Days of Shades

Dad brought up the heating situation again, and it leaves me feeling faintly murderous. Not because he brought it up -- I'm glad that his brain engaged when I got the permit, because there's been a lot of "oh, yeah, that'll work, we'll figure it out" instead of actually trying to figure it out and answer my questions -- but because trying to research this question is HELL.

Heating appears to be an, ahem, hot-button issue in the home improvement world. People are zealous about what method is the 'best', cheapest, most efficient, most comfortable, etc, with all the normal annoyances associated with zealotry. I see blog responses that start with "It's always been known," or "X is clearly superior in every way," or "Oh, I can't believe you were idiotic enough to let your client do THAT." Then there's all sorts of 'most people experience' comments that have no basis in research; arguments over whether people are defining radiation right, and on and on and on. No one compares like to like -- they talk about an insulated house with heating system X and a non-insulated house with system Y, or compare to east coast propane prices (entirely irrelevant to me!) or or or or. I see directly contradictory statements given as fact on different fora all the time.

(My current favorite is the one that says "Electric baseboard has always been known to be the worst for efficiency... but sometimes radiant can be worse." One: that sentence doesn't actually compute. Two: it has NOT always been known. Three: Those are my two real options, damn it).

If I could afford it, I'd seriously consider getting another natural gas fireplace insert and hiring a mason to rebuild my current fireplace/chimney such that it could have an insert sticking out each side (one into the living room, one into the studio). As-is, I'm afraid a little freestanding gas stove would be too spendy, and I don't know where I'd put it.

Electric radiant floor under tile prices out to about $500 more than a fancy electric baseboard (with laminate flooring, but it could be . Something durable and cleanable). That's totally worth it if it makes a better experience and doesn't cost me an arm and a leg every month, but I can't tell. And I need to figure this out, because it impacts the electrical plan I haven't submitted yet AND the level we need to build the floor to.

My only real tester for electric radiant is my parents' bathroom, which is a quarter the size of the space I'm going to be heating (and who knows how much of their bill is the floor). I have electric baseboards -- dull, ugly, cheap -- but the new electric/hydronic ones are supposed to heat more evenly and more quietly. I've never seen one in action.

I just want good information, for crying out loud. It's not magic; it's thermodynamics!

Murphy's in full force over here.

My tenant moved in January 2. January 3, he reported the heater didn't work in his room. Sure 'nuf, something's screwy with the thermostat, and of course I didn't map the heater circuits to breakers when I did everything else. Friday when both the guys were gone I tracked them all down... all but the one I actually need to fix, that is, because every heater has two hot wires, and in my house some of those hot wire pairs are on different circuits. With one half of the problem thermostat not getting juice, I can't actually be sure that it's off -- which means I need to turn off the entire house before I attempt repairs.

I'm not doing that when it's 10 degrees F below freezing, thanks. I borrowed a space heater from my folks as soon as AJ told me about the problem, so that issue will keep for awhile.

Which means I need a new issue, right? My house thinks so!

So the washing machine broke.

It's not spinning at all, and there were interesting rubbery/electrical smells, which made me suspect the motor. My helpful-fix-it book suggested motor or transmission, and that the appropriate action was to call in someone else, as these are not easily home-fixable. Since the washing machine was a $25 craigslist find that's probably as old as I am and even worse for wear, I don't particularly want to drop money on a repair that may or may not work, which leaves me with a few options:

1. Buy off craigslist.
Pros: you can get a washing machine for anywhere from $50 to $600 dollars.
Cons: You have no idea whether it will work and no warranty, and you usually have to pick it up. Not to mention the whole 'play phone tag and email tag and hope someone hasn't bought it already, then find time in the busy week that works for both you, the seller, and the friend who you cajole into loaning their truck'.

2. Buy from a refurbisher
This is what I did when the dryer started eating clothes earlier this year. The new dryer is just as old as the old one (again, about as old as me), huge, and ugly (not that I consider aesthetics important in a dryer). The refurbisher was just fine to do business with and offers a short term warranty, but the 'free repair' bit ran out after two months and the dryer started becoming less efficient after four.
Pros: More guarantee than craigslist. No more choice. Delivery and removal of old machine included.
Cons: Not so impressed with my new-ancient dryer. You're still getting old equipment that's had problems before, even if they've been fixed. The refurbisher I went to the first time is waaay the hell out of town, and I couldn't get there until Friday, earliest -- which means no delivery until next week.

3. Buy new
I wasn't even considering this until mom mentioned it today, because it's just a LOT of money.
Pros: Warranty and peace of mind, both in functionality (you can return lemons) and in ease-of-purchase -- delivery and installation of new and removal of old is all included.
Cons: Only money.

My thrifty, waste-hating side tends towards keeping things in use and circulation as long as possible (and saving myself money), but my tired-of-freaking-dealing-with-it side really likes the idea that I could go to a store and have the problem fixed by tomorrow. The fact that I'm a landlord and two other people are dependent on my to fix the problem really drives that home -- I have an obligation to provide functional laundry facilities; I can't dither around for a few weeks doing laundry at my parents while I figure it out.

I have to admit, it'd be nice to have something that's clean, new, stackable (to allow more room in the laundry room), and more efficient -- it just takes a large chunk of money, and whenever I start looking at that big a chunk of money I think about all the other things I could spend it on, and how it should be saved for working on the studio. Then I think about why I'm not working on the studio, and how I still don't have a plan, and, well... you see how this spiral goes.

Best Buy has an 18 months same-as-cash deal, though, which makes new really appealing. I could replace BOTH washer and dryer for about $90 a month -- which coincidentally is the same amount E owes me for his share of the phone bill. He hasn't been paying because his car needed repairs and I wanted to contribute, and this month he was going to start again, so it'd be almost a wash, month to month.

That would leave me with the guilt of spending $250 on the dryer last year, but I can't second guess too much. The washer was working fine at the time, and I didn't have a housemate so my income was questionable. I suppose I could try to recoup $100 or so on craigslist, though that's still a pain, usually.