Nov 23rd - Warmer and Some Rain

Temperatures have been nice here for the past several days, highs in the high 50's & low 60's. We had some rain last night and today it has drizzled rain most of the day.

Last week I ran 3 tanks of gas through my leaf blower and made several large piles of leaves. I managed to get the piles burned without setting the woods on fire <grin>. I'm also doing some woods clearing, by cutting up dead cedar trees, some still upright and some that have already fallen over. The cedar doesn't have a lot of heat value in it but a couple of wheelbarrow loads a day (big wheelbarrow) keeps the boiler running. Burning it in the boiler is better than burning it in a brush pile.

Last Thursday our heating contractor came out and installed our new furnace and heat pump. The old furnace installation is on the left and the new is on the right. I was pleased that they increased the size of a section of the cold air return. We now have a much larger filter, and one that is much easier to change. The old furnace was no more than 80% efficient, this new one is 96% efficient. (The furnace was bad, we spent $250 on it, with another contractor, and it still wasn't working properly.)

We also replaced our old air conditioning unit with a new heat pump unit that will provide both cooling in the summer and heat in the winter, until the temperatures fall below freezing, then the system will switch to the propane furnace. The air conditioning part of the heat pump is MUCH more efficient than our old one, which should make a significant difference in our summertime electric bills. The heating portion of it is much, much more efficient that even a high efficiency gas furnace. If we stop using the wood boiler our heat will be much cheaper than heating with just propane.

Old AC unit.

 

New heat pump.

I started working on a doll house bookcase for Lydia. Kelsey found the plans online. I have a lot of the "rough" work done but still have a ways to go. I'll post a photo of it when I get further along.

I went over to Kelsey & Andy's after church and helped them work on a bench seat under a bay window. We got the rough frame installed before I tired out <grin>. Lydia stayed with Grammy so that she could take a nap. No way she would have taken a nap at her house, while we were working on the bench. She would have wanted to help.

I had a routine doctors appointment last week. The doctor said all is well. Blood test work came back fine. I've no excuse for laying around doing nothing. I consider myself blessed that I can get out and blow leaves and cut and split wood. God is good!

May God bless you and yours.