We had no choice but to call for emergency repairs and pay the extra fees.
When my family moved into our new home, the furnace was old and in bad shape. Since we had a long list of essential home improvements, we got by with the outdated heating system for several years. We needed to replace the roof before the leaks caused major structural damage. We were hesitant to install a new furnace when all of the windows leaked a great deal of air and there was no insulation in the walls and ceilings. There were also issues with the water heater, water pump and sewer lines. All of the plumbing pipes were corroded, and we dealt with constant clogs, backups and leaks. The electric lines were another big concern. The lines weren’t up to local safety codes. We needed more outlets in every room and a new breaker panel. All of these projects and expenses came before the furnace. Because the heater continued to operate, we kept trying to get through another winter with it. The heating system was so noisy that it woke us up when it cycled on in the middle of the night. No matter how high I set the thermostat, there were certain rooms that always felt chilly. I noticed that cleaning requirements such as dusting and vacuuming became more frequent in the winter when the furnace was operating. The furnace finally quit at the end of January, during an especially nesting blizzard. With outdoor temperatures down to negative twenty, we couldn’t get along without heat. We had no choice but to call for emergency repairs and pay the extra fees. The contractor informed us that the furnace was too old to find replacement parts. We had to replace it in a hurry. We had to settle for whatever heating system was available.