Surgery+ Possible Near future Furnace Replacement

[Barbisi]

Well, last week I came splendidly through a three hour surgery few women look forward to with anything but dread. My ovaries are intact and my speaking (and singing ) voice is undamaged from the full anesthesia tube, and our total bill will probably be a little more than 2K. We have a payment plan in place with the outpatient surgical unit of the hospital and already paid $300+ towards the total $1300+. So we are ably dealing with the cards fate, Colorado and this BK13 have dealt us.
But on Sunday (after record highs temps in the upper nineties and low one hundreds for four months, zero rain and unquenchable Colorado wildfires have gripped the state for months) the temperatures plummeted around 60 degrees in one day to barely above zero (below if you include wind chills) along with 8-10 inches of snow - just another brutal and short lived Colorado blizzard- except the 29 year old furnace shut off (I think a safety mechanism stopped it to prevent overheating ) and stayed off for about 4 hours. Luckily when my husband tried to restart it , it worked and has continued to provide heat but we know it may not survive another harsh and unpredictable Colorado winter.
My question is : how and when should we replace it or will we be allowed to replace it? We are loathe to involve the trustee because when the payment was increased last month, the trustee made it clear that the new payment was the "new base" and he and the creditors would not accept a penny less. We are already talking to different H Vac companies to see if we can work out a payment plan between us and them with out informing the trustee, as long as the payments are low enough not to interfere with with our required payments to the court and the mortgage are. Also, if we tell the lawyer he will likely charge us more to correspond with the trustee.( We still haven't got a bill from our objection to the modified payment plan which began in August.)
Another thing we could do is let the furnace die, and try to make it through the winter with half a dozen space heaters!
We are not sure if we have any options besides being uncomfortable in an aging house we have to keep afloat until 2022 when we should regain our financial freedom!
If any one can offer constructive advise (not criticism!) or their own personal tale of survival, it would be most appreciated!

[Carmella]

Barbisi glad to hear the surgery went well!

How cold does it get in your area? Will pipes freeze?

[Barbisi]

Thanks Carmella!
Colorado has a truly schizophrenic climate - one day it's a 90 + the next almost zero! The winter can be very cold usually not for long but there have been periods of extended freezes that can last a week or more. It is just as extreme in the summer (mostly with out any rain!) like a true desert.
The extreme temperatures here have been compared to the steppes of central Asia (Mongolia, in particular).
This is why I've grown to loathe this place so much - no humidity, blazing sun for more than 300 days a year, rain less summers with record -breaking wildfires, winters with heavy snows and dry freezing temps and little in between -no real greenery, no lushness, only barren high desert.
I don't know how soon after the furnace died,the pipes would freeze.
Another possible partial solution would be to cash in some of my husband's vacation time , maybe a weeks' worth or more -we're not sure how that would work. If the trustee found out , I don't think he could demand the money since staying alive in a frigid climate would be considered a priority ,not a crime.
Well, not sure if there's another way!

[Carmella]

That’s interesting weather. Sounds like pipes could freeze if you have extended cold period. If you do cash in vacation time it would be obvious you are not splurging on luxuries. Is there a way to ask your attorney to see if it’s a viable option?

[justbroke]

Barbisi I hope you're feeling better. I used to live in New England and they had snow yesterday. Meanwhile, down here in Florida, we had 91 degrees. I am awaiting fall here in Florida which is a nice time. I miss visiting Boulder Colorado but not this time of year -- too unpredictable.

[shipo]

Yesterday, only three inches, most of which is already gone. Bummer, the more snow the better from my perspective.

[Barbisi]

Thanks Carmella! We try to leave the attorney out of it as much as possible. He would likely charge for what ever "advise" he would dispense. We are thinking space heaters would may be get us by for a while - if the pipes did freeze, well, then the trustee would have to be notified. Maybe we can just limp along until my husband gets another raise and/or profit sharing. I'm not sure if we could borrow from the 401K since we are repaying the two loans used for the first money pit house's down payment. Maybe we could live here for the next 16 months with out a working furnace ?
Thank you for your get well wishes, jb! Yes, I'm getting better. But I still hate 90+ degree temperatures!
Shipo maybe you'll get the bitter blizzard you're longing for soon! LOL

[flashoflight]

Barbisi Have you checked to see if the 401k allows hardship withdrawals (very hard to get approved at my employer) or CARES Act withdrawals? Many plans have a 2 loan limit for 401k. And then there is the huge issue of your overly involved trustee watching you guys like a prison guard.

[Barbisi]

@flashoflight, yes, it is possible to get a loan from my husband's current company's 401k. It may be just enough. My husband is also looking into a rollover from the old company 401k to the new. At present the new 401K is about 40% the value of the old company 401k. Notably, my husband contributed to the old company for about 14 years, while he has worked at the new company for 1.5 years. So moving the 401k to the new company may be a wise move for the future.

[Carmella]

Thanks Carmella! We try to leave the attorney out of it as much as possible. He would likely charge for what ever "advise" he would dispense. We are thinking space heaters would may be get us by for a while - if the pipes did freeze, well, then the trustee would have to be notified. Maybe we can just limp along until my husband gets another raise and/or profit sharing. I'm not sure if we could borrow from the 401K since we are repaying the two loans used for the first money pit house's down payment. Maybe we could live here for the next 16 months with out a working furnace ?
Thank you for your get well wishes, jb! Yes, I'm getting better. But I still hate 90+ degree temperatures!
Shipo maybe you'll get the bitter blizzard you're longing for soon! LOL

In the worst case that you have a freezing spell open the faucet (if you have a basement use that sink) to a slow drip. If you keep the water flowing it helps prevent freezing. It might run your water bill up, but that's cheaper than pipes freezing. If you don't have a basement run the sink closest to where the pipes enter the house.

[imokay]

I lucked out when my HVAC broke. I contacted my attorney who said "the trustee understands these things happen" and told me to get together some quotes, apply for financing, and then let him know the outcome so he could either further advise me or run it by the trustee. All quotes said I needed a whole new system (not unrealistic based on the age) I tried for financing from every company who I got quotes from, and the only financing I got approved for was from my own bank but it was nowhere near enough for the entire replacement. The bank had a connection with one of the HVAC companies so they were offering contractor-specific financing. The HVAC company settled for doing the absolute minimum repairs they could to keep the system running. In total, it cost me $600 and almost 2 years later it is still running. Plus, I have a positive credit account showing on my credit report! (I do live in fear of the whole thing eventually giving out before I have my discharge in hand though.)