Remember that the house had been vacant for 14 years. I asked for the home inspection but the gas company refused to turn on the gas. The pipes were pitted; the gas units did not have turn off valves. I've tried to document the rehab of the property but failed to get pictures of the bedroom floor furnaces and those obsolete monstrosities located in the kitchen, living room, and dining room.
When I moved in, May of 2007, the temperatures were horrendous. This information from WBBJtv.com:
"...the 6th hottest Summer on record was in 2007 when the average temperature was 80.6°F. If you were in West Tennessee during August 2007, you might be able to recall how hot it was then! We reached 100°F 17 times that month and recorded what remains the 2nd hottest temperature ever recorded in Jackson – 106°F on August 16, 2007."
I had to deal with a leaking roof, scraping wallpaper, painting, finding a job, plumbing, yada yada, so winter and heating were the farthest things from my mind. Well, let me tell you, boys and girls, the temperature dropped and heat was sorely needed.
We, Jimmy and I, were scrambling during those first weeks. It was miserably cold in this house which has no insulation and very high ceilings. We bought room heaters which didn't begin to do the job. We huddled under covers absorbing each other's body heat. Layered up--for the inside. Finally it was suggested that I have electric wall heaters installed in the main areas. Pulling 240 volts a unit, they definitely did the trick. The electric bills were exorbitant to say the least and I'll speak to the utility company's rates later.
Why didn't you have an HVAC system installed? Here's the answer: Shortly after I moved in, I called a local company and, plainly put, they didn't want to do the job. More excuses as to why it couldn't be done than Carter had liver pills. The cost would have been almost what I paid for the house. Then I tried to get the company which installed my system in D.C., but I guess Ripley is too far from Olive Branch, MS, for them to be bothered. A company from Memphis came and discussed the installation of radiators (which I really wanted--best heat in the world) but he left and never called back. Home Depot came and measured and I never got a quote. And somewhere along the way, another company came and said the same as everyone else: too many roof lines; not enough crawl space; yada yada. Some set up appointments and never showed.
Twelve years and an estimate approximately every 2.5 years later, I tried again. This time I talked to Bridgers HVAC, in Milan, TN. He didn't want to make the trip (about 45 miles away) but he did. "Oh, yeah, we can do this." Missy's not for having the house torn up so how will you do it, kind sir? "Put a unit on both sides of the house and run the ducts under the house." So how will I get heat? "Cut vents in the floor." Say WHAT? All these years of paying $900 light bills, decreasing in amount until June, and I could have had heat? Are you kidding me? Those light bills would have paid for both units many times over.
I wasn't able to do business with Mr. Bridgers, unfortunately, but Andy Windle, out of Dyersburg, got the job done. A gas unit (trying to cut Ripley Power and Light off at the knees) was installed at the front of the house: kitchen, dining room, living room, front bath, and TV room. That knocks out 4 of those 220 heaters. I did a little jig when they finished this past Saturday and cried when I signed off on his paperwork. Why the tears, Missy? Because my rock, James A. Williams, was not here to share the joy. He rejoiced in each renovation project and this would have pleased him to no end.
Enjoying the even temperatures in the front of the house and the quietness of the system. Looking forward to a reasonable light bill although one of those 220 heaters will still be in use. I might even start sleeping at that end of the house and turn that heater off entirely.
Perhaps the Lord will bless me to have the second unit put in next year. Ya' never know.
All the best.
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