We spent forever trying to get the pilot to light. After giving up, I happened to have an epiphany. I called my buddy Dennis, who re-built my Triumph motorcycle. Dennis is a good guy, part hippy, part Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, part bad-ass. He knows plenty about cars and motorcycles, along with houses and building. Dennis built a log cabin on his property in Meigs county….by cutting the trees, milling them, and stacking them by himself. He’s ripped and darn strong for a guy who is old enough to retire. When Dennis talks, I listen. Dennis suggested that I take a look at the THERMOCOUPLE.
I thought that he made the word up. I asked him to repeat the word. Then I asked him to spell the word. He encouraged me to examine the THERMOCOUPLE, noting that the coating might be corroded and could benefit from a gentle file. Not knowing what the heck this object is, or what it does, I proceeded to follow Dennis’s suggestion.
Slightly informed and with a renewed pepper in my walk, Lori and I headed back to the crawl space. As Lori was squirming her way into the crawl space, the trap door, which had been delicately propped open with a stick, accidentally came crashing down upon her head. The crash upon her head was a little painful and frustrating, especially considering that the trap door had a window….or should I say broken window. Lori appeared ok, with no signs of blood. Interestingly, later in the day, after Lori had left work and had attended an evening meeting, she discovered a piece of glass in her head.
After that fiasco, and a few more failed attempts to light the pilot, Lori was ready to head to her day job. I was on my own. It was me, the furnace, and my fears of snakes and spiders. After trying to light the pilot unsuccessfully, I decided to take some serious steps. I proceeded to tear apart the face of the furnace to remove the THERMOCOUPLE. On a whim, I thought that this little sucker has got to be replaced. But, prior to doing so, I decided to look up THERMOCOUPLE in Wikipedia. Go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple
and check it out. Ahh, the internet.
For about $ 8.00 I was able to purchase a new Thermocouple. Job done. Furnace pilot lit. Heat on….Marital bliss. A warm Lori is a happy Lori!
2 comments:
Dear Kent: We were about to bite the crap out you but we thought you were just a big rat. Next time we wont be confused by those hairy wrists.
-Snake and Spider
If you would have listened to me when you were a little brat - you would have known what a thermocouple is.
Big Daddy
Post a Comment