Moments of Joy

I recently had a debate with a friend on life and our expectations of happiness. I told her I didn't believe it was realistic to expect a life of happiness. Good things happen and bad things happen. It's a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. It's the bad experiences that give balance and help us appreciate our good experiences. All we can hope for is a life of overall contentment as we negotiate the ride. However, MCS is on a whole other level and to mitigate the negativity of this ongoing experience, I search and revel in moments of joy no matter how small or mundane. Sometimes this is a challenge, but I persist. Every day.

I was thinking about this today as I did a basic household repair. One of my wall heaters started blowing cold air. This is not good on a 30 degree morning when all outdoor surfaces are thick with ice. Four years ago another wall heater refused to work. I called the local furniture store for advice. The heater was only a few years old. The woman on the phone said she'd ask her repair guy and get back with me. I waited. A week later I figured they forgot so I headed to the nearest hardware store and bought a new heater. I installed it myself rather than hiring electricians at $80 hour, because I'm just that kind of woman (cheap). But I hung on to the old heater in case the repair guy would contact me.

He did! A few days later he told me it could be dust clogging the electrical points causing it to just not turn on. Hmmm...if this is the case, it would be a horrible waste of money to throw it out so I cleaned it the best I could, put it in a box, and stored it in the back of my closet until the next heater dies.

Here it is 2022, four years later. I dug the box out of the back of the closet, cleaned the heater with an electronic duster which released a whole litter of giant dust bunnies I must have missed with the first cleaning, electrified it, crossed my fingers, and turned it on. IT WORKS! OMG! I almost threw this old heater away not understanding it was just taking a little rest. Such a joyful feeling to not only save money, but be self-reliant.

Another moment of joy this month...2022 is starting out very joyous! This is a good sign. 

I sent one of my handmade, collage Christmas cards to Girl Alive in Malaysia. This was a risk. We both knew it. With the pandemic, international mail has been problematic at best, but I felt risky. The woman at the post office did some odd things that should have given me pause, but I ventured forth and sent it anyway. This was in November over a month before Christmas. It never arrived for Christmas. I was disappointed, and reprimanded myself for being so risky, but oh well, if it would have arrived, it might have brought my friend some Christmas joy.

January 20th...IT ARRIVED! Two months later, but IT ARRIVED! I was so shocked I accused her of lying to me just to make me feel better. LOL! (Sorry, Girl Alive!) So in January, a month kind of blah for joy, my friend received some surprised joy! I felt such overwhelming happiness for something so simple and random. So wonderful.

I love moments of joy. They make life...content.

Cadet Heaters...Round Two

So it's been almost three years since I replaced my rat-infested, formaldehyde-soaked, fiberglass-constructed furnace with electric Cadet wall heaters. I wrote a post on the effects of those brand new heaters: nausea, neck and back pain, and dizziness that lasted for about two weeks. After a frustrating two weeks, I washed the heaters' innards with vinegar and that seemed to do the trick. I haven't had a problem since and they gloriously heated my house very efficiently and relatively safely. I dust them every few months and don't put anything flammable in front of them so my house hasn't burned to the ground. My electric bills were much lower than when the furnace was running, even when it was brand new.

The Cadets have a two-year warranty although many have told me they last much longer. Perhaps others are using them only every now and then, to heat a bathroom or other small space. My three heaters are running about twelve hours a day and sometimes all night if temperatures hit freezing levels or under 25 degrees. Kitchen, living room, and office all winter long. I never use heaters in the spring, summer, and most of the fall when the temperatures are tolerable.

The Cadet in the kitchen stopped blowing heat. It still blows so I know it's not the motor or fan perhaps just the heating element. I thought for sure the cheap, plastic fan would be the first thing to break, but I guess not. This is the only heater attached to a separate temperature control knob. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it going out sooner than the other two. I called a few places then talked to a few more hardware store employees and they all said replacing just a part would cost as much as a new heater. So I bought a new heater. Very easy to install. Before installing I wiped the surfaces down the best I could before flipping it on.

BLAH. Immediately I could smell it. My head started spinning, my stomach lurching, and my spine tightening like an over stretched rubber band. I quickly sealed off the kitchen, brought in the fans, opened the kitchen window, and let the heater air itself out.

The discomfort only lasted for about an hour then I was able to remove the fans and close the window. I think washing down with vinegar is the secret. Even with the toxic offgassing these electric wall heaters are better than the furnace and far less expensive than that $5,000 split duct heatless piece of garbage salesmen were trying to sell me. We'll see if the other two heaters kick the bucket.

Cadet Heater Poisoning (Update)

I was so excited for my new Cadet Heaters, unfortunately I celebrated too soon. Remember this illustration I did last year in conjunction with the nausea and respiratory inflammation I experienced after turning on the toxic furnace? Well, there is a reason I've dug it out of the archives. It will serve to illustrate my current reactions to the Cadet Heaters.

It actually feels worse than it looks...

In September I turned the cadets on maybe twice for about ten minutes each time. It didn't take long to heat the house and since it was still fairly warm outside, I didn't see any reason to keep them on.

Later when autumn temperatures dropped, I kept them on. Within thirty minutes my sinuses, ears and glands started burning, and one hour later, my whole respiratory system from my nose to my lungs burned painfully, then dizziness and nausea followed by severe neck and spinal pain. Misery. I turned all the heaters off and aired the rooms.

Something in the heaters are offgassing. I'm not happy about this and this is my fault for not holding my ground and getting the heaters I wanted. I settled for the crappy, cheap heaters with too many plastic parts. Yeah, I can holler at myself for the rest of my life, but any new appliance is going to offgas and there is no guarantee the more expensive models would not have been problematic, although their innards are metal and not cheap PLASTIC. And who knows what kinds of sealants or treatments they use on the materials.

I drug all the fans and air purifiers out of closets and turned them on, opened all the windows in my house and within fifteen minutes, my body started clearing. I went to bed with all the bedroom doors upstairs shut and sealed, every window in the house open, and I left the heat on for about two hours. Such a waste of energy with all the windows open, but I needed to do something to offgas whatever needs to be offgassed.

The next morning the air seemed clear (and cold!), but still my lungs and ears started to burn slightly with very slight bouts of nausea. Something was in the air. Not as bad as the day before so I was hopeful if I keep the heaters on eventually whatever it is that is giving me grief will heat off. Strangely enough, I couldn't smell anything odd.

I keep reminding myself living with MCS is a constant risk AND I am thankful I didn't buy the $5,000 heating model and had the same problem. I've never had a problem with cadets in the past, but I've never had to deal with new ones. The toxic stuff just needs to offgas. I am being very hopeful and positive.

 

It's now been two weeks of off and on. A few times I left them on for up to four hours and either left the house or went to bed with my bedroom sealed. Even after I air the whole house out with opened windows and fans, I was still experiencing painful neck and spine inflammation, respiratory burning, dizziness, and extreme nausea.

I contacted the company and they offer no solution but only told me I'm the only person in their sixty year history who has ever complained of this. I find that hard to believe. I just want answers so I can figure out how to remedy the problem. Instead they asked me if I've ever been chemically sensitive to anything and then proceeded to ask me every little detail about my house, because it can't possibly be their heaters causing the problems. So frustrating. Then they just disappeared and I never heard back. They get an award for lousy customer service. Still, I persevered because these heaters are new and if I can just get them to a "used" state whatever is making me sick will burn itself out. I HOPE!

I waited another four days for my body to detox and clear the poison. I attempted to wash the plastic innards down with vinegar. I turned them back on again. It's such a risk each time. This time I sealed off individual rooms and tested only one heater at a time. I'm only experiencing slight throat dryness and some shoulder tension now. It seems to be getting better. I don't know if it's the constant use or the vinegar that helped, but I have hope!

Winter Preparations

Determined not to freeze to death like I did last year, I have spent most of this year planning for this winter's cold weather. First step on my list was to remove the old, fiberglass heating ducts as well as the Freon-filled heater and air conditioner that has made me sick for the last eight winters. It's been such a nice feeling to have the crawlspace cleared of all those toxic materials.

Next I had cadet heaters installed in the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and office. I already had two cadet heaters in the bedrooms upstairs, so that's a total of SIX! Although it's not nearly close to freezing outside, we've had a few mornings when the temperatures dipped a little low and I could hardly wait to try them out. Within minutes the rooms were toasty. This is a huge difference as the old, creepy heating system would take at least an hour to warm up the house before I would feel a difference. I have lots of hope for a toasty winter! It'll be interesting to see what happens with my electric bill. With heat this efficient, I have high (unrealistic) hopes heating costs will be lower than they've ever been.


The next step in the plan was to buy warm, comfortable, organic bedding. I was tired of cheap, formaldehyde-soaked sheets so I splurged and bought organic jersey sheets. Although they arrived with silicon gel packs to prevent mildew in transportation and storage, after six washings they now smell fine and they are soft and so very comfortable.

The final step in the plan was to purchase an organic, wool-stuffed comforter. This has been a dream of mine for many years, but cost prohibitive. Last winter when it got really cold, I used my old polyester sleeping bag on top all my blankets, comforter, and sheets for warmth. So I headed back to Holy Lamb Organics to find out about discounted merchandise.

I love this company. It's located in an old, remodeled turn-of-the-century grocery store and all the original wood counters, shelves and hardwood floors are still there. There is a sign on the door stating it is a fragrance-free facility and asking people to refrain from the stink. My kind of business!

They make their comforter shells from organic cotton and they had fabric with flaws offered at a discount. I informed the salesperson of my concerns with packing chemicals and my not-so-good experience with the organic sheets from one of their suppliers. In order to alleviate my worries, she actually went into their stockroom, retrieved a queen-sized comforter shell and let me smell it. When I deemed it safe by exclaiming it smells natural, like a plant (cotton!?), she put my name on it.

Then I had a choice between thin, medium or thick wool filling. She asked if I slept hot or cold. I said, "Oh, God...Have you ever had a hot flash?" I told her I used to sleep cold, but that's not a guarantee. Last winter I fantasized about the thickest comforter possible, but now during a hot summer day, I waffled. I ended up ordering the medium thickness as I was worried the thicker comforter would never fit in any washing machine, let alone mine.

They HAND SEW these comforters together. I wish I would have taken photos of the tables with the fabric pieces. I watched one comforter-maker climb inside the shell to strategically place the wool batting. There was something very organic watching people hand-create something. The downside to hand-made, organic items is they don't come cheap. I kept chanting to myself, This WILL add joy to my life!!!  An organic, wool-filled, hand-made comforter is definitely a luxurious item.

While shopping online I found most of the organic, wool comforters needed to be dry cleaned. Eeeww! I have seen dry cleaners who advertise they are "organic", but I don't know what that means. Holy Lamb Organic comforters may be washed, but they give specific directions on HOW to wash them and make no guarantees. Their ultimate advice is to cover them with a duvet and avoid washing them if possible.



 

It's definitely beautiful, soft and fluffy. One thing I didn't expect is it smells like WOOL, a oily, sheep-y smell. I only smelled the shell before ordering, not the insides. It smells like the vitamin D capsules I used to use for moisturizer before the side effects started. Lanolin has never been a problem for me, nor wool, so I assumed the glycerin in the capsules were the cause of my discomfort.  I intend to cover the comforter with a cotton, flannel duvet so I'm hoping it'll seal it. Or maybe with time it'll offgas. With MCS, there is always a risk with trying out new products. It could be a very expensive, money-wasting experiment OR it could be incredibly joyous. Right now I am very hopeful!

UPDATES:  Good lord, this comforter is the best purchase I've made in a long, long time! I placed a duvet cover over it and that could be why I haven't smelled the wool. The wool is amazingly heat regulating. I love it!

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WINTER!

Office Heater!

I got heat!!!!

Heater boys came today to install cadet wall heaters in my house. They arrived right on time which is shocking and amazing. They were pleasant, personable, and patient as I asked them one hundred questions and reviewed every torment I've experienced in the last year as I was shopping for heat.

Both of them have ductless heat pump heaters in their homes and both almost talked me out of the cadet wall heaters as they spend most of their time REMOVING cadets so the people can replace them with ductless. Great. This is what I don't need at the last minute. So I asked the same questions I've asked many others for months: If ductless is so great, why don't they heat the whole house? Why is it my neighbor paid $5,000 and STILL has sheets hanging to close off the rooms so she can get one room warm enough for comfort. Their only explanation was that maybe some old houses don't have good insulation so the very expensive ductless can't heat the whole house. OK. But that's not good enough. If I pay $5,000, it damn well better heat the whole house and no one can guarantee it will. No one can guarantee the fungicides they use to control the mold won't make me ill. No one can guarantee the nitrogen gas they use to pump the ductless heat pump won't make me ill. No one can guarantee anything. And then there is the issue of heater guys not showing up or giving me astronomical quotes and insinuating I'm asking too many questions. These wall heaters seem to be my only option. My only safe option.



Living Room Heater!

Then I asked about the efficiency of these cadets. Well, they aren't as efficient as a ductless (and they aren't nearly as expensive) and my heating bills will be higher. OK. How high? He tried giving me a formula for cost but he couldn't remember it exactly. I'm imagining bills as high as $400 -500 a month. So I said, "My two neighbors use cadets and Eden Pure heaters and their monthly bill at the peak of winter is only $200." He says, "Oh, no, it won't be as high as $200." OK. Good enough for me. I'm sold.

Of course, they only have the cheaper models although I clearly said on numerous occasions I wanted the more expensive and hopefully more durable heaters like the ones I have upstairs. Damn. I wait a year to get some heat and now I'm going to cancel it all? I probably should have, but they said they install these a lot, no one complains and these are the latest models. What the hell. He looks at the ones I have upstairs and tells me they are the same wattage. My impatience always gets me in trouble and it all makes me tired which makes me compliant. He offered to install only one to see how I like it first, but in a flash I visualized these guys never coming back and me freezing my ass off and my pipes freezing. No. I've pondered and tormented myself for a year on this. I've read consumer reports and online comments. These heaters are fine. Just do it.


Kitchen Heater!

In addition to the living room heater, the office heater, and the kitchen heater, I also added a bathroom heater, new outlet, new light fixture and removed the old, ugly baseboard heater that's near the front door (the spiders use it for a hotel). Major electrical rehaul!

I feel so satisfied. Calm. Clean. Organized. Like everything is right in the world. All my major projects are done in the house. The creepy ducts, heat pump and furnace are gone. The register holes are covered and sealed. The closets are finished. It feels so right.

I have heat! Every now and then as I walk in and out of rooms, I turn one on even though it's the middle of summer. Jeez, it's hot right away so when I come in from the cold I can stand in front of it and warm up immediately. I think these will be great. If not, I guess I'll have to rethink the plan later on. For now I will swim in the goodness of it all.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR WINTER!!!! BRING ON THE FREEZE! I'LL BE SO WARM AND TOASTY IN DECEMBER!

 

 



This is what old-style construction looks like. This is what they used instead of sheetrock. Little 1 x 1/2 boards sealed together with what looks and feels (and cuts) like cement, but what was used as plaster. The electrician had to cut through two of these to get through a wall. Very interesting. This proves my house is damn near indestructible!

Done...Done...and...Done

I am the summer project maniac! I love getting things done and it's so much easier when people respond to your desperate pleas for help.

I visited the heating company yesterday and asked if they could come out dismantle and drain my furnace and heat pump. OK, I begged really nicely. When I told my construction adviser I was going to remove it myself he cautioned about the Freon or refrigerator coolant. I was worried about the electrical stuff as it is way more complex than anything I've ever encountered. Pipes and tubes and attachments. I had no idea what I was looking at nor what to do with it.

The young woman at the heating company began taking my name and information. I whispered to her, "Do you think they'll show up this time?" I continued to explain this was my fifth visit to their office not including the desperate call I made last December when my house froze along with my water pipes. She GUARANTEED she would personally email me and try to get someone to my house next week. When I left I was hopeful, but not confident.

This morning after I took a drive to get groceries I came home to an email message, "Our technician went to your house this morning, but said no one was home."

OH! NO!!! NO! NO! I went to the store because I didn't think they would come until next week! Oh, god, come back!!

He did come back and proceeded to pump the Freon out of my heat pump. He also explained people who remove refrigerator coolant and inadvertently or purposefully dump it on the ground or in the environment or don't do it properly and use safety precautions are fined $10,000. Refrigerator coolant (Freon) is one of those things clearly recognized as seriously toxic to the environment as it depletes the ozone layer. Besides the fact it'll poison you. He also told me the coolant if not handled properly is 40 degrees below freezing so if I had messed up and got it on my skin, it might have burned parts of my body off. Great. People keep encouraging to do things myself. Oh, it's so easy. You don't have to be smart to work on a house. I appreciate the votes of confidence, but it's not very realistic especially since most of my advisers must understand I know very little about houses. I'm so glad I didn't do it myself.

The heater guy said something was wrong with the heat pump as it was missing half of the coolant. That could be why my electric bills were so high the last time I used it and now I'm really glad it's on its way off my property.

Furnace and heat pump waiting patiently to be taken away.

The junk man removed the appliances for free. He will recycle and sell the metal and copper parts.

I shouldn't post this next photo because it's so gross, but I will for some sadistic entertainment:

 

Furry dead rat bodies stuck to the top of the furnace. I'm sure they had a nest and sleeping there in the winter must have been very warm. So gross. So glad the furnace is now gone.

When I went back to the heating office to thank the young woman she told me about hearing the rats under her house. Her furnace is also not being used and the duct work is still there. She hears them running along it and it creeps her out. I told her I totally understand. It's gross and scary, but so common here. Good riddance heating ducts and furnace system!!

I worry about what kind of infectious bacterial germs I've exposed myself to whether I touched them or breathed them in. For instance, I took yesterday's photos before I took off my gloves and mask. Did germs get on my camera? I wiped it down with hydrogen peroxide, but is that good enough? I walked with my boots on the porch and when I switched to my sandals did germs get on my bare feet and have I tracked them into the house? What about all my tools? I wiped them down also, but did I miss a spot? Will I unknowingly touch something with bacterial germs from dead rats and then eat an apple? This is so gross. Who would have known I'd ever find myself rolling around in dead rat bodies, opossum and rat shit? This is not the life I planned for myself....

When we were little to get us to work my dad used to always say how there are always rewards for people who work, namely, finding treasures. If we cleaned the basement, we might find a penny or dime and my dad would say, "See! What did I tell you?"  If we helped clean the garage, we might find a marble or lost toy. Many years later I now find garden treasures and I still think, "Dad was so right!" Today a baby spoon fell out of a furnace part.

 

 

Of course, I imagine some rat liked the smell of old baby food on it, grabbed it, and drug into the furnace under the house for fun. Then licked it clean. After picking it up with gloves on, I washed it repeatedly in soap and hot water then sterilized it again by soaking it in hydrogen peroxide. (Did I get all the germs washed out of the sink or did some splash out onto my newly washed dishes nearby? UGH! I think I'll have nightmares tonight!) I'll sell it in my next yard sale...

Anyway...another project DONE!

On to the next or maybe a part of the whole project. I removed the metal hardware for the heat registers and using plywood sealed off the holes. This involved laying on my back [on top of the rat shit and mold, etc.] with my head against the insulation and spider webs [imagining spiders crawling down my back] trying to drill screws into the plywood above me using my non-existent stomach muscles for leverage and for support. Not a pretty sight. I got three done before I collapsed in agony. I really should do more sit-ups. Four more registers to go which I'll tackle in a couple days once I recover. I also need to figure out what to do with the open spaces that are above where the furnace was, but I think I'll need to find someone who knows how do the construction to close it off and add insulation. (Wishful thinking. I'll probably end up trying to do it myself....)

Almost DONE.

Next project: laundry room shelf.  I had two small, short shelves for years so I decided to combine those into a top shelf and add one below. I've wanted a second shelf for a long, long time. I had to buy a $15 board, prime and paint it. I love being organized. Such a small job that waited for so long but so satisfying to finally get it done.

 

 

DONE!

 

 

Next project: fix fence. This has been a small, but ongoing project, but I have postponed upkeep for a couple years. The fence is about 25 years old and in human years it's probably about 125. I am hoping it lasts another five years, but that is wishful thinking. Now that Peter isn't here to be a flight risk, the fence is not that important, but I love my privacy. Until its total replacement which is something I DO NOT want to do, I keep it in working order by adding screws to loose pieces, wood sealer treatment, replace damaged wood and try to keep it upright. I replaced five rungs and then found a loose post that needed replacing. Hopefully that will hold it through the winter storms.

 

 

 

DONE.

 

Then I contacted the local electrician and made an appointment to install the heaters in two weeks! I decided the electrical work is too intricate for me as I think a qualified electrician will know how to use the furnace/heat pump wiring. I don't want my house to burn down because of my electrical ignorance. My plan is to get cadet heaters. No toxic refrigerator coolant, nitrogen gas, ozone issues, mold issues, no fiberglass, and less expense. Little cadet heaters in each room to control individual room heat seem like such a better, safer and sensible solution. The young woman at the heating company pointed to the $5,000 ductless heat pump and said, "Have you considered one of those?" I said, "Oh yeah! Last year I was considering one of those and if someone from this heating company would have responded to my begging for help, I would have bought one. Too late. I'm going another route." One doesn't need a heating company for cadet heaters as I can just hire the local electrician who responded to my request for a quote immediately. When I saw him today he gave me a big smile and said, "Are you ready for your heaters?" I was really surprised and impressed he remembered me!

 

Almost DONE. (I'm not doing it so it's good as done!)

 



I feel so productive! Getting rid of the furnace is a HUGE load off my shoulders. You can't imagine how happy it makes me.

Descent into [My Personal] Hell

It's really difficult to summon the courage to crawl under the house when looking at the hole:

 

 

At least someone thought to wire lights down there which helps, but not a lot.

 

 

What you can't see is the smell and it seems to smell worse this year. Like dead, mildew-ish air. Rotting things. I know it was stuffy last year, but I don't remember it smelling this bad. Maybe this is from plugging up all the holes? Although there are still ventilation openings all around the crawlspace, it definitely doesn't get as much air flow as before. Hmmmm....

I donned my homemade bio-hazard suit and ventured forth with my bucket of tools crawling through spider webs, over rat shit while fighting with fiberglass insulation. Detaching the ducts wasn't easy. Whoever attached them did a great job so I needed a variety of tools to cut through wire, remove nails and splice tape.

In the end I removed a lot of duct work and insulation:

I took it all to the dump.

I had hoped to remove the furnace, too, but I didn't have a clue where to start and I worried about how heavy it was or the elaborate electrical system. Then someone warned me about the Freon they use to pump the heat and how I will need to drain it first because if it's left under the house it could offgas and become very toxic. Oh great. So now I need to figure out how to find and hire someone qualified to remove it and quickly before the rats figure out I left all those holes in the furnace and decide to crawl up into my walls. I also still need to figure out how to move the metal parts under the registers and patch up the holes in the floor.

Welcome to my personal hell...this is not fun.

Snow and Frostbite

I still don't have a centralized heating system that keeps my whole house warm so I'm wrapping myself in my 30-degree-below-zero sleeping bag to keep from getting frostbite. We've had a cold spell here this last week. Very little humidity, dry, cold, and windy bringing the temperatures back down into the teens. But not today! It warmed up just long enough to snow!

I love snow. I'd love it more if I had heat. I think I'll have to cave and get some heat next week. I was hoping I could move instead, but that's not going to be happening. It's supposed to rain tomorrow.

38 Degrees

Damn, it's cold in here. Granted, it's 12 degrees outside, but 38 degrees inside?

This Eden Pure Gen 4 heater definitely doesn't heat 1,000 square feet as the ads proclaim. So I've sealed off my office area which is 100 square feet so I can function. It doesn't even heat 100 square feet efficiently, but it's tolerable. Venturing out to the kitchen or the bathroom is an Arctic adventure. I've also brought the pee bucket into my office to use as a toilet as I'm afraid my naked butt will stick to the frozen toilet seat and I've moved my camping mattress down into my office. I'm really glad I spent my vacation camping in 20 degree weather. It prepared me for this winter! No winter projects for me this year. It's challenging enough just trying to think of creative ways to stay warm.

On the positive side, I feel so much better. My lungs and sinuses aren't congested and the rash on my face has disappeared. I am living in the square footage of a tiny house and loving it! Now if I could just stop shivering.

I need to re-think my heating situation...



I moved the olive oil to the stove top.
It's  so cold,
it's opaque and solid.

Heating Options (Update)

I've contacted many people over the last two weeks trying to figure out what I can do about my lack of healthy heat. It's a slow process trying to get people to come to the edge of civilization for estimates or evaluations. Some refuse to come as it's too far away (darn). Some don't show at all nor do they return my calls/emails (unprofessional). Some tell me there is nothing they can do since I can't smell the problem and the furnace is working fine (idiots). Some have treated me like I'm stupid (morons). Some have come for appointments right on time AND fragrance-free (awesome). It makes me want to give them money just for showing up. While I gather information, I've been using one small radiator heater located in a sectioned off 10 x 10 space surrounding my desk and computer. The concentrated heat and lack of air give me headaches yet the lack of consistent air quality and dead, recirculated flow keeps my fingers and toes freezing. So weird. The outside temperatures haven't dropped too low, but they will. I need to find a solution, yet be smart about it.

Options:

Portable Oil-Filled Radiator Heaters  This is what I'm using now. It's definitely heating the small space it's in, but I think I'd need at least five to heat the whole downstairs. They don't have built-in fans to circulate the warmth so they aren't very efficient. I tried this a few years ago for one month as I was trying to figure out how to not use my heating system then and my bills skyrocketed. I know it's not a permanent solution.

Fireplaces or Wood-Burning Stoves  I think these are great for emergencies or power outages, but my lungs can't handle the smoke. I have no desire to chop and haul wood daily either. My house used to have a fireplace years ago, but the previous owners removed it because it was such a hassle to maintain. A wood-burning stove or fireplace insert can run anywhere from $300 to $8,000 or more. My neighbor has the $8,000 model. She's an idiot. Spewing smoke into the already polluted air is not very responsible and cutting trees for firewood uses valuable resources unnecessarily. Another option are pellet stoves, but those offgas toxic fumes if they are not maintained regularly.

Radiant Heat  This is the type of heat that is supposedly the best for chemically sensitive people. It uses heated water in pipes so there are no fans blowing dust or toxic materials and filters don't need to be changed constantly. No risk of burnt dust which is toxic to many. It's usually under the floor, although old-style is above ground in cast-iron radiators. These are still very popular in Europe. Old-style also runs off gas or water heaters and is not as cost effective as the newer models which run off natural gas or oil. For new construction, this is a great option. For old houses, forget it. I've been told the cost to install it in a old house is astronomical.

Heat Pump/Furnace  With this option, I'd have to replace what I have with a brand new system or repair parts of it to get rid of the cheap and toxic fiberglass duct board. I can't see doing this as I doubt if there would be anyway to avoid formaldehyde, plastics, fiberglass insulation, or other toxic materials that are used. I'd still have the forced air blowing dust around and it's expensive at around $2,000 to $3,500 depending on how much replacement I'd need.

Ductless Heat Pump  I have no idea why I never heard of this years ago when I was researching for a brand new central heating system. It's like a high-powered wall heater/air conditioner that runs on a heat pump from the outside. No ducts. No under-the-house-personal hell. One heater unit can heat the whole house and is about 40 - 50 % more efficient than a regular heat pump, or so all the salespeople and sales ads say. Unfortunately, installation is incredibly expensive to the tune of $3800.00 for just one heater unit. This is not an expense that thrills me since I want to sell the house in the next few years.

Wall Heaters   I got a quote for either one big wall heater or two small ones for two different rooms: $471 and $538, respectively. People love them and I've heard they are very cost effective. Wall heaters use fans to circulate the air which makes them a little more efficient than a radiator oil-filled heater. I have them upstairs in my bedrooms so I know they work fine. I think my heating bills would go up, but more importantly, I really don't want to be cutting open the walls and adding heaters.

Infrared Portable Heaters  When my two elderly neighbors told me they had space heaters I envisioned the radiator-style and wondered how they could ever afford it. As I mentioned above, I know these expend a lot of energy and I worried how much more their bills are than mine. Finally one day I got the nerve to ask. I know it's rude to ask people about finances, but I couldn't help myself and both their houses are about the same year and size as mine. I needed to know! Both replaced their oil furnaces with these little infrared portable electric heaters although they do also have wall heaters that are used on occasion. Their electric bills are a little more than mine during the winter, but not that much. They invited me over to have a look. One of my neighbors had three of them on her main floor and her house was at least 80 degrees! BUT the heaters were awesome. EdenPure is the brand.Very quiet and efficient. They highly recommended them so I started researching. Most cost about $400. Our local hardware store carries them with $60 tacked onto the online price just for the fun of it (UGH!) and several of the store employees use them. One of those employees is a friend of mine and offered to loan me his for a few days to try it out:

 

Toasty! I have it on the lowest setting and have had to turn it off every now and then because it is so efficient. Reviews online are about 50% love them, 50% hate them. I'm not sure if there is a pattern, but everyone I know doesn't run them on high and it makes me wonder if the naysayers do? Some claim it doesn't heat a small room, but confess they have old-style windows and not very good insulation. Some claim if it breaks down, sending it back to the company for repairs is a nightmare, but anyone I've spoken to who has had problems (the bulbs burn out after about a year and need to be replaced) say it was easy, fast and painless. There is a 5-year warranty on the larger unit. I really like that if I get one I can take it with me when I move so it's not money I will lose when I sell the house. And, it's made in America! How rare is that?

I wonder how much this will affect my electric bills? Will this little unit use less energy than my whole central heating system? My two elderly neighbors' bills are a little higher than mine but they also use multiple heaters plus their wall heaters. Others have said it saves them money especially if they are using a furnace as this little unit keeps the inside temperature stable so the furnace doesn't kick on as often.

Time will tell. I'll update this post when I discover more.

Toxic Heating (Update)

Duct Man came and had a looked. He was quite disappointed. As you recall, he started moaning when I told him about Santy Claws so he expected and hoped for the worst. I'm sure a messed up crawlspace is a duct repair person's ultimate dream. However, Santy Claws was a very tidy guest and did no damage at all! Well, excluding the bits of opossum shit here and there. Duct Man was concerned with the old-style duct walls used to cage the air return vents. They are made with fiberglass and over time the surface will disintegrate. Heating systems with duct walls can't be cleaned because they will loosen the fiberglass fibers creating a [more] toxic breathing situation. He neither replaces or cleans ducts nor duct walls so I could see he was a little disappointed more of it wasn't falling apart so he could repair something.

I guess I should be happy he doesn't need to repair and charge me a lot to do what he would do, but this doesn't offer a solution to my problem. At the very least, I really wanted to have the system cleaned.

So again I contacted the heating company that recommended Duct Man and asked their advice. As I waited to hear back I decided I needed some guilty pleasure treats to get me through the trauma of it all so I drove to the nearest town. On the drive back home I saw the heating company's office! I decided to pay them a personal visit. The office was non-smelly which is always a good sign. My heating guy is GORGEOUS! :) Really, truly gorgeous. And charming. And knowledgeable. I've made an appointment for an inspection for Monday to find out how expensive this could be.



I'm personal hygiene-impaired...

Problem with any solution at this point is it might not rectify the problem. I still can't figure out why I am so sick this year and not so much previous years. I did accompany Duct Man under the house donning my homemade bio-hazard suit with added mechanic-style jumpsuit. Crawling through opossum shit was not fun, but I felt adequately protected. (Good Lord, the things I do as a home owner!) Am I reacting just to the opossum shit deposits from last Christmas? Maybe, but I can't imagine or I would have been feeling poorly last winter and spring. The fiberglass has also been there for as long as I've lived here. It's a mystery, as health often is.

The cayenne pepper wasn't too bad as it's so old now. I'll have to re-apply when all this is over.

Again, I may just opt for no centralized heat and use only space heaters until I can move, but I think it'll be a very cold winter...or two!

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.