Veil of Tears

The end of February approaches. In this, my first month of business, if that computer repair job scheduled for this Monday does not fall through, I will have made a little over $200. How do we do it? Volume!

In my research business, I have sent out nine personally composed and signed sales letters, and received only one client. Another potential client actually bothered to write me back, to tell me the check would be in the mail - that was two weeks ago.

So, in my ninth sales pitch I added a lower-service, lower-price option (in addition to my higher service offer). Maybe I'll get lucky, and these leads will start turning to conversions at the lower rate. In any case we're applying for food stamps in March.

At 3:00 a.m. today, came a roar from down the hallway that woke me out of a dead sleep. We live in a mobile home, which some may think of as living in a hallway, but I'd never heard our home make a sound like this. Actually our home is gorgeous (inside), it's a 1969 Windsor and they don't build them as nicely anymore. But the blower fan on our oil furnace was now rattling and shrieking. Also I found the foam air filter (a big sheet, like one used for an air conditioner) had broken down into pieces, allowing house dust to travel directly through the blower.

I wanted us to be able to sleep, so I set up an oil heater in the bedroom. I did not want the pipes beneath the home to freeze, so I crossed the snow, unlocked our shed, and retrieved our kerosene heater and extra fuel.

I was hoping to replace the blower fan myself, but I needed free technical advice. I know I can get this advice for free, because I was employed as a computer repair technician for the past nine years, and I remember how people got free advice from me. At 9:00 a.m. I called a mom & pop plumbing & heating company, whose phone was answered by the owner. I described the symptoms and he said my problem was either the blower motor, or the "squirrel cage". I thanked him, and at this point he probably knew he'd been had.

I was ready to buy the parts myself, I figured I should get both items, because I had no idea how to troubleshoot a blower assembly. After all, how much could it cost for both? 200 dollars? I began a chain of calls to area heating equipment suppliers trying to find one that sold parts for my out-of-production Miller oil furnace. I got lucky on the fourth call, when the parts person asked for the width and diameter of the fan itself. I would have to disassemble the blower from the furnace.

Another trip across snow to the shed to get a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. 10 minutes later the blower was free and I was getting ready to measure the fan.

That's when I found a large chunk of filter foam lodged between the fan blades. That was the only thing wrong with the blower. I removed the foam, reassembled the blower and tested it. All the furnace needed was a new foam filter. Cost: 97 cents at Home Depot. Cost of gas for the round trip to Home Depot: 2 dollars.