Friday Foto Friends and Thankfulness, Part Two

 Hello, and welcome to Friday Foto Friends and Thankfulness, Part Two! If you wonder why I need a Part two, well, if you read  yesterday's post HERE, you will remember that I told you that our 21 year old air conditioner (and heat pump) was going to have to be replaced.  It had finally reached the point of no return, and we knew it was time to bite the bullet and buy a new HVAC unit.  Our repairman managed to help it to keep running for a few more days, but he said with a leaky coil it most likely would not last long. So thankfully we were able to schedule the installation of the new unit for today.  

The original HVAC unit for our house, approximately 21 years old.

Well, this story was not over by any means.  Last night we settled down to bed at our usual time (around 10:00 p.m.) and all was cool and well. Suddenly, around 12:00 midnight I woke up with a start. A thunderstorm had started, and perhaps it was a loud clap of thunder that woke me up, but I honestly believe it was God.  Why? Well, as soon as I woke up I realized that I could smell smoke! 

I woke up my hubby and told him I could smell smoke, and so we both got up out of bed and started walking around the house, sniffing the air, and trying to determine where the smoke was coming from. (Picture two septuagenarians tiptoeing through the house in their p.j.'s , with a flash light in hand and sniffing the air like a couple of bloodhounds). The scent seemed to be strongest in our bedroom, because the bedroom door was shut holding in the smell. However, the smell was evident all over the house, and so we determined it must be coming from the AC vents.

Now, mind you, it was pitch black outside and there was a thunderstorm going on at the same time. It was literally pouring down rain and lightning was flashing and thunder was booming. However, we knew we needed to go outside and check the AC unit to see if it was on fire.  

Now picture those two septuagenarians putting on raincoats and shoes and carrying an umbrella and a flashlight, and checking out the AC unit in the  dark and the rain.  There was no smoke or fire that we could see or smell on the unit. But if there had been, the rain may have already put it out. However, on further inspection, we could see that the coils had frozen up once again inside the unit, which told us that the motor was probably seized up and the friction was causing that burning smell and could erupt in a fire if not stopped.  So we carried our dripping bodies and shoes and raincoats and umbrellas back inside the house and shut down the power to the AC unit.

Oh, we did also consider calling the fire department, but decided that since there was no actual smoke or flame, and the power was off to the unit, there really wasn't any need to do so.

Then we tried to go back to bed. As you can imagine, it was difficult to get back to sleep after all of that, and the scent of the smoke was still very strong in our bedroom, so we left the door to the room open and turned on fans to help clear the air. It was raining too hard to even consider opening windows.

Sleep was fitful, but after praying and asking God to protect us and our home from any further harm, we finally drifted off to sleep.

When the AC repairman arrived this morning, you can bet we had a tale to tell him. He was quite concerned and began dismantling the old unit to get ready to install the new one, and after checking things out he determined that yes, there had been some burning going on inside the motor area...and that same strong burnt smell was very much present once the unit was opened up.

Somewhere inside these coils is where the culprit was.

Well, after a couple of hours of hard labor...oh, yes, there is a "repair woman" as well...

she's the daughter of our repair guy, and does a great job as his assistant!

The new HVAC unit was installed and up and running and our house is cool once again!

We waved good bye to them and said a prayer of thanksgiving for God's protection over our home through the night and for providing good repair people quickly and reasonably.

This is a favorite and appropriate Psalm for this episode, don't you think?

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.”

Amen.

Oh, and by the way, we wondered why our smoke detector had not gone off to alert us. Maybe the smoke wasn't quite strong enough yet to trigger it, or just maybe it needed a new battery? Yep...apparently it did, although it had never alerted us to that either. We replaced the battery, and the test button says it should work now, but I may be looking for a new one next time we go to town.  A good reminder to check the smoke detectors in your houses regularly!

Okay, have a blessed and safe and pleasant rest of your Friday. Thank you for bearing with me on another long tale.  God bless you all!!