Sad Day at Gram's , Nobody Hurt :)!

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 12:02 am

They installed the gas boiler (gasp) today, I feel dirty but always having someone here to take care of the coal is an issue. I'm half an hour away and the other relatives have their own responsibilities. Installed in 1969, it's actually older than me.

No fear, it will live again. :D My Brother will probably be installing it in his barn. My Father and him recently rebuilt the entire stoker and the boiler section is in really good shape. Should be good for another 30 or 40 years. LOL The only issue is the back. I believe it's only 3/16 and it's just for the flue.

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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 5:24 am

At least it's not that nasty oil stuff that some people burn!

Life throws us changes every now & then. We adapt & go forward. I'm glad Gram's staying nice & warm.

 
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SWPaDon
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Post by SWPaDon » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 6:12 am

Freddy wrote:At least it's not that nasty oil stuff that some people burn!

Life throws us changes every now & then. We adapt & go forward. I'm glad Gram's staying nice & warm.
+1

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 6:17 am

At least NG is an option. Nice and quiet, and very economical compared to oil. Is the basement chilly now that the coal boiler is offline?

Looks like the tankless coil was leaking on the Van Wert?

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 6:35 am

+3--nice support post ya got there:)

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 7:05 am

Yep,We'll take The Fact that She's In Her Own Home as a Victory ! Your Family Has Done Well For Her ! Hat's Off,And A Very Factual Salute To You All ! Dignity Before Heating Method ! Nice Legacy Save on the Old Unit,Too ! :dancing: :up:

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 7:08 am

Yeah, it ain't coal, but with all the gas wells there in PA, at least she's still sorta using local natural resources. ;)

Paul


 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 8:28 am

Rob R. wrote:At least NG is an option. Nice and quiet, and very economical compared to oil. Is the basement chilly now that the coal boiler is offline?
See the electric damper on the very top of it, when it shuts off that closes and residual heat from air going through it vents out of the front instead of going up the chimney. Certainly not going to be the same amount from the coal and how cold it's going to be down there is certainly a concern. We'll have to wait and see but I don't think it will be an issue.
Looks like the tankless coil was leaking on the Van Wert?
If you shut them off they have a tendency to leak, as I understand it the efm's had the same issue until they switched to the newer design. This one has been shut off every summer for the last 20 years. It appears it leaked some but I don't think it's the cause of all the damage, like I said it's just 3/16 and not actually part of the boiler itself, the iside part is going to be exposed to flue gases and any humidity when it was disconnected

. The back section is for the flue and the side apparently is just an air gap to heat the other surface of the boiler. Not sure why the top part of the side section is bolted on because it's welded down the bottom. That has some rust but no where near the back. The bend you see for flue pipe was from when they moved it.

We'll just cut it out and weld some new steel onto it.

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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 8:41 am

freetown fred wrote:+3--nice support post ya got there:)
House was originally a barn, might be hard to tell but the joists are logs spaced about every 3 feet. There is actually 3 sections to the house built at different times. I don't know what the date of construction was but it's certainly one of the oldest structures in Plymouth. It sits in area that is flat which was the farm hence the reason for the barn. It's surrounded by other houses now and has been for more than one hundred years. My Grandmother has lived here since the late 1930's.

There was breaker built across the road, it's long gone of course. Here it is under construction in 1904.

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 8:47 am

Hambden Bob wrote:Yep,We'll take The Fact that She's In Her Own Home as a Victory ! Your Family Has Done Well For Her ! Hat's Off,And A Very Factual Salute To You All ! Dignity Before Heating Method ! Nice Legacy Save on the Old Unit,Too ! :dancing: :up:
I was talking to nurses aid about this and she said unless she wants to move she'll be better off here. Happier etc. I've been spending some time here but she really needs someone here 24/7. She's 96 and just actually fell again yesterday while coming back into the house. She was coming back from physcal therapy. Probably tired and her balance is not that good. I don't know how she didn't hurt anything, waiting for her to wake up now to see how she's feeling. She has to keep moving but she tries to do too much.

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 9:08 am

Gram Takes A Knocking,And Keeps On Rocking ! She sounds like She's Always Had A Strong Constitution ! It's what gets Her Through.....The Hair Puller For A Family That Cares is the problem of how to get as close to 24/7/365 help without stripping Her of Her Basic Dignity. I know You Guys are doing The Best You Can,but it never seems to be enough,does it,Richard? All Of You,Stand Tall,And Just Love Her The Best You Can ! :up:

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Sat. Mar. 28, 2015 12:54 pm

Under the circumstances the switch to gas was a wise idea, I fully understand.
I have the same issues with my mom, who will turn 92 next month. She still lives on her own, about 9 miles away from me, and she wants nothing to do with nursing homes or assisted living. It is becoming more and more difficult for her, however. It's unavoidable. I'm looking into having a home health aid visit, she qualifies for coverage under medicaid, but the paperwork required is enormous.

Looks like a nice job on that installation.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Sun. Mar. 29, 2015 6:45 pm

Hi Richard, glad to hear Gram is OK after that fall. The move to NGas makes sense, and it's not like the VanWert is going to the scrap yard !!
My Mom is 87, and while she is still 'with it' upstairs, she is showing her age when it comes to managing her daily and weekly schedule.
Thankfully we found a good housekeeper to keep an eye on her, and to help her with the housework, shopping etc.
Mom's in Florida from September through June, then she comes up north to Michgan and stays in her apartment here on the farm.

Natural Gas:
Our road is getting Natural Gas this summer. I'll hook up, just because I HATE LPG, and the monopoly that the Propane suppliers have and exploit us with. And Natural Gas is supposedly near the same cost per BTU as Coal right now. But of course that is subject to change..

I like the idea of having a fuel that will not require daily and weekly work and attention.
AND this will allow me to wait till much later in the fall to fire up the Axeman Anderson, and also to go out of town without having to find someone to take care of tending to the coal boiler.

I'll keep two or three years of coal on property, just because I like to be able to be independent. And I'll still burn coal in the seriously cold months.

Greg L.

 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Sun. Mar. 29, 2015 7:09 pm

LsFarm wrote: My Mom is 87, and while she is still 'with it' upstairs, she is showing her age when it comes to managing her daily and weekly schedule.
Fortunately my Gram is very much with it upstairs, It's her body that is the issue. She fell in her early 80's. She opened up the drawer on the bottom of the oven, forgot it was open and tripped over it backwards. She screwed up her knee and it's been tough for her to get around since. Up to that point she was walking down to the bus stop and going shopping by herself. She used to do laps at the mall in the winter with some friends. She's not immobile but it's not easy for her either. Part of the problem with her is she tries to do too much, she needs to exercise but I wish she'd do it safely.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Mar. 29, 2015 9:07 pm

I'm glad you're around to keep an eye on the old girl. She's very fortunate. My thoughts are with her.


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