Remember how I discovered an old stovepipe vent in our chimney? How it had never really been filled in, except with a brick and some joint compound? We had to shut off our hot water tank so no exhaust fumes would come into the house. We had to figure out a temporary cover so we could turn our tank back on.
My ingenious husband (who was in no mood to mortar bricks all evening) came up with a solution: a paint can lid fit perfectly over the vent hole. Seal the lid on with duct tape, and there you go! We hung a carbon monoxide detector closeby, just in case. It has not gone off at all.
Good job, honey!





:) I’m a married mom of four teenage children. We live in Upstate New York. We bought an old 1855 home and acre property, over 10 years ago. We've been in the slow, agonizing process of living in the home while (trying) to renovate it. When I'm not renovating, I'm a freelance writer and blogger.
We've learned to dig a French drain, plant huge flower and vegetable gardens, wire a circuit panel, install furnace ducting, understand the enigmatic complexities of the plumbing system, and more. It's been *quite* the adventure.
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July 14, 2007
remuddling