Owning a home ain't easy

After work last night, I wanted to check the heat registers to make sure all were open. Since I had the new furnace installed, as I mentioned earlier, the airflow is HIGH velocity. So, a few were closed, and I opened them, easy enough, right? Wrong. There is one register in my bedroom that I could feel no air coming out of. I take the cover off, and see that the duct had fallen away from the opening- great. I also see two dead/dessicated mice laying between the register and the crawl space. GROSS. Okay, first things, first, let me get the duct screwed to the floor. After several cuts to my hands (I HATE sheet metal), and a few attempts, job done! Good, now to test the furnace. STILL no air. CRUD. I go in the furnace room, get on my hands and knees, look at about where the duct would be, and sure enough, it's detached. MAJOR CRUD.

This means I have to fireman crawl (you know, on your belly and have your elbows inch you along) into the crawlspace, amongst tons of insulation that the mice got a hold of- not to mention WHAT could be under there. But, I just went ahead. After much creeping I get there. The duct is laying on ground. I lift it, reconnect it, but NO, it won't stay. I look around for cement blocks, anything to put under the darn thing. No, nothing near, and given the time it took me just to get there, I ain't going to GET any. At this point I am starting to get a cramp in my back, and coughing God knows what. I decide to make my retreat, even though it GALLS me to no end to see my hard earned oil heating up dirt. I finally get out of there. God, it was a horrid thing. I come inside and wash up, but feel all that lovely insulation on my arms. I wash up the best I could, and got in bed. I think I needed a pill or something. It was just a trying thing for me ;) I am glad it was over.

Today though, I need to go back, and fix this. Plan is to don a Tyvek (tm) suit, complete with hood, and bring with me a strap/nails to support the duct, and some insulating silver tape to put around where they meet. If I still don't have air flow, I am HIRING SOMEONE.


Yeah, owning a home ain't easy.