Finally managed to get someone in to service the oil burner this morning. At 8:15 this morning. Before we were out of bed this morning ( Read more... )

Recall that we haven't had heat since June, when the oil boiler died. We'd already been talking about/planning to switch to gas, so this was the boot in the ass we needed ( Read more... )

Thanks to Greg from Craigslist, Steve the plumber, his brother Lou the electrician (and the $550 between them).

This morning's plumber felt there was too much rust and fail in the boiler. He gave about 50/50 odds of shearing off one or both of the bolts, which would require welding new bolts in place. And even if he replaced the leaking upper flange, the lower one was just as sketchy, and could blow as well ( Read more... )

We've been without heat or (more importantly) hot water since yesterday morning. We have oil heat with an indirect water heater - the boiler provides a heating loop into the water storage tank. The overall problem is that there's no water in the boiler. This is the result of 2 actionable problems: 1) the feeder valve is broken, so no water is ( Read more... )

I'm grateful for the azithromycin that is clearing up my pneumonia, and I honestly look forward to tomorrow when I can take another dose and get a little better. However, based on the past two mornings' experience, it leaves me light-headed for about 4 hours afterwards ( Read more... )

Replace a bathroom faucet - simple, right? Only if your idea of simple includes bolt cutters and an angle grinder (well, yes ( Read more... )

Here's a house we looked at on Sunday. ( after trying for two months )

( Read more... )

While I'm here and posting things, here's something I recently found (and left) in my neighbor's trash.


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