Finally cleaned out around the electric baseboard heat in my bedroom. What a pain in the ass, but very much needed. The paper hornets nest wasn’t as big of a deal around the heater as I thought it was going to be, I don’t think it posed that much of a fire risk, being at the back of the unit and there wasn’t much evidence of any hornets coming out when I turned on the heat, but it’s totally gone now and cleaned up.

Found a shotgun shell on one of the radiators and some wires, so it’s good I didn’t turn the heat on and have a melty mess or one that could go bang. So much dust and random junk, although a lot could go to paper recycling or be cleaned up and put in it’s proper location. Shit falls behind the dresser and desk when they’ve not been moved for over 11 years at this point.

I don’t think it posed that much of a fire risk, as I only use the electric heat occasionally when I’m home, and the outside of the heaters don’t get that warm (although one melted a transformer sitting on it), but it’s safer being clean. I made sure no wires run close to the heater.

Hopefully with the dust vacuumed off the radiators things will work well and not stink too bad the first few times I turn them on. This often is an issue the first few times of the year – just kind of musty and mildewy like the rest of my apartment. I have the gas heat downstairs which works fine in ordinary winter weather – down to the teens or so – but when it gets really cold it has trouble keeping up for the upstairs.

The electric heat, unlike the gas heat, is very quick, so if I turn the heat down to 50 degrees during the day time when I’m at work or during the night, I can take the chill quickly off my bedroom when I get home from work or wake up.

I’ve never been a fan of heat. I like it cold in my bedroom, rarely turning the main heat above 55 degrees except in exceptionally cold weather or when I’m home for an extended period. I guess in very cold weather I’ll turn the downstairs heat up to 60 degrees, but it overrides by quite a bit upstairs in moderate weather, and I don’t like it much about the low 60s, or I get hot and uncomfortable. Keeping it cold saves money, and makes the outdoors less cold in the winter when I go for walks, or head out to work and play. Plus saves money, which is good because I’m trying to save and invest every spare penny so eventually I can own land.