All I want for Christmas is a.....new furnace?!!!

Hmmm....a new furnace for Christmas does NOT sound exciting.  An emergency purchase of a new furnace for Christmas sounds even LESS joyful.  We live in a farmhouse that (in places) dates back to the mid/late 1800's, but the furnace is nowhere near THAT old! Our furnace wasn't lighting this morning.  We could hear it trying to ignite, and then shutting down, over and over.  It had checked out to be running just fine back in October. So, Jeff dug out the old receipt, and I called the company that checked it in October, and then I waited for someone to arrive.  They did have someone come out fairly quickly, especially on a day after such a big storm/travel advisory/white-out type of day.  Yesterday the first big storm of the season blew in, and the winds continued all night.  I expected to be waiting for the heating tech for most of the day. He checked out the unit, and found that it might be 2 things.  He pointed out that it was a unit made back in 1988....putting it at nearly 25 years old.  We were under the impression that it was about 15 years old, based on what the home inspector told us, and then what another heating/AC company told us over a year ago.   Two pieces that he needed to get to were behind a 3" opening, and after trying for a while, he concluded that they might be the original pieces to the unit itself (spark plug?  heat sensor?) and were corroded into place.  He needed a different wrench to do anything more.  And even if he took everything apart, there was no guarantee that the heater would work with new pieces after all that time and labor cost.  Also no guarantee that the pieces would be available, especially on short notice.   To his credit, he did not try to "sell" us a new furnace on the spot, but very carefully explained what he was finding in the unit downstairs.  He suggested checking into the costs of a new unit, but would not quote the cost because he hadn't done any research to know what unit we'd need.  He was not a slick salesman jumping on an opportunity.  For which I am always grateful! Jeff (by way of a phone call) asked the guy to just put things back together the way they had been, and he (Jeff) would take a better look after work today.  (It's worth noting here that the entry-way and kitchen, plus half of the basement is heated by a separate system--radiant floor heating, and the house was not as cold as you might think with the main heater not running.  We lost a couple of degrees, but....didn't want to run the radiant heat boiler into the ground trying to have it compensate for the main unit!) I began mentally putting this little story together as I waited.  Something like:  Please be in prayer.  We didn't plan to have money for a new furnace right now.  We know that God will provide, but still....it's Christmas and any "disposable income" has already gone towards Christmas gifts.  (I was taking mental stock of what could still be sent back or returned if need be.) There wasn't a conscious prayer, just the knowledge that I could post my plea on the blog, that friends would pray along with me for a solution or for God to supply what we need, and that we would be taken care of. As this awareness of God taking care of us registered with me, the technician came back in from outside, where he'd double-checked a few things.  He had checked the intake and output pipes earlier, but looked farther this time.  There was a chunk of ice that had formed about one foot from the end of the intake pipe.  None of us would have seen it if we glanced at the pipes to casually check the situation.   The wind last night was driving in from the northwest---potentially directly into that pipe's opening, along with all the sleet and snow that was blasting through the area.  The heater would try to start and then shut itself off.  Maybe it was sensing a lack of incoming air rather than having a faulty starter?  It makes sense..... The heater is now humming along nicely, and we have a suggestion to modify the pipe's end with a 90 degree angle PVC elbow, which I probably have out in the barn already.  The change of angle would keep any high winds or sleety/icy/snowy weather from blowing directly into the intake pipe.   It might still be something other than that easy-to-fix solution, and we'll be checking into replacement furnace costs and options, as well as keeping a close eye on how the old furnace performs in the next few days.....but I have the overwhelming feeling that God heard my prayer before it even BECAME a prayer! Thanks to God, for providing yet again. Merry Christmas, everyone! Laura http://dykstrasfarm.blogspot.com/ The rodent count stands at 2 rats, 7 mice, pending trap-checking later today!