The Heat is On

We planned on not turning on the heat until we had completed a few radiator covers, but we've been busy with other things and the weather had other ideas.  It's been really cold in the morning lately.  Friday night we decided it was time to finally turn on the heat.  Step 1) Clear the space around each radiator because they get hot.  Step 2) Flush the sediment out of the boiler... then flush more sediment out of the boiler... then flush more sediment out of the boiler... over and over until the water runs clear four hours later.  Our furnace may be only a year old, but I don't think anyone flushed the system at all last winter.  Yuck.

So then we started again (on a very chilly) Saturday.  Step 3 should have been "turn on the heat," but Mike upgraded to a digital thermostat so we can set back the heat automatically and be a little greener.  This didn't go quite as smoothly as we hoped thanks to some ancient wiring upstairs, a mislabeled oil burner switch that actually controls the electrical of the gas furnace (and for that matter who puts up TWO furnace shut off switches?!) and some more mismatched basement wires.  But eventually (with a little help) we got things up and running. Our house is officially cozy and warm.

These old radiators get hot when the heat is on - dangerously burning hot.  It's more important than ever that we make some progress with our radiator cover project because every time the steam travels through the radiators it makes noise - and Georgia attacks them thinking there's a ghost or small animal inside.  All through the house - barking, running around wildly, growling and even jumping on the radiator and singing her paws.  This is especially fun at 2, 4 and 6am. Over and over.  At some point she'll get used to it, we just haven't gotten there yet.