Julie in CA Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 How cold would you allow it to get in your home before you started getting a little frantic about a solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 lower 40s. And it has happened - lucky for us it was late March that we had to replace the furnace, not January!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I suppose I'd be getting "mildly concerned" by about 59 or 60, knowing I'd be on the path toward "panicked" by the time the thermostat dropped to 55 or below... (I wouldn't be panicking about the 55 -- I'd be panicking about how much lower it could drop when it was already down there before we could get it fixed. Luckily my house is brick and in the south, so even when our eat was out last January, it didn't really get much below the mid-40s before we got it fixed...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We have central heat that has gone out when the electricity has gone off. I panic right away.:D We do have a kerosene heater for emergencies though. If you still have your electricity, you can get those oil heaters that look like small radiators to tide you over. We have this one for our garage (my washer and dryer are out there so it helps when I have to do the laundry). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I suppose I'd be getting "mildly concerned" by about 59 or 60, knowing I'd be on the path toward "panicked" by the time the thermostat dropped to 55 or below... Since we are having a coldspell coming, I would not wait very long. Do you have a few space heaters, a fireplace? If it's going to be costly to repair the furnace but you have an open fireplace you could consider putting an insert in the fireplace (used ones could be less than repair bill) which will dramatically increase its efficiency. We live almost exclusively by the heat of our woodstove. The furnace only gets turned on if we have been gone for days and need to warm up the house before our fingers freeze together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 lower 40s. And it has happened - lucky for us it was late March that we had to replace the furnace, not January!!! See! I knew it!...it's 57* in the house this afternoon, and my dh is very unhappy, and concerned about how cold it will be overnight. I don't think it's that big of a problem for just a couple of days/nights until we can get it fixed. Yes, it'll probably be colder tonight (in the very low 40's), but still....I think it'll be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I wasn't overly concerned (annoyed maybe, but not concerned) until the pipes froze INSIDE the house (as in under the bathroom sinks and the toilet supply lines.):glare: 50s don't bother me too much, 40s are a little cold.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Do you have a few space heaters, a fireplace? If it's going to be costly to repair the furnace but you have an open fireplace you could consider putting an insert in the fireplace (used ones could be less than repair bill) which will dramatically increase its efficiency. Well, we have a very nice and efficient gas fireplace....also broken. :glare: I'm pretty sure the heater can be fixed within a couple of days, it just happened to break on a weekend. Since my dh is so very unhappy, I considered offering to go get an electric heater at Walmart to tide us over, but it doesn't seem wise to spend extra money on heaters when it's only for a couple of days (probably). On the other hand, it probably wasn't nice of me to tell him he should just "suck it up and go put on another pair of socks". :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I wasn't overly concerned (annoyed maybe, but not concerned) until the pipes froze INSIDE the house (as in under the bathroom sinks and the toilet supply lines.):glare: 50s don't bother me too much, 40s are a little cold.... This is what would bother me - I'd be afraid the pipes would freeze and then I'd have an even bigger mess on my hands. Just sayin'.:) You could always sell the heater(s) on craigslist or just hang onto them in case you had another heat emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 This is what would bother me - I'd be afraid the pipes would freeze and then I'd have an even bigger mess on my hands. Just sayin'.:) You could always sell the heater(s) on craigslist or just hang onto them in case you had another heat emergency. Yeah, it could have been really bad! We had a kerosene heater, but we wouldn't run it at night while we slept. Instead, my dh would heat the trailer up to 80-90 degrees and then we would go to bed. One whole section had NO insulation in the roof, which is why it would get so cold (even with the heat running.) The morning the pipes froze it was 12 degrees outside. I don't have to worry about that here in FL!:lol: (Our trailer does get into the 50s here, too, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 This is what would bother me - I'd be afraid the pipes would freeze and then I'd have an even bigger mess on my hands. Just sayin'.:) You could always sell the heater(s) on craigslist or just hang onto them in case you had another heat emergency. Well, I hear you, VA girl, but I live here in sunny California! :tongue_smilie: While we do often freeze outside, and it's not unusual to get down to the very low 30's, we don't have a very big problem with pipes bursting! Occasionally they can freeze solid for a couple of days, but they don't seem to burst. It's really only supposed to be down to about 41* {whine}. I just don't want to spend $ on space heater for such a temporary problem. {whining again!} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgm Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 It would depend on the outside temp and how well insulated the water pipes are...don't want them to freeze! Low 40s is fine, as long as it is above freezing outside. Not good if it is below freezing...yep, we know that from experience!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Well, we have a very nice and efficient gas fireplace....also broken. :glare:I'm pretty sure the heater can be fixed within a couple of days, it just happened to break on a weekend. Since my dh is so very unhappy, I considered offering to go get an electric heater at Walmart to tide us over, but it doesn't seem wise to spend extra money on heaters when it's only for a couple of days (probably). On the other hand, it probably wasn't nice of me to tell him he should just "suck it up and go put on another pair of socks". :tongue_smilie: LOL! I would get the extra heater and simply donate it to a needy family after our own 'crisis' passed. But as much as i HATE anything below 80, if our heater broke and we simply couldn't afford to get it fixed, I wouldn't go into panic mode unless our pipes were bursting in ALL sinks and toilets, and i couldn't have a small heater for at least the bathroom...... I'd move everyone into one room for sleeping and use a space heater. No real biggie in the grand scheme of things. Bundle up the rest of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 hi julie - this reminds me of one year the propane tank ran empty.... christmas eve.... we wore extra everything until the 27th.... its sunday night (well, almost ; ) here in SoCal.... i'd be waiting until monday for sure... good luck! ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 If your pipes have frozen before and not burst, then it is very possible the joints are stretched. Each time they freeze, they do stretch the pipes and connections some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Well, I hear you, VA girl, but I live here in sunny California! :tongue_smilie:While we do often freeze outside, and it's not unusual to get down to the very low 30's, we don't have a very big problem with pipes bursting! Occasionally they can freeze solid for a couple of days, but they don't seem to burst. It's really only supposed to be down to about 41* {whine}. I just don't want to spend $ on space heater for such a temporary problem. {whining again!} Ha! I wasn't really tuning into your location there :D. Of course, California is a big state. Not sure how cold it gets in the northern part of the state. "Only 41" would send me out to get a heater, though. I'm a big baby when it comes to wanting to be warm. And like Peek said, you could donate it to a needy family or a shelter when your heater's fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 LOL! I would get the extra heater and simply donate it to a needy family after our own 'crisis' passed. But as much as i HATE anything below 80, if our heater broke and we simply couldn't afford to get it fixed, I wouldn't go into panic mode unless our pipes were bursting in ALL sinks and toilets, and i couldn't have a small heater for at least the bathroom...... I'd move everyone into one room for sleeping and use a space heater. No real biggie in the grand scheme of things. Bundle up the rest of the time. :iagree::iagree:Its going to be cold this week. Its already in the thirties here at night and we have the heater set at 65. I am freeeezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 See! I knew it!...it's 57* in the house this afternoon, and my dh is very unhappy, and concerned about how cold it will be overnight. I don't think it's that big of a problem for just a couple of days/nights until we can get it fixed. Yes, it'll probably be colder tonight (in the very low 40's), but still....I think it'll be okay. Yeah, your pipes won't freeze in the 40s. Growing up in S. California, my dad would freak if it got into the 50s - he grew up in Kansas and wanted nothing to do with any more cold weather! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Well, it's unlikely anyone would freeze to death in our house, even if we left the heater off all winter, but we turned on the heater a few nights ago when it dropped below 60. If the heater was broken, that's probably about the time we'd have realized this was the case and called the landlord (what happened last year). If we owned the place and didn't have money to fix the heater, we'd probably just all pile into the master bedroom with a small space heater from wal-mart. I might also get one for BIL's room, if he felt he needed it. Central air is a necessity here in conventionally-built homes. Central heat is merely a creature comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Uhmmm....I just looked at the forecast...it's supposed to be 32* tonight and 24* tomorrow night. 60% chance of precip including snow tomorrow! It's starting to look like dh was right. Rats. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Not very, I can't stand being cold. Our's has actually been out for a while, we use space heaters in each room. Wal-Mart has a few that are actually really nice, and inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBirdX7 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Dh would only let it go like 5 minutes with the heat broken. He likes to be comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Dh would only let it go like 5 minutes with the heat broken. He likes to be comfortable. I'm with him. :) :) Where we live the temps can drop rapidly, but I never delay because it would have to be fixed anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I wasn't overly concerned (annoyed maybe, but not concerned) until the pipes froze INSIDE the house (as in under the bathroom sinks and the toilet supply lines.):glare: 50s don't bother me too much, 40s are a little cold.... We lost electricity for 11 days during a cold spell last year. Dh was running the water to avoid having the pipes freeze, but then , he is an engineer and thinks of all these things. On a funny note, then we forgot the beta-fish downstairs and it had nearly frozen to death overnight while we were bundled up in our bedrooms...Dd did revive it, but that ook most of the second day!! BTW we did get a generator and coudl have a couple of things running, but could only keep one room somewhat warm with spaceheaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 We have a wood stove that we could use for backup heat. And boy did we use it last winter during the ice storm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Do you have electricity? My df was just telling me yesterday that they have been VERY happy with 3 baseboard-type heaters they got from Walmart for about $30--they use a large gas tank to heat otherwise, but it costs $1500 to fill and they haven't been able to afford it, so they've been using these 3 heaters instead. She says the house is very comfy and so far the electricity bill has only been minimally affected (not sure what that means for her, but I know things are tight at their house, and I'm happy they found a solution!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Since my dh is so very unhappy, I considered offering to go get an electric heater at Walmart to tide us over, but it doesn't seem wise to spend extra money on heaters when it's only for a couple of days (probably). On the other hand, it probably wasn't nice of me to tell him he should just "suck it up and go put on another pair of socks". :tongue_smilie: Keep in mind, as long as you hold on to your receipt (and the box and the instructions, etc.), you could return any electric heater you bought as a stopgap, as long as it's within 90 days of purchase. Doesn't matter if it's been opened. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 If my furnace were broken, I'd call as soon as possible about getting it fixed. As far as how cold, I would not want the pipes to freeze. I'd either shut off the water or set the taps to drip if the indoor temperature started inching below 40 degrees. I would try to find somewhere to go during the day and bundle up at night. I'd put all the mattresses and blankets in one room have the whole family sleep there. Above 40 degrees, we would carry on as normal. (Before our first son was born, 55 degrees was our normal daytime heat setting. Now, it is 68 degrees.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 For me, it would have to get pretty uncomfortable before I panicked about the indoor temp. But I'd be cooking and baking quite a bit as a reason to use the stove/oven to keep part of the house warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 (edited) Ours is broken right now. We called the landlord immediately (it initially broke on Wednesday evening) because temps were predicted to be in the 20s. The repairmen have been out to fix it twice, and it would work for a few hours then die again. We have a backup furnace in our hallway and a fireplace, but on Saturday it still got down in the low 50s in the house during the day. I was afraid to look at the thermometer at night. We've been running water at night to keep the pipes from freezing. The back-up furnace is finally maintaining a decent temp now, but if we didn't have that we'd be in a hotel or at a friend's house until the furnace was fixed. Edited December 7, 2009 by Tutor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 we have central heat, but I tend to keep the house really cold and use a space heater to make my bathroom warm. It's the only part of the house that I just really really want to have warmer. So maybe if you buy one, you could justify it by thinking about saving money by keeping the thermostat lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 hi julie - how are you doing? we've had light snow and slush and rain this morning, and temps in the mid-30's.... ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I would cry...then gather everyone in one room and huddle around one of my $10 fan heaters. Just the thought of no heat freaks me out. Hope your heat is back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 got cold. I'd say mid 50's and my ears start to hurt. We used to rent from a homeowner who would not fix the heat, so we bought a kerosene heater. For that reason, we will never be without a kerosene heater. It comes in handy for emergency cases like this one. Cut your oven on to about 400. It will give you some warmth to get you by. Warm hugs, Molly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 We lost electricity for 11 days during a cold spell last year. Dh was running the water to avoid having the pipes freeze, but then , he is an engineer and thinks of all these things. On a funny note, then we forgot the beta-fish downstairs and it had nearly frozen to death overnight while we were bundled up in our bedrooms...Dd did revive it, but that ook most of the second day!! BTW we did get a generator and coudl have a couple of things running, but could only keep one room somewhat warm with spaceheaters. We could not run the water because the septic system was already in bad shape and even a trickle from several sinks would have overloaded the system. I decided that frozen pipes in the morning was better than no septic when there are 9 people in the family!:tongue_smilie: OP, did the heat problem get fixed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted December 8, 2009 Author Share Posted December 8, 2009 hi julie - how are you doing? we've had light snow and slush and rain this morning, and temps in the mid-30's.... ann Hi Ann! How nice of you to think of me! We are fine. It was pretty cold overnight, but we piled on blankets & sleeping bags and were warm enough. I sent the dog to sleep with the kid that kicks the blankets off the most, lol! She (the dog) has a habit of snuggling up very, very close, conserving body heat for both man and beast. :D Today we were able to get a repairman to come and sort of fix the heater. Apparently we have to get the propane supplier to come out and do something too :confused:, but we're up and running for now. Good thing, too, since tonight it's supposed to drop to 23*f. Thanks for asking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 2 years ago (in January) our furnace died. We knew someone who owned a heating/AC company and called him. It was not something a replacement part could fix--we needed a new furnace. He said that because of scheduling, it normally would take a few days to get a new furnace installed, but the next day was supposed to get down to 9 degrees F. He had someone out to install our new furnace the next day. They were so good about it--the guy who installed it was allergic to cats...and we have cats. And their litter box is in the laundry/furnace room--I moved it, but that doesn't help much. I felt so bad for him. (his boss didn't make him do it--he did have a choice because of his allergies) Our house got chilly during that first evening and the next day, but I don't know how low it got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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