfy and worry free!"
So what about the weather? It is happening all right.
A good day to make soup and cut up my fruit for snacking.
Yum! Fresh fruit on a gloomy wintery day. Turkey soup with dried wild mushrooms along with dehydrated veggies and carrots.
The space heater is actually keeping the house nice and warm.
The snow this morning was ferocious. The winds on the ridge were wicked and several times we had some blowing snow down in our hollow. Charlie and I went to get the mail. He loves snowstorms!
As long as the snow isn't too deep for him to bound out of.
This afternoon, it has alternated between snow, sleet, and rain.
The mules have been alternating between eating at the feeders ...
and standing way down in the woods with their mule butts to the winds....
The birds have been busy at the feeders and have been taking turns sitting in the pine tree or the hickory tree.
On the ridge, it looks like this.
Our dead end road:
I'm hoping the ice/sleet/rain that is falling doesn't cause us to lose power.
Sounds like the initial expense of the mini split will be worth it. Love efficiency!
ReplyDeleteThat cardinal photo though! So bright on a dreary day. And I love that those little Charlie legs almost disappear when he runs.
I have heard that donkeys don't stand the cold as well as horses, is that true for mules or are they tougher than both?
Donkeys coats don't shed water as well as horse coats do so they will get cold. The mules have really thick equine coats, they don't fully shed out until June!
DeleteOur mules seem to be pretty tough that way. However, they can avoid the winds and get into the deep forest. The below zero wind chill generally doesn't apply to them as they are protected by the landscape.
Yes, efficiency is well worth it. We had been discussing something like this for a long time now regarding a system that allows hubby to be more comfortable as heat and cold are very hard on his health.
I just love seeing Cardinals too! Such a bright spot in our day!
I don't know how easily you lose power, but I truly hope it stays on! This is a big storm, pounding so many. I am ready for Spring.
ReplyDeleteIn 27 years we lost power once and that was the huge storm of 2007 which took out so many roads as well as power poles. Most of our power lines run underground on our ridge.
DeleteSo not too easily, I think.
I'm glad your power lines are underground. Where I live it isn't possible -- high water table-- and events like yesterday's local tornado, tearing down poles, lines and trees, caused outages.
ReplyDeleteSounds as if the outlay for the heater/AC would be worth it. As you age it gets harder to tolerate extremes in temperature. I hope you go for it.
It sounds like the mini split would work great for you especially the cooling part! Yes newer appliances are usually more energy efficient too, sure hope that fan motor is easy to find and he gets it installed for you. The kids have a mini split upstairs in their bedroom it is a huge suite type room. I know that my husband cannot take extremes in temperatures and having ac filtering out dust and pollen really helps...and we also have a Dyson Air purifier:) Stay warm! I am off to take Gene to the clinic for his infusion then I am done for a few days and by then it will be warmer:)
ReplyDeleteCharlie! He is a real trooper. We got a lot of snow and wind, it's still snowing lightly. We had a generator wired in for when we lose power. I doesn't happen much anymore, but it used to be a fairly common thing. Soup sounds good to me.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get your heating and cooling under control....you both deserve to be comfortable..... Lori
ReplyDeleteI never heard of a mini split. I will be investigating. . . .
ReplyDeleteNo kidding, I hadn't either! But it does sound like a good solution!
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