TheBanyanTree: Tales of Trebby the Handyman

[Rob McMonigal]

So I've been having trouble with the heaters from the back part of the house
(the extension) since I moved in here a few years ago.  We don't use the
back much, so it wasn't that big of a deal (not much to care about the
laundry room being cold, ya know?).  However, it's always kinda annoyed me.

Dad said drain the upstairs heating vents (we have a water boiler here), and
I did.  Not much luck.  Dad was mystified.

Well, I was poking around cleaning up downstairs, because I'd like to
actually start using the basement for something but it's pretty much a
mess.  And I look up and see a drainage point I'd never tried poking around
at before.

SPLURT!

Water on the Trebby's face.  Dirty water.

"Hmm," I said.  (I actually said a few other things, but we'll just skip
that.)

Then I got a bucket and let her rip.

Man, that water looked like crap.  I drained it out and came upstairs to
test my theory.

Aha!  A little heat in those old vents!

Back downstairs, with a dropcloth and rolled sleeves this time.  Also my cat
Macro, but as soon as she saw water, she took off.  I drained it
again--still gunky stuff.  Oh, and really smelly, too.  The kind of water
you try to avoid in an alley.  The kind of water I had all over my glasses
by this point.

"Okay, let's keep this up.  At worst, I can pretend I was attacked by sewer
rats."

A few minutes later, the water was clear.

I came upstairs and jacked the heat up.  Sure enough, the vents were
starting to warm.  Not anywhere near what I'd like, but it's a start.

So hey, score one again for Handyman Trebby.  I was going to pay someone
$100 to probably do exactly what I just did.  I'm certainly not an expert,
but sometimes I can get by.

-- 
-Rob
trebro at gmail.com
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