lessons learned from our heating system

hot water boiler from 1932 via Shorpy

With an old house there is never a dull moment. Take this morning for instance, I was painting our project room with some very welcomed helpers when we heard an incredibly loud banging/rushing noise. I, immediately, ran to the basement expecting to see large amounts of pouring water. No water but our boiler pump was the clearly the source and I literally thought the thing might explode. Luckily, I had been paying attention Friday when the heating repair man was at the house and knew how to shut it off. Problem solved although without the pump our heat doesn't work properly/barely at all. I called the repair company and they were able to get a service person out this afternoon and replace the broken part that was to blame for the scary noises. I can happily say that this evening the heat is functioning again although the repaired pump is much louder than before this afternoons repair.....

Two service calls and $250 dollars later this is what I have learned about our radiant heating system in the past week.

Lesson #1: Make sure the boiler pump is ON - Boilers most often times have pumps to help circulate the hot water to all the radiators in a house. Without the pump being ON the system relies entirely on gravity to move the water which works but not very well. 

Lesson #2: Check the temperature setting - Boilers like hot water heaters are set to a specific temperature. If the temperature is too low the radiators will not be warm enough to give off proper heat.

Lesson #3: Calibrate your thermostat - If you noticing a temperature difference between what your thermostat is set at and what it is reading as the actual temperature you might need to calibrate your thermostat. If your thermostat is not calibrated your system could be shutting off before it hits your desired temperature. 

Lesson #4: Pay attention and ask questions when repairs are being made.

I have a feeling I might be learning a few more lessons in the near future as the current noise level coming from our heat pump just does not seem tolerable....at least we have heat though!

our other guest room

Being that the project room is almost no longer the project room but rather the most done room in the house, I have begun to think about our other guest room. Currently, we have a full bed (no bed frame), a chest and lamp and a large armoire in the room. I really haven't given this room much thought besides that I want to replace the full bed with two twins, no blue walls and the armoire needs to be repaired/painted. The to do list in this room is really just a good coat of paint and some repair in the small closet so its nice to focus on the more aesthetic items and not things like a new beam and column or getting rid of indoor smoke smell. Below are a few inspiration images I have been pulling for the room. 

from top left - armoire source unknown - Boulder, 2012, 78" x 90", Claire Sherman - bedroom by Tom Scheerer - chandelier source unknown - reading chair source unknown - twin beds source unknown - Havasu Canyon Creek by Kevin Russ via Society 6 - Harrow Quilt by Meg Callahan - luxe faux fur throws by Restoration Hardware

ceiling fan + light

Friday was a definite win for the house. We got our built in installed and got our heat working! The built in turned out great and I am super excited about it. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share as I almost immediately covered it in plastic so I could get to painting. We also finally found someone knowledgable and reliable (fingers crossed) to come and take a look at our radiant heat system. We learned that 1.) our circulation pump wasn't on and 2.) the temperature of the water was set super low (we have hot water radiant heating). This was really amazing news because 1.) our house is no longer 55 degrees 2.) it was any easy and inexpensive fix considering the potential costs we are up against and 3.) this means the heat loss caused by our original windows and doors is not as big as we were initially thinking. 

The momentum of positive house happening continued for the rest of the weekend as I was able to finish putting away our Christmas decorations, clean, purchase paint for our next two projects and start painting the project room. I didn't get as much painting done as I would have liked but I am going to make a big effort to get as much done as possible before the carpet is installed Friday. Get excited for room transformation pictures complete with new built in, carpet and paint!

In addition to all the above mentioned items, I also (I know I was very busy this weekend) sourced some fans for the project room. I am hoping to make this purchase ASAP as the existing fan will need to come down when we paint the ceiling and I do NOT want to put it back up. And unlike the office which still has no overhead light (see this post), I would like to have something to put back up.

In selecting a ceiling fan, I look for the following criteria: simplicity, modern design and either it has to be white or black. My fourth criteria which I am actually thinking about breaking is no light. Fans are generally not the prettiest of fixtures and a light 1.) draws attention to them 2.) the light cast is most times unpleasant and 3.) it fusses up the design. But Jeff would really like a light + fan in the room and considering we have no furniture to put in the room at this time and would have to just have lamps sitting on the floor... it sort of makes more sense. That being said, I am not sure how much I am going to like this fan + light business so if I am going to give it a try I don't want to spend a lot of money. Surprisingly, I was able to find the below options that seem to have some potential.

Home Decorators Merwry 52" Fan in Black Matte via Home Depot

Hampton Bay Mercer 52" Fan in Black Matte via Home Depot

Hampton Bay Carrington 60" Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan via Home Depot

44" Casa Vieja Trifecta White Ceiling Fan via Lamps Plus