It has been quite the day.

This have been a week for repair men. A new furnace to replace the one that quit. That was a big job.

One thing lead to another and the hot water tank had to be replaced as well. There were complications because of the updated regulations for exhaust pipes. It would be impossible to comply with the inadequate space available in the chimney, so we had to change from gas to an electric tank with simpler exhaust needs.

Isn’t that always the way? Fix one thing, that causes a chain reaction, and before you know it you are changing six more.

I have to say I am pleased with the new arrangement, though, especially the furnace. I had no idea the old furnace was doing such a poor job of heating the house. The difference in performance is staggering. It’s winter and I don’t have to wear as many layers anymore. How could I be unhappy about that?

The crew of guys doing all this work went above and beyond the call of duty to give helpful service. Their company policy is service oriented. It seems they have discovered the secret weapon for gaining customer loyalty. More businesses need to discover this secret.

Before the guys left they mentioned a special plumbing inspection price the company had going on at the moment. I couldn’t think of any major concerns but still, it sounded like a good idea.

Sometimes bad things lead to good things. Having the major expense of a new furnace and hot water tank didn’t feel like a good thing but if it hadn’t happened they wouldn’t have been here, I wouldn’t have known to ask for a plumbing inspection and in turn, would never have known the sump pump under the basement floor was no longer working.

If we hadn’t noticed this could have been a very bad thing. If a lot of water showed up in the spring melt and the basement flooded because the pump couldn’t carry it away, I shudder to think what kind of mess that would have been.

The downside, is having to spend all that money, the upside is priceless. Peace of mind that everything is in good working order. Expecting there will be no more middle of winter, or spring, failures, for a good long while.

Now I just have to get used to all the new noises in the house.

What was that? runs through my mind more often than ever now.