I should be working. I should be getting ready for doing my income tax. I should be ah, never mind you get the idea. So you thing everything is over. Everything is normal here in the hills of Sierra mountains? No. It's not.

After the power comes on at 12:17, I'm outside chatting airplane stuff with my next door neighbor pilot friend. Seems that the nose gear strut isn't holding a charge and more and the planes out of action. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but one of the guys who is in the partnership, after great struggle, took home the hoist. The hoist is obviously needed to hold up the plane while the nose gear is off. Alas the other fellow needed it for working on his jet. Yup, a jet here in Georgetown, well, not from out 2,000 foot or so runway it isn't. So we're gabbing and I notice the furnace is running. Odd, there is a nice toasty fire in the wood stove and this should not be happening. But it's possible. After chatting a bit, a trip to the store for firstly more diesel fuel secondly, milk. Seems everyone in town had a similar idea and that was to go shopping.

So I'm back, with 5 gallons online and 7.5 gallons backup, just in case.

The furnace is still running.

I called PG&E this evening. No one in our sleepy little town called PG&E until 2 hours after the outage began. No light sleepers in town I guess. What you wonder was the reason for an 8.5 hour outage. The PG&E ticket reflects one word. Tree. Now they've given me all this hype about the new transmission lines and the fact that we have dual feeds. When I say they, I say PG&E. But, PG&E is the very first to say, ah, Georgetown, generator, ah good idea. And they guys say, oooh, diesel. And I say, in the North Dakota accent, yah, 2 cylinder diesel. While in the back of my mind I think of the 1 cylinder 8Kw China Diesel unit at 60% of the cost. That is another story.

I hold in my hand the 1 year home warranty which covers this problem.

Matter of fact, 8 months ago, it was for the exact same problem. Furnace on, have gas, no heat. Cold out.

Not unlike the Livermore problem. A/C on, no cooling, rabbits inside very very hot. Almost 100 in the house.

Not similar to the problem in my condominium, thermostat calling for heat no heat.

The home warranty, I know with out even looking expires 1/2/98 and today is 1/5/98. I did not renew.

Lug Mr. Heater outside, thankful that it's also not raining too.

Pull the panel, grab the red hose and pull the connection from the furnace. Ah, looks ok and even has a cintered metal filter on the end. Blow though the connection, see, being a diver taught me not to suck on hoses and fittings. No suckee. No cintered filter, but in fact crumbly power. Not enough of a job for the new Dremel tool however. Return inside, enable furnace. Go outside, furnace running. Mr. Heater not keeping me as warm as I expected. Place finger on hole where hose is attached. Hum, should be suction or pressure. Yes, I know it's risky putting my finger in harms way not knowing if the metal is hot or cold. No pressure nor vacuum. Visions of dollar signs flashing about, will the repairmain trade for a brand new HO train set?

On second thought, perhaps in this frigid environment I simply can't detect airflow since my fingers might already be frostbitten. Yes, I'm more delicate than I used to be when the temperature got to 5 below back in Pennsylvania. Place the hose on the exposed nipple, expecting to hear the immediate foof of volatile propane gas ignition. Nothing. Lovely.

Flash back to taking the electrical panel off to research using one of the relay contactors for powering a 10 inch duct booster. Faint memory of the protection circuitry. After the thermostat calls for heat, combustion exhaust fan turns on, safety valve engages, gas, followed by ignitor. If the burner fails to ignite the cycle is repeated. Shortly thereafter there is a quiet click. Much like the click submariners must have hear when the depth charges where really close. Followed by a rapid electrical buzz and the satisfying foof of propane flame and heat.

Victory.

Postscript.

Recently noticed the furnace come on, heat for a while, turn off and then turn back on a few moments later. This was also a condition that existing and vanished 8 months ago. It would appear, regular cleaning of this part will assure continued warm. And perhaps when it clogs, it causes the safety shutdown of the flame since it can no longer detect the combustion chamber fan running. This may happen as the plug heats up and blocks the opening. Only time will tell.

Life. It's never simple.