Finally early this past week the bitter winter weather started to abate only to hit us mid-week with yet another Arctic blast. I heard the weather report at lunch time on Weds. and knew that a client had recently gone to Utah on business. My client hasn't put their property on the market yet because it is an estate and they are still wrapping up some loose ends, however I have a key to the property so that if in an emergency I can let workman in to the house and to just randomly check on it from time to time.
With the report of some really nasty near zero temps. heading our way I decided it would be a good idea to check in on this house and make sure it is secure and to turn the faucets on a drip so the pipes don't freeze. When I stepped into the back door of the home I wasn't welcomed with the usual warm temp. that usually greats me, in fact it was down right chilly in the house. I quickly checked the thermostat which was set at its usual 60 degree mark so I pushed it up to 80 to see if the furnace would click on. No such luck.
I went around the house and checked all the faucets and flushed the toilets and fortunately the pipes weren't frozen. The hot water faucets produced only tepid water so I went down to the basement and checked the new furnace and all the switches were in the on position and the oil tank had over a quarter of a tank of fuel. The domestic hot water is produced through a tankless system off the furnace so by the temp of the water I could tell that the furnace mustn't have stopped working too long ago.
Since I couldn't get the furnace to click on I closed up the house and contacted my client in Utah who didn't have the oil service company's phone number to call. Fortunately I had the companies name and number so I could give it to my client. She said she'd call the service company right away and would call me right back. She let me know there would be a service tech sent right out to the house and that they had access to the house without needing my assistance. I told my client I would stop back late evening on my way home from a class I'm taking to make sure everything was OK.
I stopped by at 9:45pm opened the back door and I was welcomed by the usual warm blast of air. I checked the faucets and the hot water was steamy hot again and all seemed fine around the old house. I sent my client an email noting that all is well and she could "sleep tight tonight" not to worry about the old house. Somehow I think the 95 year old lady who had spent over half a century loving this old house is still looking after her old home from the other side.
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