I’m cuddled up with several blankets, waiting for the HVAC guy to come work on the heat. Again.

Our heat has been MIA for the past two weeks – just in time for Virginia to hit near-record lows. There were two days that we ran the heat non-stop for a high temperature of 42!

The home warranty company sent someone out and they supposedly fixed the problem. The house warmed up to 64 for an entire day. Then the temperature began to drop again. So my husband called someone else and paid to have them fix it, since we were going to have to debate payment with the home warranty company, based on what their contractor said was wrong. Unfortunately, when this contractor left, the house wasn’t a single degree warmer than it was when he arrived. He did, however, leave us an invoice specifically stating that the problem was non-reparable and we needed a new system.

We thanked God for that invoice. It was our silver lining.

After my husband spent awhile on the phone with the home warranty company, faxed them the second repairman’s invoice, and talked with them again, they finally agreed that the system, or at least part of the system, definitely needs to be replaced and it does fall under the warranty. So today we’ll have a visit from a third HVAC guy who will quite hopefully have all the proper materials with him and won’t have to order parts.

Thankfully, we were able to buy a couple of space heaters so, although the house is still cold, it’s now livable – and I can do laundry and dishes without my hands turning to ice! Now we’re praying for a properly-working system by tonight.

I don’t know if there are state-specific home warranty companies (for instance, a Virginia home warranty company, or a Maine home warranty company), that might make turnaround time a little faster, but I would definitely advise any home owner to check into a warranty company of some sort! They’re completely worth it!

{image copyright Marco Matovic}

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