Seasons are changing, temperatures are dropping, then going back up, then dropping, then going way up in the day and getting cold in the middle of the night. My thermostat strategies have been numerous, which is saying a lot considering we have the NEST, predictive thermostats. But they predict with guidance and if you tell them you want nothing but air conditioning, you’re not getting heat even if there are icicles of the posters of your bed.
Suffice it to say I’ve been going back and forth across the various modes, trying to keep us comfortable inside regardless of what temperature is happening outside. Or weather in general. I was thinking we’d had a lot of rain lately. I was thinking this because I got this smell I didn’t like when I went into the basement. I also got it from time to time in the master bedroom. I’ve got a pretty sensitive nose and I don’t think my husband had noticed it as much but it was bothering me.
It seemed to have started at the beginning of the month, only a few days ago. I was so annoyed by it that on Friday I got my dehumidifier and rolled it into the master bedroom, planning on taking it to the basement next.
The timing of this was just as I’d decided Mother Nature had finally decided to let summer leave for good and I would be able to leave the thermostats on Heat instead of the Heat/Cool range I’d been tweaking for weeks.
I don’t do anything without a calendar entry to remind me. If I tell you, ‘happy birthday’ I assure you, it wasn’t my memory, it was my calendar letting me know. My own birthday has snuck up on me before. On the first of the month I have entries on our calendars to do things like: turn on/off the pilot light, change air filters, empty central vac, plug in winter pipe heaters and open the humidifier damper.
November 1st I had, based on the calendar, changed the humidifier filter in the basement HVAC system and turned the flow damper to open. The other thing I did was turn the thermostats to heat only (which we had needed based on night temperatures).
What I didn’t do was make the connection until mid-day today on what I’d done. First, I’d turned the basement system (which is also the master bedroom system on the main floor) to heat only. Second, I’d turned on the humidifier option at full force for the system. Third, there was a humidity problem in the basement and the master bedroom—one that I decided would be best handled by bringing in a dehumidifier. The only thing to do was to shove the stupid hat firmly on my head, bolt it down, add rivets and then go tell my husband I’d figured out the problem.
The good news is that with the humidifier off on the system the humidity has been dropping quickly. The NEST thermostats display humidity percentages and it’s dropped quickly in only a matter of hours since it was only going on for four days. So at least I’ll sleep more comfortably in my stupid hat tonight.
The Big Boy Update: My son has been asking for the Movie Music station when we’re driving in the car lately. There are a lot of super hero movies out it would seem because the entire way to school we got songs he was pretty excited to hear. He had a few comments to me though. After a piece got particularly loud he asked, “Mom, can you turn the music down? I don’t want the windows to crack.” Then he started listening. He commented to no one in general as he was listening to The Avengers theme, “there are violins in this…hey, there are horns too.” His music teacher would be pleased to know he’s paying attention.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: At dinner tonight my husband challenged the children to see who could say the alphabet backwards. My son was thinking about it fairly intently and he and dad were talking about order. Then my daughter just started saying it backwards, catching herself from time to time but passing the point where my son had gotten in short order. My husband and I looked at each other while she effortlessly made it to …C…B…A. She wasn’t particularly impressed with herself, I think she just thought it was a fun thing to do. My husband and I were impressed though.
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