Oil's well that ends well...

(I like thinking up cheesy headlines for this blog...)

Sometimes it's easy to take the basic necessities of life for granted... health, food, shelter, that kind of thing. Yesterday Brad and I found out just how unpleasant it is to do without heat in the middle of a cold Pennsylvania winter. We ran out of heating oil on Monday night. Usually this wouldn't post much of a problem, but we also did not have any wood cut for the woodstove. I plugged in an electric heater, but that kept tripping the house wiring (something we need to update), so, we went without.

I remembered that diesel fuel can be used in a home oil heating system in this kind of scenario, and Brad drove to the gas station and lugged back 20 gallons of the stuff in jerry cans. He emptied the cans into the fuel inlet, but was unable to restart the system. So, we acquiesed and bundled up for the evening. The dogs joined us in the bedroom, and the cat snuggled up between us for maximum warmth. In the morning, I called various oil companies with limited success. Finally, we were able to get someone to deliver on short notice. Brad and I learned something new: an oil furnace must be bled before being restarted. With this precious kernel of knowledge, we were back on our way to heat.

We've been in this house now for close to 3 years, and are still learning about it. Can't say lack of heat was ever a problem in Florida...