Some like it hot, Part 6

Central heating in Bulgarian is centralne tepline. Those are two words of Bulgarian that I have got to know rather well since we first came to this country. We first had the Heat Pump central heating installed in our apartment in VT. (In some ways, that is quite similar to air conditioning.) Then it was the pellet burner and all of the radiators in Kalotina. Now we have a different system in Daveri, a large woodburner, an electric pump and pipes going to the radiators. 

The good news is that we now have plenty of firewood, as we had five cubic metres delivered and, with Vincent’s kind help, we cut down some of the old trees that were spoiling the view from the house. And the bad news? The bottom parts of “cupboards” that were hiding the original electric heating system have all gone rotten and warped, as the pump was corroded and leaking. Smoke has discoloured the walls and ceilings in the kitchen and the sitting room, so you can see where Allan used to hang all of his pictures. It is a bit like a Bulgarian Turin Shroud. 

There are also some serious issues with the chimney, as there was no way to clean it properly. In addition, the pipes going to and from the woodburner were too small for the job and some of them were clogged with deposits.

Well, the worst part of the job has now been done. Although the top part of the chimney breast had to be demolished, the stone part at the bottom can stay as it is and we do not need to have a new stove installed. With any luck, all of the work on the centralne tepline will be finished in a day or two and then we can get on with repainting the kitchen and the living room.