Chimney Sleeve

Last post in a triptych about the basement. We first put in a new floor (see Washer and Drier) with a vapor barrier to keep water from coming in during heavy rains (one of the joys of living in the floodplain of Long Island Sound). And then we installed a new water heater and switched from oil to a highly-efficient gas furnace (see Oil to Gas). Finally, to effectively vent all of this stuff we had to put a 6-inch steel sleeve in the old chimney. Required tile knocking, and guys climbing up on the roof, and soot from the basement getting tracked all over the house. But now it's done. [NOTE: That's "Chino" in the photo above pushing a piece of the sleeve into the chimney. Great tatoo].

Oil to Gas

More from the basement (See Washer and Drier). We are replacing our antique, oil-burning furnace (above), originally installed to be used with coal, with a more efficient, gas-burning furnace. We are installing the award winning Burnham ES 2 gas boiler (below) which has an AFUE Energy Star rating of 85%. As shown at the back right in the image, we also installed an A O Smith Effex gas water heater, which, I am told, is the highest-efficiency, residential water heater available. I am thrilled by the propects of improved heating and financial savings, and impressed by the clean, sculpture-like quality of the piping work done by the plumbers (thx, Ed). [NOTE: I actually know nothing about this stuff. My ecologist wife did the research, chose the best models, and even found the plumber (thx, Elysa)].