1,500 Brownie Points

I earned 1,500 brownie points yesterday.  That’s a personal record.

Brownie points, for those unfamiliar, are an arbitrary (and imaginary) form of reward issued for doing good stuff.  In this instance, I awarded them to myself for brilliance in foresight.

If you live in Montana, heating your house is a big deal.  Only a week ago we experienced sub-zero temperatures.  You definitely need heat with temperatures like that knocking at your door.

My main source of heat is a propane-fired hydronic boiler.  The boiler is presently 32 years old and occasionally requires a little tender loving care.  More than a year ago, I noticed that the blower fan for the propane exhaust system sometimes issued a queep when initially called to run.  I felt certain the fan was tipping toward failure at some not-too-distant point.

Finding parts (think ‘fan’ here) and getting them shipped to me is difficult and takes days.   As a proactive measure, I found a blower replacement kit online and had it shipped to me.  The kit has been collecting dust in my garage in the time since.

A few weeks ago, the fan’s queep transitioned to a pronounced vreeeeeeeeeep!  Yesterday, upon finding the house a bit chilly, I trotted back to the laundry room to check on the boiler there.

Not good.  The blower fan had finally locked up entirely and the motor was humming angrily in opposition.

In less than five minutes, I had tools and the blower kit in front of the boiler.  And within an hour I earned 1,500 brownie points by fully installing the replacement blower.

My Boiler

—Mitchell Hegman