Hello Tweets,

On a recent cold night, we decided it was time for a little heat boost
from the furnace. Wouldn't you know, the fan blew but no heat came out!
After a week of negotiations about warranty coverage for the 9-year-old
furnace, the repairman installed the replacement inducer motor today.
Many exclamations of amazement emerged from the basement after he
extracted the broken part.

The culprit was a chickadee that flew in the intake or exhaust pipe
outside the house, couldn't get out, and jammed the motor so it burned
out. A never-before-seen occurrence to the veteran repairman. Poor
little guy.

To prevent future kamikaze visits to the furnace, the repairman
recommends wrapping the mouths of the furnace vent pipes with wire mesh
or bird netting. Who knew?!

Helen Gilbert
NE Seattle