I had only made it a few steps. Was leaning over the sink, when I heard a THUMP THUMP noise. I figured that maybe Farmer H was working on something. I went over to the basement mini fridge for a bottle of Diet Coke to add to my 44 oz as it weakened. I still heard the THUMP THUMP. The noise grew louder as I returned to my lair.
It was my underdesk heater!
There was also a burny kind of smell. Like when you turn on your furnace for the first time each winter. Only this was NOT the first time I'd turned on my underdesk heater. I used it every day. I quickly turned off the power. Turned it back on.
The THUMP THUMP started again!
I adjusted the heat. The speed of the blower from low to high. Nothing stopped that THUMP THUMP. Until...I moved the heater out from under the desk a little bit. Carefully fiddled with both knobs again. And got it running smoothly.
I don't know what went wrong, but my underdesk heater is working like normal today. Please excuse the dust and stuff all over him. He lives under my desk. I barely dust things out in the open. This heater has been in use under my desk for at least 15 years. Never had a problem.
Let the record show that I NEVER, EVER leave it running if I'm not in my office. The only exception being for a trip to the bathroom or the mini fridge. I turn it off if I go upstairs, or if I go to watch TV in my OPC (Old People Chair). I've heard of the horrors of space heaters. They're nothing to be trifled with.
I am going to mention this malfunction to Farmer H soon. But every time I think of it, I'm planning to spend some quality time alone in front of New Delly. So I don't want Farmer H down here poking around. I'm pretty sure it's something with the fan, because that's when the noise started up. Or was it the thermostat? Well. Short of this problem happening again, I'm not going to be very good at helping Farmer H diagnose the problem. I THINK it was the knob on the right that caused the noise. But maybe not...
One thing is for sure. RIVAL the Underdesk Heater is not going to be left running unattended. Even for a trip to the NASCAR bathroom.
Perhaps there was something caught on the fan and it fell off when you moved the heater. Mouse, gecko, large collection of dust balls. Keep an eye on it in case that burny smell starts up again. At 15 years old it's bound to get a few old age twinges, just like the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteMaybe a cricket hopped in there overnight! I think I keep the inner dust burned off regularly, but a cricket could have jarred some other dust loose.
Haven't seen a mouse in here lately. No geckos, which I never see, nor lizards, which sometimes I see outside. I'm really hoping it wasn't a millipede! I hate those creepy things.
Buy a new one! Not worth the danger or the angst of wondering if you turned it off, then have to make the trip down the stairs to check. HeWho repairs things and there are always leftover parts that make their way into my dreams to worry me.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteI don't know that a new one will be in Farmer H's plans. I'm pretty sure he'll find one in one of those 18 storage units. So I could be trading MY old heater for somebody else's old heater! Maybe I'll ask for a new one for Mother's Day. Not that my boys will even bother to send me a card...