I’m always looking for a catchy title for a blog. There really isn’t any conclusive evidence that I’m suffering from “the domino effect” but an interesting conjecture.
This morning, I was an icicle!! Inside my trailer, 43 degrees when I got up!! My tiny electric heater kept the tiny trailer very warm. My tiny electric heater is ineffective in my large trailer!! I’m anxious for Spring (like half the population of the United States suffering an extremely harsh Winter). I haven’t mastered the “P’s & Q’s” of the furnace in the “big” trailer. (Sometimes it won’t run at all, sometimes it won’t stop running!!) Truthfully, I’ve turned the heater off (at night) rather than struggle with its unpredictability. Frankly, I didn’t want to crawl out of bed—out of my sleeping bag inside a sleeping bag!! I quickly dressed and headed for the comfortably warm CARE Center. Yes, I’ve checked the instruction manuals… but can’t find an answer.
Recently, I’ve been emotionally and physically sick!! Too many shocks to my system?? (Too many dominoes toppling over?!) My life has been a roller coaster for over six months: Moth ball poisoning (oh so sick), nasty bump on the head requiring four stitches, “downsizing,” packing, moving, new job, unauthorized charge on credit card, battle with TracFone, etc., etc. (it’s all documented on this blog). A few weeks ago, I found a wonderful Christian radio station (from Houston) but the signal is gone and I’m bereft by the loss.
Hey, I know Spring is just around the corner. We won’t need our heaters!! ~~ All the major expenses will be a distant memory. ~~ Energy and enthusiasm will replace fatigue and depression. Life will be “a bowl of cherries” (home-grown tomatoes).
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Thursday, January 23rd, 2014, 3:00 PM: FYI, I finally have the furnace responding the way I want it to. I don’t know “how” or “why” but I’m extremely grateful for uniform heat!! It is a very cold, rainy day and I have not (and will not) venture outside. I watched a video from the comfort of the large La Z-Boy recliner. Now I’ll resume work on my Income Taxes.
As if I haven’t had enough concerns the last few months, last night I learned that someone very dear to me is suicidal. Sadly, time and distance prevent me from reaching out to provide comfort and assistance.
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Ibid, 5:40 PM: Almost all the data has been entered into Turbo Tax. I’ll have to wait for statements from Los Angeles County (retirement), banks, etc., before I actually e-file. Thankfully, the Federal refund will put some money back into recently totally depleted savings.
Three Quarters & Counting 
I vote for a bigger portable heater. By law, they all are topped out at 1500 watts, I think, but some truly do push way more heat than others, because of their physical size and the size of the fan. A dash heater or AC in a big rig can’t possibly heat an entire Class C or Class A, but it’s not meant to. Maybe borrow a trick from some of those folks; they get by making a “partition” of sorts, often using a rod, and a shower curtain, drape, or homemade curtain behind the cab. Maybe you can partition off the bedroom from the living area to give the little heater more of a fighting chance. Another thing you can do is better insulate windows for the winter, using the kits found in hardware stores and Walmart, that you easily tape over the windows, and shrink with a blow dryer. They make a difference, and are a cheap, temporary solution to help stay warmer.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Duck-Brand-Indoor-Roll-On-Window-Kit-5-Pack/15077942
Remember, too, if you’re pointing a remote at the roof, you’re pointing it at a heat pump or possibly a heat strip in an AC unit, and not a furnace. They aren’t the same animal. A heat pump or heat strip in an AC unit work off electric, and are simply not as warm as the air that comes out of a furnace. They’re designed more to take the chill out, and not actually heat. When you get down to around 40, you should be using the propane furnace. If the propane system was serviced before your purchase, I’m surprised the furnace doesn’t run smoothly (usually using a wall thermostat). I wonder if your roof unit is supposed to switch automatically to the propane furnace at some set temperature? Would a maintenance man be able to take a look for you? Maybe you have some simple setting out of place. Hopefully not, but you might have an issue with a fuse or a control board or something it would take a technician to figure out. BTW, I know you’re tight on space, but our neighbors up north keep an extra room in their house toasty with a Dimplex heater, and it’s much better than others I have seen, in terms of looking realistic (still 1500 watts, just a much better blower):
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2842547
I’ll see if anybody in our chapter has any ideas that might help you figure out what’s going on.
Maybe you can find a station you like using the list here:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=livingston&state=tx&x=11&y=1