Does Your Place at the Beach Have Heat?

[Mermaid]

Now before you say "What an idiot question! Of course we have heat! " think about it. Where's your furnace?

I know where the A/C unit is at the condo. I know where the hot water heater is, in the closet by the door. But I'll be darned if I know where the heat comes from. Ideas?

Next, assuming we all have heat, when does it usually need to go on? By Christmas, do you think?

[kathydwells]

Now before you say "What an idiot question! Of course we have heat! " think about it. Where's your furnace?

I know where the A/C unit is at the condo. I know where the hot water heater is, in the closet by the door. But I'll be darned if I know where the heat comes from. Ideas?

Next, assuming we all have heat, when does it usually need to go on? By Christmas, do you think?

You probably have a heat pump, in which case it is the same as the air conditioning unit. Look at the temperature control and see if it say's heat on it.

[kurt]

No furnaces. Almost everyone has heat pumps here which only work in mild climates.

[Mermaid]

That makes sense to me, but I'd never in a million years have thought of that. The furnaces up North are huge! After a while you get to thinking that that's the norm. We were scratching our heads last night trying to figure out where the heat in our place came from and if we even had any.

Now when do you usually put it on?

[Landlocked]

We turned ours on last night and it smelled like the house was on fire. I guess from the dust burning or something.

[Smiling JOe]

That makes sense to me, but I'd never in a million years have thought of that. The furnaces up North are huge! After a while you get to thinking that that's the norm. We were scratching our heads last night trying to figure out where the heat in our place came from and if we even had any.

Now when do you usually put it on?

I bet you were also wondering where to deliver the heating fuel.

[Donna]

Our house has a very large furnace and a/c unit and it is located in its own room next to the laundry room. During the summer, if no one is at the house, we keep the thermostat turned on 75. In winter with no one there, we turn it down to 65. (If you have a management company, they will probably keep it cooler in summer and warmer in winter, even with no one there. We have to harp on this all the time with ours.) Winters at South Walton beaches can be very mild, or they can get hard freezes right around Christmas. Generally speaking, the weather changes by Halloween and begins to get warmer about the second week in March. Very, very important to ask how often your filters will be changed. We find ours in FL require changing out much more often than here in CA.

[Mermaid]

I bet you were also wondering where to deliver the heating fuel.

Alright now smarty pants!

Donna, good advice about the furnace filters. I'm glad you mentioned that because our condo--which is the size of a postage stamp, no joke--came with something like a dozen or more filters! At first we thought there must have been a fire sale on them at the local Target, but now that you've said how often they need to be changed, it makes sense.

[Paula]

Definitely take care of changing those filters. We were at the cottage this August and the ceiling just started to leak a tiny bit through a vent. (lucky it happened when we were there and not when renters were there!) So, we figured it was the air conditioner, turned it off. When the repairman came, he showed us the filthy filter and said no one had changed it in months. So, we called our rental agency because we thought they were supposed to be changing the filters. They said they didn't have us on their list of filters to be changed. So, now it's straight but if we hadn't been there there would have been significant damage to the ceiling, floors, who knows what else. All because the filters weren't changed. They should be done monthly. In fact, I'm going to call our agency tomorrow to be sure we're on their filter change list now!

[Beach Runner]

I'm just glad I happened to drive down by myself on the 12th to discover that the pool heater was broken. My family and my daughter's friends (AND I) would have really been ticked off if we couldn't get in the pool and hot tub during Thanksgiving!

We check on things frequently because we've found that we can't totally depend on others to care for our things as we would.

[Miss Kitty]

OMG...when I read this, I thought you were referring to BR's GUN. Please tell me BR that you don't pack heat at the beach!!!!

[Mermaid]

Ms Kitty, calm down. That kind of heat wouldn't fit in BR's string bikinis! Our BR is NOT like that lolapalooza you and GTTBM saw at Bud & Alley's last night

[Miss Kitty]

Ms Kitty, calm down. That kind of heat wouldn't fit in BR's string bikinis! Our BR is NOT like that lolapalooza you and GTTBM saw at Bud & Alley's last night

hee hee hee

Have you not seen any James Bond movies? Those chicks hide weapons EVERYWHERE!!!

[Beach Runner]

hee hee hee

Have you not seen any James Bond movies? Those chicks hide weapons EVERYWHERE!!!

Heck, for the next home invasion, I've already planned where I'll hide my big diamond ring! Actually, on second thought, some guys like to go there. EWWWW! So maybe I should re-think the plan.

I do travel with a gun in the glove compartment when I'm alone.

[Mermaid]

BR, the mind boggles on thinking where your diamond ring is going. :oops:

[Sheila]

Alright now smarty pants!

Donna, good advice about the furnace filters. I'm glad you mentioned that because our condo--which is the size of a postage stamp, no joke--came with something like a dozen or more filters! At first we thought there must have been a fire sale on them at the local Target, but now that you've said how often they need to be changed, it makes sense.

It's amazing how quick they get really dirty. We changed ours in Sept. when we were here. We also have a HV/AC company do quarterly checks. I arranged for them to come while we were here. I was amazed how dirty our filters were in just 3 weeks!

[Jdarg]

BR, the mind boggles on thinking where your diamond ring is going. :oops:

Cleavage seems to be a good place to hide things.

[Miss Kitty]

It's amazing how quick they get really dirty. We changed ours in Sept. when we were here. We also have a HV/AC company do quarterly checks. I arranged for them to come while we were here. I was amazed how dirty our filters were in just 3 weeks!

I agree with you! This is very important info! They changed mine when we first arrived and I have noticed how dusty things get very quickly! Sort of like ME...waiting on HMM to go to dinner!

[Beach Runner]

Cleavage seems to be a good place to hide things.

I don't have any, so I can't relate to that option. I do keep lipstick in my bra at parties so I don't have to carry a purse. Does that count?

Sorry, message-board Nazis. I'll not contribute any more to the tangent.

[kurt]

My air handler also has a permanent-type filter at the base of the unit that you can only get to by removing the front panel of the unit, although I can look underneath and see it. I clean it a couple of times a year. If you have one like mine and you don't know about that filter, it's probably thick with dust and dirt.

[Mermaid]

My air handler also has a permanent-type filter at the base of the unit that you can only get to by removing the front panel of the unit, although I can look underneath and see it. I clean it a couple of times a year. If you have one like mine and you don't know about that filter, it's probably thick with dust and dirt.

This is not about the filter for the heating apparatus, but the refrigerator: ours was thick with dust and dirt on its backside. Friges are hard to pull out so no one bothers to clean the drip pan or the grills. Ours had 20 years of accumulated grime and it was so gross to clean! A big yuckkk of a job.

I think Beach Runner hit the nail on the head. No one takes care of property, no matter how much you pay them, as much as the owner. You have to be on top of things all the time or they'll go to pot.

[aquaticbiology]

this thread has to get the #1 funny award for filters with cleavage.

absolutely priceless


I'll be at the St. Andrews State Park boat ramp tomorrow at 10:00 AM for another GROUPER MADNESS session - 12 hours of Grouper, Grouper, Grouper and whatever else we can catch. c ya ot thr!

[Landlocked]

12 hours of Grouper, Grouper, Grouper and whatever else we can catch. c ya ot thr!

I hate you.

[aquaticbiology]

sometimes I even hate myself, or at least feel highly guilty

IT"S GROUPER MADNESS!!!!!!

[Landlocked]

sometimes I even hate myself, or at least feel highly guilty

IT"S GROUPER MADNESS!!!!!!

You ever catch grouper that have those worms in them? I've seen that mainly when fishing off the east coast, not in the gulf. But I have caught Amberjack that had them in the tails.

[bsmart]

Heck, for the next home invasion, I've already planned where I'll hide my big diamond ring! Actually, on second thought, some guys like to go there. EWWWW! So maybe I should re-think the plan.

I do travel with a gun in the glove compartment when I'm alone.

If you get pulled over in GA, you better take it out and set it on the seat, because that is considered a consealed weapon.

[peapod1980]

The furnaces up North are huge! After a while you get to thinking that that's the norm.

You're not kidding--my old house had a BOILER, for goodness sake!

[aquaticbiology]

You ever catch grouper that have those worms in them? I've seen that mainly when fishing off the east coast, not in the gulf. But I have caught Amberjack that had them in the tails.

sorry for the delay, I actually had to 'do something' at work yesterday!

yeah, no grouper worms I know of, but jacks are bad for the worms in the tail - I usually just cut the tail off and tie it on for bait

hang on - here:

http://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/biol...almacojack.htm

"Like other amberjacks, it may occasionally have infestations of tapeworms encysted in the muscle near the tail. Although the worms will not harm people, the infested areas may be cut away and discarded."

glad to know since I've eaten so many, probably with a few microscopic wormlies in them too

[wetwilly]

I bet you were also wondering where to deliver the heating fuel.

No coal chute for the coal furnace?? Just kidding.

When working to get a pool heater added to our pool, I too was suprised the other day to find out that my house is all electric with no natural gas. So, our heat/furnace must be a heat pump (electric) and out hot water heater must be electric too. Oh well...the things you learn when you buy beach property.

[Coast is Clear]

Since we were building new and were told that a very high percentage of home damage on the shore is from water heaters failing, we put in a gas fired tankless water heater. So we are not endlessly heating a tank of water when we are not even there.

We have 3 bathrooms and with three teens and friends it has worked GREAT. Never run out of hot water, and have never hit capacity yet with too many faucets on.

[sarahj]

Heck, for the next home invasion, I've already planned where I'll hide my big diamond ring! Actually, on second thought, some guys like to go there. EWWWW! So maybe I should re-think the plan.

I do travel with a gun in the glove compartment when I'm alone.

Beach Runner, you need to go to gun class and get a concealed weapon permit. Does not take much time and then you are legal to carry in several of states. Also you learn about certain laws, very informative, things you would not even think about.

[Beach Runner]

Beach Runner, you need to go to gun class and get a concealed weapon permit. Does not take much time and then you are legal to carry in several of states. Also you learn about certain laws, very informative, things you would not even think about.

Thanks a lot for the for the advice.

My husband and I have been to a gun classes and go to a shooting range just to keep our skills intact. Shooting a gun is not as easy as one might think due to the power of the kickback.