After our Grandfather passed away, more than 2 family members reached out to myself and others asking if I could help get his condo ready to sell while they take care of the rest of the affairs of his estate. Although I task from lake condo and can essentially live wherever our heart desires, this would involve moving up to the northernmost space of the country while in the coldest time of the year. My Grandfather had died of a heart attack that September and the estate needed the condo ready to sell by early May. Despite our concerns, our empathy for our family was greater so I told them I would do it. But, what they all failed to tell myself and others was that our Grandfather still had a coal oil furnace in his basement as his primary source of heat. Although he had a forced air gas oil furnace in the condo from when our Grandmother was still alive, after she had died fifteen years ago he stopped using and maintaining it altogether. Finding heating repair at the cusp of the Winter season holiday season isn’t the easiest thing to do, so after unsuccessfully calling more than three to more than 2 bizarre Heating & Air Conditioning companies, I just decided to give the coal oil furnace a shot. If it was wonderful enough for our Grandfather in his aged age, how strenuous could it be for someone as young as myself? After using the plan for about a month I was already impressed. It works without electricity of any kind and all of the heat rises into the condo above via a network of metal pipes that feed into the individual rooms. It’s strong, steady heat and leaves really no dent on your electric bill. The only thing I hated was having to empty the ashes from the machine yearly, which after a few weeks started to get tedious. But, it sure beats having to go outside and chop would for more than 2 hours a month in subarctic hot and cold temperatures.