matching tracksuits

Yard work is much like paperwork — it tends to pile up and overwhelm. Unlike paperwork, though, I can’t just toss yard work into some draw to make it go away for a while.

Yesterday, I played catch-up.

• I finished digging out our antiquated, slow-draining, often-overflowing drain.
• I mowed.
• I trimmed.
• I changed the oil in the car (for a change of pace, I guess).
• I raked.

And then the oddest thing: I was filled with energy. That’s another crucial difference between yard work and paperwork: working outside energizes; working inside drains.

Tomorrow, at school, I dig into the pile of work that awaits — some of which I’d promised myself I’d do this weekend.

• Make-up work to grade.
• Reports to fill out.
• APS plans to finalize.
• Final exams to create.

And you’ll find it, at 2:45 in the afternoon, when my last class has padded out, sitting at my computer, hardly able to hold my eyes open, dreaming of a shovel.

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There are some projects that have immediate visual results: replacing windows; remodeling the kitchen; adding on a sun room. Very visible, and very expensive.

Other projects have immediate effects but might not have such a before-and-after feel — installing a water filter, for example. Replacing a leaking faucet might be another.

And then there are a few projects that that are neither immediately visible nor immediately effective. Blowing twenty bags of insulation in your attic falls into that category.

Before, R19:

After, approximately R40:

We’ll see it but only next winter, in the gas bill.

Special thanks to Nana and Papa for the help.

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Well, not quite tumbling.

We cut down a half-dead cedar tree yesterday, but it was so entwined with vines and such that it didn’t quite fall. It took some encouragement.

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ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever buy a house with a gas pack. They’re more delicate than your grandmother’s hip.

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Rather, “Done” list:

• chop wood
• haul wood to storage location (i.e., corner of the carport)
• carry unusable wood to the roadside
• make a trip to Lowe’s for various equipment
• chop, cut, and pull large stand of thorn bushes
• dig, cut, pull up half of the impressive root system of said bushes
• take bushes and roots out to the roadside
• rake up leaves formerly inaccessible due to the stand of bushes
• vacuum car
• wash car
• work on clogged drain
• do grocery shopping
• drink beer
• collapse

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We did a test-burn yesterday.

The draw was almost too strong, Dziadek said.

The next step was to get the meat ready for the real smoking:

Next step — apply a carcinogenic coating to the meat.

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Whenever Papa comes here to help, I often end up helping him. It’s always been that way.

It was no different with Dziadek and the smoker.

So now the smoker’s almost done, but not tested.

That’s tomorrow. And next weekend, the first adventures.

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“There’s no good sandwich meat in America!” Dziadek has stated several times. And that’s critical, for sandwich meat — cold cuts, in other words — is a cornerstone of the Polish diet. What else are you going to eat for breakfast? Nothing fills you up for the day like, say, a head cheese (which, for the uninitiated, is pretty much what it sounds like) sandwich with a cup of hot tea.

What are we left to do? Dziadek decided there’s only one solution: make our own cold cuts — which requires a smoker. Which requires a cinder block foundation and a 55-gallon drum. Yes, we’re going high class.

Yesterday, we dug out the foundation, mortared the cinder blocks together, began making the necessary modifications to the drum, cut down a dead oak, and went to Home Depot at least half a dozen times.

Today, we build the fire pit and attach the drum to the base. And eventually paint it.

Aesthetic concerns aside (how much does that privacy fence cost again?), I’m looking forward to having homemade ham.

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Forced air heating systems are delicate. They’re designed based on the cubic area of the home, and they push out a given amount of air (measured in tons, no less) depending on the size of the home. The bigger the home, the more air needed, and the bigger the unit installed. Simple.

Zoning systems work by shutting off air to particular parts of the home via dampers installed in the ductwork.

“The two,” Mr. Accent Heating Tech told me, “are not compatible. The gas pack is forcing out enough air for the whole house, but it’s not getting delivered to the whole house, and it’s all not going into the house — some of it is doubling back to the unit, making it think it’s overheating.”

Time to call TSC again.

This time, they poked and prodded even more. And two problems were uncovered. First, one of the dampers was broken. This was when the tech said, “Oh, crap.”

The second problem: the whole control board needed to be replaced.

“No problem,” I thought. This is all still under warranty.

Parts were ordered, and TSC called to set up a time to come back out. “The total cost will be about $480,” the TSC woman explained.

“Total cost?” I asked. “This is still under warranty.”

“Well, that’s the information I have from the owner,” replied Ms. TSC.

“Well, I’d like to talk to the owner,” replied Mr. Getting More And More Irritated.

Larry — the owner — explained to me that the part was still under warranty, but labor wasn’t included.

“Ah, that’s how you’re going to do it,” I said.

“Excuse me?” Larry asked.

“Well, I knew you were going to get money out of me, I just didn’t know how.”

It seemed ridiculous: almost $500 of labor to replace two parts? Granted, the control board looks fairly complicated, but it should be a matter of disconnecting, reconnecting, setting, and testing. And the damper — it slides right in to a pre-cut hole. Attach the control wire and viola.

At a price of $100 an hour, that’s five hours’ work.

I was still feeling frustrated about the whole thing, and I explained to him my concerns about zoning systems in general. “How much would it cost just to pull the whole system out?” I asked.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Larry replied.

“Well, do,” I said.

He never did.

However, TSC called back later to set up a time to come out and do the work, and we’ve yet to receive a bill. And the heating finally works.

So it seems Mr. Total Comfort was right. Too bad he made such a mess in the bargain…

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Cooler weather arrived. We started using the gas pack for heating. After some time, the same thing that had been happening with the cooling began happening with the heating — it simply would not turn on.

We called TSC again. They came out, poked, prodded, tested, ruminated, and gave a verdict: the main control board of the gas pack was at fault.

“That is covered by the home warranty,” I told them, “So I’ll take care of it through the home warranty people.”

Out came company one. They poked, prodded, and tested, and determined that the gas was not properly regulated. They regulated it. The heating worked — for about two hours.

Next day, they came out again. I left a note with the information TSC had given me. “Please change the main board,” I asked. They changed a few parts, but not the main board. Gas-related parts. And the heater worked again. For about two hours.

I called them back out and they finally changed the main board. And the heater worked. For about a day.

We called the home warranty people again, asking that they send out a third company. They did — Accent Heating. The gentleman poked, prodded, tested — “I can’t find anything wrong with it. It’s working now.”

Great.

Two companies, three techs, and none of them can figure out what’s going on.

The problem was this: the zoning system was making a call to the heater, but it was not turning on. As soon as I reset the power to the heater, it would come on. However, it would eventually shut off and never turn back on. The exhaust fan (to remove the fumes from the burning gas) would turn on, but the heater would never ignite.

Finally, AC made it out when it the problem was happening. He tested, prodded, and so on, and finally was able to tell us the problem: some upper temp limit error was tripping out and causing the heater to think it was overheating, so it shut down. Every time I reset it, I was basically overriding that. The heater thought things were fine, but it would once again think it was overheating.

“What’s causing this?” I asked.

“The zoning system,” replied the AC tech.

Double great…

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