#local furnace service | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

protohomeservice · 2 years ago

Text

Helpful Plumbing and heating service That Help You Daily Life

Heating system repair

A broken heating system can cause a lot of frustration for homeowners. The last thing you want to do is wait for a plumber to come out and fix your heating system, so be sure to call us immediately when you notice that the temperature in your home is set significantly lower than it should be. We will come right over and take care of the problem in no time!

Heating services 24 hours

If you have an emergency heating issue, don’t hesitate to call us at any time during the day or night. We are available 24/7 for all your heating needs! Hot water heater installation or repair, furnace repair, boiler repair or replacement, air conditioning installation or repair… we can handle it all!

Emergency heating services

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are about keeping your boiler clean and free of debris, things still go wrong. If this happens to you, don’t worry! We are here to help! Our emergency plumbers will show up at your home within 30 minutes with all the tools they need to fix whatever problem has occurred within seconds. Needed: A new boiler? No problem! Emergency plumbing repairs? No problem! Emergency plumbing installation? No problem!

Here are some tips that you can use to improve your heating system:

1) Make sure that you have the right size furnace for the room. If your home is too large or too small, then the furnace will not be able to do its job properly and you may end up with an underperforming heating system.

2) Make sure that there is enough ventilation in your home. The vents should be located away from any heat sources, such as radiators and fireplaces, so that they will not be affected by heat.

3) Have a professional check your heating system at least once every year. This will ensure that everything is working properly and there are no problems with it.

Heating and Plumbing Service Tips and Idea

A reliable heating and plumbing service should be able to provide you with the best services at a very competitive price. However, many people are not even aware of the fact that their home is equipped with an efficient heating system. They do not know how to use it properly, what parts need replacement or how it can be repaired. If you have any questions regarding your home’s heating system, it is important to find out what services are available in Quincy and how they can help you get more value out of your investment.

Heating System Repair

If you are experiencing problems with your heating system, there are various types of repairs that need to be done. A professional can determine whether or not all the necessary parts are present and if they have been properly installed by checking for loose connections or other problems that could lead to a breakdown in performance. Heating systems will require regular maintenance so that they continue functioning properly over time as well as regular repairs when something goes wrong with them. An effective heating system should last for many years without any problems which means that it requires regular maintenance before there is any sign of failure from wear and tear or other factors such as low temperatures outside or humidity levels inside your house keeping

Whether you need a plumber for your home or business, Quincy is the place to call. Our team of experts will provide you with everything you need for a successful plumbing and heating service.

We offer a wide range of services that can help you repair your plumbing system, install new equipment, install water heaters, and more. We are dedicated to providing the best possible service at affordable rates.

Our goal is to provide our clients with high-quality workmanship at affordable prices. We specialize in repairs and maintenance on all types of plumbing systems including gas lines, electric lines, garbage disposals, faucets, tubs and showers.

At Quincy Plumbing & Heating we believe in giving our customers value for their money by providing quality workmanship at reasonable prices. We are fully licensed and bonded so you can rest assured that your investment will not be compromised by unqualified personnel.

Home heating and plumbing systems are essential to keep your home comfortable in the winter. When they fail, you will have to deal with the cold air coming out of your vents and no hot water coming out of your faucets.

Heating system repair is a service we offer to all our customers who have heating problems at their house. We are able to diagnose the problem and fix it quickly so that you can get back to enjoying your home again.

Our technicians will be able to tell you more about what needs to be done and how long it will take for repairs to be completed. It is important that you contact us if your furnace or heater has broken down or if you notice any unusual noises coming from them.

We offer 24-hour emergency heating services so that we can respond quickly when needed. Our plumber will come over right away so that we can make sure that everything gets fixed properly as soon as possible. It is very important that you contact us in case something goes wrong with your heating system in order for us to fix it quickly before it becomes a bigger problem.

If there's an issue with your plumbing system, we can help you out too since we know how important it is for these parts of our homes to work properly without any issues at

The best heating service near you is here.

Our team of heating and plumbing professionals are trained to ensure that your home stays warm and cozy during the coldest months of the year. We can also repair your gas or electric water heater quickly, efficiently and effectively to avoid any future problems.

Our emergency heating services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you need us in the middle of the night or on weekends, we’re ready for you!

We specialize in high efficiency heating systems that use less fuel than conventional models and offer greater comfort at lower costs. Our technicians are experts at installing these systems and maintaining them properly so they work efficiently for years to come.

#Heating system repair #Heating services 24 hours #Emergency heating services #Plumbing repair 24 hours #Plumbing service #Emergency plumbing repair #Water heater installation #Water heater repair #Emergency plumbing and heating service #Furnace repair 24 hours #Best plumbing service near Quincy #Best heating service near me #High efficiency heating installation #Best local plumber #Best local heating company #Drain cleaning #Emergency drain cleaning service

0 notes

rjzimmerman · 2 months ago

Text

Excerpt from this story from RMI:

1. Batteries Become Everybody’s Best Friend

Battery prices continue to drop and their capacity continues to rise. The cost of electric vehicle (EV) batteries are now about 60 percent what they were just five years ago. And around the world, batteries have become key components in solar-plus-storage microgrids, giving people access to reliable power and saving the day for communities this past hurricane season.

2. Americans Get Cheaper (and Cleaner) Energy

State public utility commissions and rural electric co-operatives around the country are taking steps to deliver better service for their customers that also lowers their rates. At the same time, real momentum is building to prevent vertically integrated utilities from preferencing their coal assets when there are cleaner and cheaper alternatives available.

3. A Sustainable Shipping Future Gets Closer

More than 50 leaders across the marine shipping value chain — from e-fuel producers to vessel and cargo owners, to ports and equipment manufacturers — signed a Call to Action at the UN climate change conference (COP29) to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission fuels. The joint statement calls for faster and bolder action to increase the use of zero and near-zero emissions fuel, investment in zero-emissions vessels, and global development of green hydrogen infrastructure, leaving no country behind.

4. Corporations Fly Cleaner

In April, 20 corporations, including Netflix, JPMorgan Chase, Autodesk, and more, committed to purchase about 50 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), avoiding 500,000 tons of CO2 emissions — equivalent to the emissions of 3,000 fully loaded passenger flights from New York City to London. SAF is made with renewable or waste feedstocks and can be used in today’s aircraft without investments to upgrade existing fleets and infrastructure.

5. More and More Places Go From Coal to Clean

Around the world, coal-fired power plants are closing down as communities switch to clean energy. From Chile to the Philippines to Minnesota coal-to-clean projects are creating new jobs, improving local economic development, and generating clean electricity. In September, Britain became the first G7 nation to stop generating electricity from coal — it’s turning its last coal-fired power plant into a low-carbon energy hub. And in Indonesia, the president vowed to retire all coal plants within 15 years and install 75 gigawatts of renewable energy.

6. Methane Becomes More Visible, and Easier to Mitigate

Methane — a super-potent greenhouse gas — got much easier to track thanks to the launch of new methane tracking satellites over the past year. In March, the Environmental Defense Fund launched MethaneSAT, the first for a non-governmental organization, and the Carbon Mapper Coalition soon followed with the launch of Tanager-1. By scanning the planet many times each day and identifying major methane leaks from orbit, these new satellites will put pressure on big emitters to clean up.

7. EVs Speed By Historic Milestones

This past year was the first time any country had more fully electric cars than gas-powered cars on the roads. It’s no surprise that this happened in Norway where electric cars now make up more than 90 percent of new vehicle sales. And in October, the United States hit a milestone, with over 200,000 electric vehicle charging ports installed nationwide.

8. Consumers Continue to Shift to Energy-Efficient Heat Pumps for Heating and Cooling

Heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces consistently since 2021. And while shipments of heating and cooling equipment fell worldwide in 2023, likely due to broad economic headwinds, heat pumps held on to their market share through. And over the past 12 months, heat pumps outsold conventional furnaces by 27 percent. Shipments are expected to continue increasing as states roll out home efficiency and appliance rebate programs already funded by the Inflation Reduction Act – worth up to $10,000 per household in new incentives for heat pump installations. Link: Tracking the Heat Pump & Water Heater Market in the United States – RMI

9. China Reaches Its Renewable Energy Goal, Six Years Early

China added so much renewable energy capacity this year, that by July it had surpassed its goal of having 1,200 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy installed by 2030. Through September 2024, China installed some 161 GW of new solar capacity and 39 GW of new wind power, according to China’s National Energy Administration (NEA). China is deploying more solar, wind, and EVs than any other country, including the United States, which is — by comparison — projected to deploy a record 50 GW of solar modules by the end of 2024.

10. De-carbonizing Heavy Industry

For steel, cement, chemicals and other heavy industries, low-carbon technologies and climate-friendly solutions are not only increasingly available but growing more affordable. To speed this process, Third Derivative, RMI’s climate tech accelerator, launched the Industrial Innovation Cohorts to accelerate the decarbonization of steel, cement, and chemicals. Also on the rise: clean hydrogen hubs — powered by renewable energy — designed to supply green hydrogen to chemical, steel, and other heavy industries to help them shift to low-carbon production processes.

27 notes · View notes

bayoubashsims · 1 year ago

Text

The Marsh Mansion

I've yet to make the family living there, but I plan to make it the home of a local spiritualist who lives with her caretaker and long-serving butler. It's built from killerbee's Run Down Mansion at GoS.

The front exterior and the front foyer, with the stairlift. An extensive tour below!

Turning to the right of the corridor you will be in the study, which belonged to the lady's late father, a great scholar of the occult.

At the end of the hall, you will see a dumbwaiter, and turning left will take you to the dining room, where the lady would conduct her services.

The parlor, which is not used anymore, used to host the lady's parents and brother, all deceased now. Nobody's sat on those chairs or played the piano for years...except for, well, you know, the ghosts.

The basement is where you do the laundry, store stuff, and where the furnace and the radiator is kept.

The kitchen, where the lady's nanny and the butler used to work. Many of the appliances and fixtures have not been changed in the last 50 years.

Going upstairs would lead you to the chair of the stairlift and the sewing alcove, used by the lady's late mother, who created clothing for everybody out of love.

The red room, where the father would play cards with his colleagues from the university. You can still hear their murmurs and laughter sometimes at night, with the faint smell of nectar.

The caretaker's room. She's new.

The lady's room, easily my favorite room in the house.

The master bathroom, and the attic, where the butler lives.

And finally, the exterior!

#the sims 2 #the sims #ts2 #monkfish bay #cape monkfish

95 notes · View notes

sanctus-ingenium · 1 year ago

Text

answering your asks vol 3

Full context for the Inprnt issue can be found here on this post , tl;dr my shop is closed until I receive my payments from inprnt in a timely manner and essentially won't reopen unless they clean up their act. Regarding the money they owe me outlined in that post, I still have not received it and on Friday I sent a support ticket in to inprnt demanding they send it soon. Haven't heard back since. I think where Inprnt is concerned, it's worth mentioning that they no longer send promotional emails (which used to be a regular occurrence) and there seems to be a complete lack of communication and the only thing about the site that regularly updates is the sale banner (ending soon!!! 🙄)

So honestly I'm of the opinion that the print on demand bubble has burst and that this method of selling art was a very short-lived feature of an internet that doesn't exist anymore. Think about it - I make money on a sale after having spent nothing on promotion, on materials, on postage fees, etc. It's so easy to game the system using bots or stolen art to essentially print free money that I'm shocked it even lasted as long as it did. Maybe I'm wrong but I won't tie myself to another print on demand service that's just going to pull the same old shit redbubble and inprnt have done this year, or one that requires me to constantly promo it like some kind of influencer on instagram or tiktok or whatever.

Will prints come back? I hope so. I am looking into local printing shops and considering the feasibility of handling the process myself but you must understand that if I do that, the price will rise. I won't have the ability to run constant discounts or eat a loss if I order 20 prints and only 7 sell. It is what it is.

And the actual worldbuilding asks below the cut lol:

(referring to this post)

Only if you want to! I've had a few people send me cool sketches and stuff via dms and it's always nice to see but you really shouldn't feel pressured to. After all it's not like I post my rough practice here lol (that goes on patreon ;)

I'm going to be SO real with you right now - I did not consider that at all. However I do know that tinting flames with various chemical compounds was a huge part of alchemy, part of the whole flashy show of it to impress the layperson. So sure, I bet they do throw in copper sulfate or various other chemicals to produce the coloured flames - these make a huge impression on witnesses who might not even have imagined such a thing possible, and also help identify a holy beast at a distance on a battlefield choked with smoke and dive-bombing serpents.

Fun fact, the flames come from the furnace wells, right. Each well is connected to specific systems, where it can most efficiently deliver fuel to the heart and onwards. So it is possible to 'read' the pattern of flame bursts from the furnace slits - they are not constant, but there'll be one every few seconds based on when the furnace tenders excite each well. You can tell at a distance, for example, that Leun is readying an acid spray, or rerouting power to the rear legs for a leap, or even what direction he's turning. It all runs at a slight delay, which is why the crew inside has to be SO closely coordinated.

@absolutely-flabbergasted Knights are allowed to reproduce but not marry, because it's sort of accepted theory that blood relatives of a knight will be 'accepted' by the knight's beast when the time comes. This is not true but it means that sometimes the knight's apprentices are their own children. The other parent is mostly another member of the church and usually not identified or considered important (unless they're a smith...). There are usually a decent number of known knight bastards running about.

Smiths are not allowed to have families or marry, because their first devotion should be to their art or their beast if they are assigned to one. If one tries, the kids are taken away, anonymised with new names, and put into the pool of potential novices in some other stable. Now, in reality some stables or churches are just not that strict and have a slightly different culture, so there's often an Open Secret about some master smith's illegitimate family or a priest's secret mistress. This is tolerated by the authorities to a certain degree but if it becomes too rampant there'll usually be a change of management and some sort of crackdown.

Families who give up their second born cannot stay in contact, but if the child becomes successful in some way (say, if the child becomes a knight) the families are sent tokens symbolising this which can be placed in the family/village shrine. This can be a huge point of pride, with some people faking the tokens just so that they can show off about their successful kids that are totally knight apprentices.

The reason they don't get to stay in touch with their children is due to the secretive nature of the church and its arts. The church has been at war with the neighbouring nations for a long time and only its mastery of engine work has kept it afloat, and nobody wants these secrets to fall into enemy hands. Particularly if your kid goes on to become a scribe, which is if anything an even more closely guarded profession than that of a knight (those engine diagrams don't draw themselves). The laity are usually quite devout and understanding of this. If they aren't, they might attempt to find their child, often without success.

If you want your church kid back: it depends. If you can prove to the church authorities that you need your child's labour to stay afloat or to carry on the family line, they might take that into consideration. Of course, the only children that return are the likes of sweepers, cleaners, altar boys, pages, etc. Nobody who might have witnessed any Secrets. The church is best understood as being in the middle of a cold war for the past few centuries (and sometimes just regular war) so it's far more closely guarded.

@kicks-tiktaalik-back-into-water

It's not likely. Even if the ventilation system worked perfectly, he is still from an older generation of holy beasts and no longer represents the pinnacle of the technology. Leun might have a less sophisticated ventilation system but everything else about him is head and shoulders more advanced - including the crew number he can take on. Leun only requires a single enginesmith in the heart, for example. This is because there's more automation of his systems, and he can actually manage to walk home from battle without anybody inside at all, just based on the knight's input (because the throne chamber is open to the air the knights are technically not inside the beasts). It's not preferable (it can damage the systems) but it is a huge bonus.

Think about how in the early days of commercial aviation, there could be as many as eight people working on the flight deck. In the 60s, a 3-person crew was standard; captain, first officer, and flight engineer. Today there are only two pilots needed. This is down to increased automation, and it means that it is cheaper to fly the plane - the airline has to hire fewer pilots, 'flight engineer' is a nonexistent role these days, and that means you need to train fewer people, have fewer people on call, feed fewer people etc etc. It is cheaper for the church to run Leun than it is to run Krokodilos and even though the church is wealthy, the money and resources are not infinite. Especially now, in times of plague. Leun, for all everybody sings his praises, is basically a reskinned Pantera with better systems - again, cutting costs, because now we can get all of Pantera's old enginesmiths to work on him instead of having to train up new ones on a brand new and wholly unique platform. It's as much a matter of logistics as it is innovation and technology.

#info asks #setting: mez #fun asks this time round .. thank you everyone <3

91 notes · View notes

hihigherdi · 11 months ago

Text

Last week was a lot. I told my team that I was leaving for another experience. They are sad and processing but also very happy for me. We cried a little at the end of the meeting. The initial support structure I had in place was OK but a few parts were confusing/concerning so I adjusted those and I think they feel better. My boss isn't sure where they will officially report into yet but I just made the call and confirmed who their direct manager will be. I've let all of my partners across the company know which has been weird, but OK.

The work in the new role is SO intense, I'm learning everything as fast as I can but also have to apply new learns to what I really don't understand yet to a plan that has to be localized into multiple languages by next week. It's nuts but there's no option not to do it, so I'm working a lot this weekend. I was experiencing such a confidence crisis but a few meetings on Friday validated I am moving in the right direction. For the first time in so long, I had anxiety dreams about work which in a weird way is a good sign - I was just kind of....dead, going through the motions, not super busy, not really caring about anything. My brain is waking up. It's where I am at my best. There will be a time for another way of moving through the world but right now for this next year/last experience, I want to be driving something hard and seeing the impact. I want to push myself to take risks and not be an invisible middle manager. Shirley said that I am like a little joey (baby kangaroo) - I am mostly comfortable living my emotions through animals and I have a tendency of hiding like a little joey. I already see this job will make me deal with conflict, stand in the strength of my opinion instead of being accommodating and malleable, afraid of making someone upset. There's such personal growth here for me.

The Alki remodel continues to provide a number of surprises. After we found so many concerns in the electric wiring in the lower unit, I asked the contractor to have the electrician check the upper unit as well. He couldn't even do much given the electrical panel is over 30 years old, so I had it replaced. We also repaired some cracks in the roof and an HVAC person is coming out to assess what I should do to upgrade the 30 year furnace. It's a lot but I am comforted to know these upgrades will make everything so much stronger and safer, I'm much more confident in renting it now. Another fun thing, the contractor found an outdoor shower on the side of the house so we're going to replace it with this and create a little area with a sauna, so someone can do a cold plunge in the ocean, and then wash off in the shower and take a sauna. It's actually not expensive and the contractor can build it for us. I'm excited!

Health-wise, I signed up for a service that will make it easier for me to get the updates to my health that I need. I got 16 vials of blood taken on Friday for a number of tests - a full panel including a lot of early detection stuff.

This is going to be such a good year. It already is. I trust it. I trust that good things are here, that I deserve them and I am going to meet every moment with new strength, new capability and create more silence so those that are guiding me can be heard even more clearly.

24 notes · View notes

handeaux · 5 months ago

Text

Cincinnati’s Domestic Servants Endured Long Hours And Harassment For A Pittance

With the dawn of the new century in 1901, Cincinnati housemaids attempted to organize a union. That collective bargaining initiative didn’t last the year but offered some insight into the lives of domestic servants at that time.

According to Jesse Partlon, pioneering woman reporter for the Cincinnati Post [26 March 1901], the president of the nascent union was Maria “Maggie” Schuler, who was employed by the family of confectioner Samuel E. Elliott at their home on Gilbert Avenue. Nora Murphy, who boarded on Hackberry Street, was vice president. Mollie Dougherty, the treasurer, “did for” Matilda Besuden, wife of tobacconist Henry J. Besuden out on Duck Creek Road.

The union organizers were hardly inflammatory radicals. Their demands involved being treated with respect, reasonable sleeping accommodations, a fair wage ($2.50 weekly!) and permission to meet suitors indoors:

“Rule 6. Members must have an agreement with their employers about receiving company. Every girl is entitled to a beau, else she will never get married, and she owes it to her self-respect not to meet him at the corner.”

According to reporter Partlon, there were about 30 members of the Housemaids Union, a minuscule sample of the women employed locally as domestic servants in 1901. The United States Census recorded more than 8,000 domestic servants in Cincinnati in 1900, about evenly split between housemaids and cooks and almost exclusively female. A weekly salary of $2.50 was typical, with room and board included. The hours were grueling, from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at night. Partlon went undercover and got herself hired at a middle-class home. On reporting for duty, the household cook outlined her duties:

“The first thing you do in the morning is fill up the furnace and take out the ashes; then you take the snow shovel and clean the walks around the house and the front pavement; then you blacken the shoes, there are two men in this house, and then brush their coats and the Missus’ skirts – you’ll find them outside their doors. After that you dust the halls. About that time I have breakfast ready and you must wait on the tables.”

You heard right – all of that was before breakfast! After breakfast was a round of sweeping, making the beds, dusting and polishing, laundry, mending, picking up after the children and pampering the pets. Despite this backbreaking agenda, the “Missus” rarely trusted the help. According to Partlon:

“My employer insisted on following me all over the house the first day I was there, and never let me out of her sight for a moment. She locked every drawer and closet in the house right before my eyes, putting the keys in her pocket. ‘You see, I don’t know a thing about you,’ she said, in answer to my look of astonishment. ‘One can’t be too careful.’”

It is no wonder that so many young women departed domestic service at the soonest opportunity. Partlon interviewed a couple of housemaids who confessed that they would prefer to work in a factory or a store, primarily because they would have evenings off. They were reluctant to leave domestic service, however, because factory pay wasn’t much better and room and board wasn’t covered.

Partlon’s exposé touched some nerves in Cincinnati. One “Missus,” writing pseudonymously as “Nanette Napoleon,” chastised the Post for printing a series of articles supporting the grievances of housemaids who were unlikely to return the favor by buying a subscription.

“In hundreds of homes incompetent girls are taken in at HIGH wages, have to be taught how to work, are trained by careful housewives whose patience never ceases, who think all the while that for their labor they will finally have a good servant, only to find that they are met with impertinence and that they have trained them for someone else, for as soon as the girl thinks she knows it all, off she goes without a moment’s warning.”

In contrast, a housemaid congratulated the Post on the articles and complained about the tricks used by employers to undercut attempts by their servants to locate better positions.

“When one woman telephones to another about a girl who has applied for employment, this is the reference that is often heard: ‘She is all right, except for something I cannot tell just at present.’ That is worse than slander, and sends many a loyal woman to ruin or an early grave.”

In general, the housemaids told the Post, women employed by Cincinnati’s wealthier families were treated fairly well. It was the parvenus who earned the ire of servants.

“Girls in middle-class families who do general housework are subjected to treatment that makes them long for other employment. Often they have to sleep in cold rooms in the bitterest weather. Often – far more often than you would believe – they are stinted in their food.”

By 1909, changes in household management and improvements in factory conditions encouraged so many young women to find work other than domestic service that Cincinnati society women complained “no one wants to work anymore.” Carrie B. Haworth, who ran an employment agency on Ninth Street, told the Post [9 July 1909]:

“The average American girl doesn’t want positions as house servant. She has too many beaus, and, besides, she doesn’t like the work.”

Still, there were enough servants employed in Cincinnati in 1909 that new apartment houses were designed with servants’ quarters on the top floor. That arrangement led to its own unique complaints, according to the Post [29 December 1909]:

“This system was considered most ideal when started, but it is now considered the most diabolical agency for gossip ever invented, say the flat-dwellers who own servants. The result is that every family in the house knows what’s going on in every other family, via the servants, who get the news from each other when they go to their own apartments in the evening.”

Among the apartment buildings cited as the worst gossip mills was the Navarre Flats, still located today on Gilbert Avenue in Walnut Hills.

According to the U.S. Census, Cincinnati’s servant population declined from 8,000 in 1900 to 3,000 in 1920 and to just over 1,000 in 1950.

#cincinnati servants #cincinnati domestic #jesse partlon #housemaids union

7 notes · View notes

pareidoliaonthemove · 1 year ago

Text

Reason 102 to Wear Your Helmet

You would think an aquanaut would know the value of keeping their helmet on.

Warning: Rat. One rat. One very large rat.

It was hot.

No, scratch that. It was a furnace. And Gordon was stuck in the middle of it.

Australian summers had gotten steadily hotter, and bushfires had gotten larger and more frequent, all due to global warming.

After (too many) firestorms and lives lost, authorities had gotten better at forestry maintenance, a large part of which was backburning operations. Unfortunately, no matter the amount of planning, care and precautions, Mother Nature could, would, and did exert her will over humankind.

What had started out as a carefully executed hazard reduction burn had been blindsided by high winds and unseasonably hot temperatures. The local authorities and volunteer fire services had fought the blaze with everything they had, but the fire had gotten out of the control and when it threatened an unprepared town, International Rescue had been summoned and launched.

They had started with evacuating the town ahead of the inferno, and then, as it threatened to turn on a second unwitting town, the focus had shifted to fighting the fire itself.

Scott and Gordon had worked firepods on the flanks, while Alan was granted rare operational flight time on Thunderbird Two – the astronaut had yet to earn his groundfire qualifications, age apparently being a bigger barrier to firefighting than to space certification, while Virgil and his fire exosuit stood with the locals and challenged the beast head on.

It had been a hard fight, in tough conditions, but eventually the fire was contained and tamed to the point where the locals had felt confident in finishing up operations unassisted.

And not a moment too soon, from International Rescue’s point of view. They had been on the ground for over twenty-four hours, with few opportunities for rest periods, and less to cycle their equipment through a cool down. Brain’s cahelium alloy was a wonder, but even it had its limits. Thunderbird Two, spending much of her time hovering above the fire front, blasting it with both sonic suppressors and water bombing runs, had soaked up a lot of heat, and now the flying behemoth needed time to cool down and dissipate some of the stored thermal energy in her hull before she cooked her own electronics.

It was easier said than done when the ambient atmospheric temperature was creeping dangerously towards the 50deg Celsius mark.

John had found safe location for the transporter to land, without risking starting off a new fire, and the pods had hared off cross country to meet her, Virgil clinging tiredly to the side of Scott’s pod with his exosuit.

Gordon was thrilled to be able to extract himself from his pod, the opportunity to stretch out, and get some blood flow back in his legs, temporarily distracting him from the other issues.

He and Scott had both been forced to resort to their full uniform rig inside the pods, sealing themselves away behind their helmets as the pod’s air filtration and temperature regulation had started to fail from the onslaught. Sealing themselves behind the ‘double-bubble�� as John had termed it, had allowed them more time on the ground, but it did have its drawbacks.

Gordon was – first, foremost, and last – an aquanaut. It was his primary role in International Rescue, and all his personal equipment was geared towards that particular role, and the deep sea environment that was his element. Including his uniform. Especially his uniform.

The deep sea was cold. Very cold.

And fire was not.

Gordon Tracy was a fish, not just out of water, but in the frying pan.

He was, he decided, going to have to speak to Brains about a uniform variant for high temperature work. Like all the IR unforms, his was intended to be used in all temperature conditions – it was even space-rated – but, out of necessity, it was more efficient at maintaining a temperature in deep cold water, an environment that Gordon was most decidedly not currently inhabiting.

Blood flow adequately restored, he surveyed his new surrounds.

John had directed them to a grain storage facility, twenty kilometres as the Thunderbird flies on the western side of the firefront. Less than optimal growing conditions had produced a poor harvest, and the blue-tarped bunkers were clustered on one side of the facility, leaving plenty of open bare ground for Thunderbird Two to settle on her extended struts between the concrete walls of the empty bunkers. Alan had quickly powered her down, and exited via the cockpit floor elevator to join Scott and Virgil near a star-struck cluster of the site’s employees.

Gordon looked around. There was a train parked in a siding, a discharge chute from overhead garner bins still pointing into an open wagon, loading operations abandoned when the company had granted International Rescue permission to use it as a temporary parking facility, and Gordon sought temporary refuge in the scant shadow of the wagons.

It wasn’t just the pods and Thunderbird that was worked to straining point in the heat. Gordon’s uniform wasn’t up to the sustained task, and with his helmet still clamped firmly over his head, he felt like he was trapped in his own personal sauna. Gordon looked around, the wind had died down, so there was no risk of smoke inhalation if he breathed unfiltered air. There were signs on the infrastructure surrounding him warning him that the loading facility was a hard hat area, but all operations had ceased, and there was definitely no one in the gantry above him.

Gordon risked it, pulling off his helmet, and feeling a slight breeze that felt like a slice of heaven after the stifling confines of his uniform helmet.

A youngish man in a sweat soaked hi-vis shirt, shorts and safety boots unzipped at the sides, a hardhat sliding over his skull as he walked, was hurrying up to him, clutching a large bottle of what looked like chilled water. He looked horrified as Gordon removed his helmet. “Sir, please, don’t …”

Something heavy landed on Gordon’s skull, small sharp blades seemed to rake the top of his head, before the whatever-it-was leapt off him, rocking his head back slightly with the force of its propulsion, passing briefly in front of his face to land on the ground and disappear under the train wagons. Gordon had a brief glimpse of long whiskers, dirty yellow fur, and a long naked pink tail before the monstrosity disappeared.

Gordon stared at the ground where he had last seen the creature. “Wh-what …?”

“Sir, are you all right? How’s your neck?” The young man had reached Gordon, forcing the bottle into his hands, before reaching up to gingerly touch the side of Gordon’s neck.

His hands were ice cold, and Gordon started a little. “Shit, sorry! Did that hurt?” The man snatched his hand away and grabbed at a little handheld radio clipped to his belt, speaking before Gordon could reply. “Boss. Over at the train spout. IR guy took his helmet off…”

An expletive crackled back over the radio, as an older man split away from the gaggle surrounding his brothers, who were quicky in pursuit, the remainder of the onlookers, trailing after them like curious ducklings.

The ‘boss’ skidded to a halt in front of Gordon. “Are you alright?” He turned to his underling before Gordon had a chance to answers. “Is he alright? What happened?” He glanced up at the wagon. “Shit, did Canola …?”

Virgil and Scott arrived, Virgil had a medscanner out, and was passing over Gordon, even as he was sliding to a stop, and Scott started snapping out questions, demanding to know what had happened.

“Uhh, he had an encounter with … local wildlife?” the young man offered reluctantly, as Virgil frowned at the medscanner results.

“No injuries flagged, except some cuts on the top of his skull …” IR’s medic reported.

Scott frowned, before turning to face the site employees. “Local wildlife?” he asked.

The boss nodded, and gestured to the hardhat signs. “Yeah. It’s a known hazard, but we can’t trap the damn thing …”

“What was it?” Gordon asked, as Virgil tried standing on tiptoe to examine the top of his skull. “Because it looked a lot like …” he trailed off, and shuddered.

There was a lot of shuffling of feet. “Um, what would you like it to be?” the young man asked, sheepishly.

Gordon glared. “I can only think of two things have long pink furless tails, and it was too freaking big for either of them.”

“It could be a possum, if you want it to be?” A young woman asked. “You know, a possum with, um, fashion opinions?”

Scott sighed, and turned to the site boss. “You said ‘Canola’. Canola is a grain, how could canola cause multiple lacerations on to the top of his head?”

The site manager flushed. “Um, we call it ‘Canola’, ‘cause we always see it over by the canola bunkers, and it’s about the same colour as the pulp when its crushed.”

“Stinks like canola, too,” offered up a voice from the cluster of employees standing back watching the show.

Scott stared. “What exactly are we talking about?” he asked, mystified.

“Um, well, it’s a … uh, rat?” The site manager seemed embarrassed.

Alan stared. “A rat?”

“A really big rat?” offered another voice. All the site employees nodded, embarrassedly, as if understanding exactly how bizarre the explanation was.

Another man in long trousers was bending down and peering under the wagons with a torch. “Ah, here he is, if you want to see him for yourself.”

The four Tracy’s moved forward, Virgil keeping a firm hold on Gordons’ arm, and as one, they crouched down to look under the wagon.

Scott and Alan recoiled, while Virgil, eyes wide, let go of Gordon’s arm to pull out a small camera from his baldric, and capturing a few images, before setting it to record a short video. Gordon glared at it, reaching for a nearby chunk of rock.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that,” the man beside him said, bemused. “There used to be cats all over this place – easy hunting, plenty of mice, y’know? Canola there saw ‘em off. He fights nasty.”

Gordon recoiled, and looked back at the rat clinging to the metal rigging under the wagon. Now he had a good look, from nose to tail, the beast was easily two foot long. Gordon had seen fully grown dogs smaller than Canola, never mind cats.

Gordon’s mind flashed back to the old movie Lady and the Tramp, suddenly the rat attacking the baby didn’t seem so farfetched.

Gordon started away, was the rat suddenly noticed them, whipped up to clamber along the wagon, clinging to the metal undersides, before leaping off and scampering away towards the blue-tarped ridges on the far side of the train.

“Wow!” Virgil’s eyes were huge. “I’ve never seen a rat so big, I mean you hear about giant New York Sewer Rats, but …” he shook his head.

Gordon reached up to scratch his head, wincing at the pain it created, and pulling a way bloody fingertips. “Damn!”

Virgil frowned, and glanced worriedly at Thunderbird Two, still emitting a thick heat haze. He turned to the site boss. “Um, we can’t access our medical facilities until my ‘Bird cools down some. Do you have a first aid kit we can use?”

The man nodded vigorously. “Sure thing!” Before his eyes went wide. “Um, we kinda need to …”

Scott sighed. “You need to create an incident report.” His head dropped down. “For an on-site injury to an International Rescue employee.” He stared at the signage, then glared at Gordon’s helmet, still hanging forgotten in his left hand. “Because he removed his helmet in signposted hardhat area.”

The man gulped. “Nothing like that! Work was suspended, he should have been right to remove it. It was just … a local knowledge thing …” He pointed eagerly to a transportable building standing on short cinderblock piers, with an ungodly number of air conditioning units, hanging off the sides. “First aid kit’s here, and you can wait as long as you want for your equipment to cool down. Feel free to use the kitchen facilities, and we’re just about to put in our food order for delivery, so you’re welcome to order whatever you want.”

His spiel went on, as he led the way, tired IR operatives, and awed employees trailing in his wake.

Gordon sighed. It was going to be a long wait to head home.

He hoped it was an equally long wait before they had to launch again.

John’s hologram popped up in place of their movie, with no warning. “Scott, I’ve had a very odd incident report forwarded to me from that Grain Receival site you parked up at in Australia.” He frowned. “Gordon apparently sustained an injury requiring first aid treatment from,” he glanced at a display near the camera, reading, “‘canola landing on his head’? Is that correct?”

Alan sniggered from the safety of his perch in his launch seat. “Yup. 100% correct.”

John’s frown intensified. “Canola is an oil producing seed. It is approximately the size of a mustard grain. How did canola cause lacerations?”

Virgil fiddled with the tablet he had abandoned, shooting a file into orbit. “Because this is Canola.”

They watched as John watched the video recording, an expression of horror growing on his face. “Is that … Is that a rat?”

Gordon smirked. “It could be a possum with fashion opinions, if that makes it better for you.”

John stared in horror. “Eos?”

“Yes, John?”

“Please add, ‘Giant Rats’ to my list of reasons why I stay in space.”

“Of course.” A pause. “You now have three-hundred and seventy-five official reasons why you prefer to live in space.”

The earthbound brothers stared, “You have a list?” Alan blurted.

“Am I on it?” Gordon demanded.

“Oh yes,” Eos responded brightly. “You’re reason number one.”

John cut the connection.

Notes:

I had to listen to a 20 minute rant from one of our little newbie assistant drivers complaining about having to wear a hardhat at some of our loading sites, and how ineffective they would be if anything actually fell on them from one of the silos (true, a bog standard plastic hardhat is gonna do very little if a silo lets go), and I was reminded of my encounter with an abnormally large rat that decided I would make a suitable step on their descent from the top of a wagon, way back when I was a little baby train driver.

Luckily I was wearing my hard hat; that site had the hardhat rule because of Canola the Rat (so named because he lived near the bunkers storing canola, which is apparently steroids for rodents. He was enormous, and beat up on the cats that used to live on-site for the easy mice hunting to the point they up and moved away), who had caused some nasty lacerations requiring stitches when he pulled the same manoeuvre on people who didn’t wear hardhats.

Took a while to live down. The loading site reported it to my company as a ‘near miss’, and it went out on the monthly safety briefing. Nationwide. No names were mentioned in the briefing, but it didn’t take long for people to figure out who it was locally, and there was a lot of comments about me being afraid of mice.

Until one of the old hands had an encounter with Canola.

The standard disclaimers, I do not own Thunderbirds, either the Original Series, the Movies (both Supermarionation and Live Action), or the Thunderbirds Are Go Series. (Although I do own copies on DVD.)

I do not do this for money, but for my own (in)sanity and entertainment.

#thunderbirds are go #fanfic #my fanfiction #gordon tracy #rat #terrifyingly large rat

32 notes · View notes

furnacerepair7 · 4 months ago

Text

heating furnace repair near me

Reliable Furnace Repair Near Me: Ensuring a Warm and Cozy Winter As the winter season approaches, ensuring that your heating system is in optimal condition becomes a top priority. Finding reliable furnace repair services near you is essential to keep your home warm and comfortable. Expert technicians provide thorough inspections and timely repairs to ensure your furnace functions flawlessly,…

0 notes

airflowheatingandac · 1 month ago

Text

HVAC Replacement Near Me: How to Know When It’s Time for an Upgrade

Your HVAC system plays a critical role in maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. Over time, wear and tear can impact its performance, leading many homeowners to wonder if it’s time for an upgrade. If you’re searching for “HVAC near me” for replacement services, this guide will help you recognize the signs and make an informed decision.

Signs It’s Time to Replace Your HVAC System

Knowing when to replace your HVAC system is key to avoiding frequent breakdowns and excessive repair costs. Here are some common signs:

Frequent Repairs: If your system requires constant repairs, it may be more cost-effective to invest in a new unit.

Rising Energy Bills: An inefficient system uses more energy, causing your utility bills to climb even without increased usage.

Uneven Heating or Cooling: If some rooms are too hot or cold, your system may no longer be able to maintain consistent temperatures.

Age of the System: Most HVAC systems last 10–15 years. If yours is nearing or beyond this range, replacement may be the best option.

Unusual Noises or Odors: Strange sounds or persistent odors often indicate major mechanical issues.

If you notice these signs, searching for “HVAC replacement near me” can connect you with professionals who can assess your system and recommend the right solution.

Benefits of Upgrading Your HVAC System

Replacing your HVAC system comes with several advantages that improve your home’s comfort and efficiency:

Improved Energy Efficiency: Modern systems use advanced technology to operate more efficiently, reducing your energy bills.

Enhanced Indoor Air Quality: Newer systems often include features like improved filtration and humidity control for a healthier home.

Increased Reliability: A new system eliminates the worry of unexpected breakdowns, providing peace of mind.

Smart Technology Integration: Many new HVAC systems are compatible with smart thermostats, allowing you to control your home’s temperature remotely.

Choosing the Right HVAC System for Your Home

When upgrading your HVAC system, consider the following factors:

Size of the System: A unit that’s too small or large for your home can lead to inefficiency and discomfort.

Energy Ratings: Look for systems with a high SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating to maximize savings.

Climate Considerations: Your local climate influences whether a heat pump, furnace, or central air conditioner is the best fit.

Budget: While upfront costs are important, factor in long-term savings from energy efficiency and reduced maintenance.

Searching for “HVAC installation near me” can help you find trusted professionals to guide you through the selection and installation process.

How to Find Reliable HVAC Replacement Services

Finding the right HVAC contractor is essential for a seamless upgrade. Here’s how to choose the best provider:

Read Reviews and Testimonials: Learn from other customers’ experiences to gauge the quality of service.

Verify Credentials: Ensure the contractor is licensed, insured, and certified by recognized organizations like NATE.

Request Detailed Quotes: Compare estimates from multiple providers to find the best value for your investment.

Choose Local Professionals: Searching for “HVAC near me” ensures you work with experts familiar with your area’s climate and regulations.

Conclusion

Upgrading your HVAC system is a big decision, but it’s an investment that pays off in comfort, efficiency, and reliability. If your system is showing signs of age or inefficiency, start your search for “HVAC replacement near me” to connect with experienced professionals who can help you make the transition smoothly. A modern, efficient HVAC system ensures your home remains comfortable for years to come.

0 notes