Heating

Portrait of Misery

My heating system is making me sick. In preparation for the arrival of winter, I turned it on and within two hours I felt like I had a horrible case of flu, bronchitis, and pneumonia all rolled into one. Breathing became difficult, my sinuses hurt, my throat felt like it was on fire, my neck swelled, my ears congested, my face rash returned, and my head began to pound. Maybe I'm just sick? It's like I'm in constant denial although I've been dealing with this same "sickness" every winter since I moved into this house. Every October when I turn on the heat it's the same nightmare and I spend months waiting desperately for May to arrive so I can turn the heat off again. This year the illness came much faster and was twice as bad as any previous year. I turned the heat off and it nearly all went away.

I've been calling around interviewing heating repair people and getting ideas. Is it ozone caused by a haywire filtering system? Or do the air ducts need to be inspected, cleaned and sealed because they are sucking in the dust, mold, and rat shit from under the house? The public utilities department gives rebates to have the duct sealing done and this seems like the most likely scenario. Sounds like a good plan until I started asking the right questions.

First and foremost, the duct repair guy doesn't wear perfume or scented products. I'm not sure he knows what scented products means, but at least he acted like he understood the question.

I tell the him when I had the heat off all summer if there was a wind outside I could feel it coming through the vents. He says the ducts must be compromised, in other words, there is a hole somewhere. I confessed Santy Claws was living under my house last Christmas and he started moaning. It's not a good sign when the heating guy starts moaning. Yeah, I already knew opossums are known for trashing heating systems. Yeah, I know they poop all over creating a bacterial health hazard. Yeah, I know this could mean lots of money. I didn't mention rats or mold to him. I was afraid he'd start crying. Moaning was bad enough. I did warn him about the cayenne pepper all over. (Someone told me cinnamon also works to deter rodents and spiders! I can't believe it would be as good as cayenne. I would think rats would like something that smells like bakery goods.)

What is use to seal the ducts? Mastic sealant. Oh, you know the stuff that offgases methanol, ethylene glycol, and ammonia from two weeks to six months.

What about duct replacement materials saturated in formaldehyde. Oh great. I am doomed.

Here it is. If I repair this heating system there might be a chance it would render me homeless. An option would be to have the whole heating system re-done and go to radiant heat, but do I really want to spend that kind of money on a house I want to sell? Do I have a choice since moving right away is not an option. The new owners will have the ducts cleaned, sealed, and have no problem. Can I live without central heat for the next couple years until I sell it? It's gonna get cold!

Pondering the options.

What a hassle.