# Need help for my mom on furnace



## Mary Mary (Dec 30, 2008)

My dad died this past summer and now my mom is trying to cope with various things, the most pressing of which is her furnace. 

I'm not sure where to go for answers, but she is coming to ME for answers and I'm fairly clueless.

Here is the text of her email to me:



> Can you get some info for me? I need to know more about my furnace and how to run it, especially how to light the pilot light and why it keeps going out.
> How much for an instruction book for both the pilot light and the furnace? I want an email address to whom I can direct questions. I want a phone number for both companies and a hot-line number to call for problems. I prefer an 800 number.
> 
> Here is the name and particulars of the furnace:
> ...


I know that earlier in the season she couldn't get the blower to work and whoever helped her with that said that she was lucky she hadn't burned the house down!!! 

If anyone can help me help my mom I would really appreciate it! Thanks in advance.


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## mdharris68 (Sep 28, 2006)

I don't know the age or ability of your mom, but here are my thoughts: 

Find a local furnace company or wood stove company that has a technician that may have experience with this type of heater. Some have automatic pilots, and some have standing pilots. This technician also needs to verify if that gas valve has been converted to propane. The pilot orfice may just need cleaning, and that can be a tough job for someone who has worked on one of these stoves. (I've done it on a couple.)

Is mom in a position to have the woodstove replaced with a modern furnace? If so, she may be better off, because parts are getting hard to come by. 

Any thing that will burn, i.e. paper, dusty wood or otherwise can be burned in this thing. 

Ashes should be cleaned out as often as neccesary. 

The smoke thing needs to be checked out. She may have a partially plugged flue, a damper that is not open or opening automatically. Potential fire hazard if the flue is partially blocked with creosote.

This whole situation does not look good.


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## Mary Mary (Dec 30, 2008)

Well, my mom is 70 and gets around pretty well.

I'm assuming that the furnace is converted correctly for use with propane since she and dad have had this furnace for years and not had any problems (that the rest of us know of) with it so that's not really anything that's worrying me.

As far as replacing it...I would hesitate to even suggest it. My mom is the sort that will NOT spend money on anything if she can possibly get away withOUT spending money. It would have to be absolutely NOT working at all before she'd consider replacing it.

I will suggest having a technician look at it, but again, that's something she might have to _spend money_ on. (This is a woman who is convinced that all the lawyers are trying to screw her over and so doesn't want to consult one to get dad's estate settled. She's slightly loopy in the 'spending money' department. Sometimes that CAN be a good thing, but sometimes it's just maddening.)

But I AM going to suggest she find a technician and have the thing serviced. 

Thank you so much for your help!!! I hadn't even thought to tell her to find someone to TEACH her about it!!!


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I think my line would be " Mom I want you to be around for a long while and I'm scared of a fire so PLEASE call in some professional help".........


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## almostthere (Nov 9, 2003)

Most companies have programs where they check it on a schedule...and Im sure in the case of a widowed 70 year old the would make sure she ca run it on her own.


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## Mary Mary (Dec 30, 2008)

Jim-mi said:


> I think my line would be " Mom I want you to be around for a long while and I'm scared of a fire so PLEASE call in some professional help".........


I'll have to try that on her!

I was encouraged that in one of her latest emails she said that life was getting better. My dad died very suddenly of an apparent heart attack. No prior health problems. And my poor mom was away for the last three or four days before dad died...he collapsed while she was on her way home from a garden club convention. I can't even imagine being gone for several days and coming home to learn that your spouse has just died.

Anyway, off topic.

I'll have to encourage her again to just have someone come LOOK at the thing and teach her how to operate it. She is so freaky about spending money on stuff. Like I said, sometimes that's a good thing, but sometimes it's a concept that can be taken too far.


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