We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post, which is at no additional cost to you. :)
Thanksgiving Joys
Happy Thanksgiving! Can you believe it’s here this week! We just enjoyed our Roseville Holiday Parade with both Thanksgiving and Christmas themes throughout. It was a sweet delight in spite of the rain that started just before the parade started! The kids and adults in it were such troupers! Cheery all the way in the midst of falling raindrops – lots of them! And I had fun taking photos of all – though I did stay under an eave for most of it.
Heater Woes
Last weekend started off a bit bumpy. Our heater quit working! It took a while to get if fixed too! With an elderly mom, a cute new grand baby, and winter weather fast approaching (including a cold spell that started that day), that was a definite concern! Unfortunately, it happened over the weekend so I headed out to Walmart and picked up a Honeywell electric heater to tide us over. That had worked well for us a few years ago with a similar situation.
I specifically looked for a heater that:
- Had an adjustable thermostat
- Cool touch carry handle
- 360 degree tip over protection (if it gets tipped, it turns off)
- Overheat protection
I wound up buying a Honeywell 60 Degree Surround Fan Forced Heater with Surround Heat Output. It is small and has to stay fairly close. But it was a safe and welcome help for my senior mom. And it would have worked well for grandbaby as well (with total supervision, of course) if we’d needed it. But hooray. The next day, we got a great guy out to work on the heater. He quickly discovered the failing part in the heater and was able to have it replaced and back to work the same day!
Thermostat FAIL
Want to know the best part about all this? When the heater stopped working properly, I first thought it was the thermostat. The existing thermostat was awful. We’d set the temp and it might go 3-5 degrees above what we wanted or below what we wanted. I couldn’t go out and leave it set for the day and count on it keeping my mom comfortable. Just like with Goldilocks and the three bears, it might be too hot or too cold or just right. And for my poor mom, it was a totally confusing pain in the neck! Since I thought it might be the thermostat, I researched new thermostats and discovered some intriguing options.
Easier Honeywell Thermostats
As fancy as these programmable thermostats are, there are way too many options for many older seniors. But guess what, there are NON-programmable thermostats, including some by Honeywell. While our serviceman was there, I asked if he had any of those types and HE DID! I had him switch it out and WOW! It’s been WONDERFUL. I set the new Honeywell thermostat to a specific temperature and it goes to that temp. AND stays at that temp. AND it’s so much easier to operate. I may eventually tape up two of the buttons (for the fan and to select heat/air). That would leave only two up/down buttons to be navigated. Much easier for my senior mom!
Words of Encouragement
Our new Honeywell thermostat is a lovely example of “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” If the heater hadn’t broken, we’d still be fussing, fighting and fuming (and praying) over that irritating thermostat. But NOW, we’re smiling all through the day!
Got More Ideas?
How about you? Are you happy with your thermostat? Is it a Honeywell too? Got any other suggestions for this kind of situation? We’d love to hear. Pop over to my Facebook page and leave your ideas. 🙂
Click to quickly find...
