Well, I had to save money again.
Last year about this time, the control board in the furnace went out. It's 30 years old and the old board literally had ice cube relays soldered on it and one burned up. Called HVAC companies and they quoted $200-300 for the board + labor and couldn't get someone out until the next morning. Luckily, my new cousin-in-law is a tin knocker (HVAC guy) and was able to score a few used ones plus a spare transformer from the bone pile at work (most furnaces get wrecked out for bad HEs or people want to upgrade). Got it up and running in an hour and the new board has solid state electronics (no moving parts!). $0!
A few months later, the house was getting cold again. Turned out the thermostat crapped the bed. Was able to coupon/online order and barely make it to Home Depot on a Sunday night before they closed. WiFi 7-day programmable thermostat = $80.
Fast forward to 10 days ago, wife wakes up with the baby and it's cold. Turns out the pilot safety switch/oriface is going out. I was able to clean it up with sand paper and get it going again and order one from Amazon. $65
Cost if hired out: $1000+
Total: $145 and 5-6 hrs.
DIY FTW!
